Blogs are nothing new within the sneaker community, with names such as Word On The Feet & The Drop Date, just to name a few being at the forefront of the European circuit. It’s also not un-common to see blogs go on to partake in sneaker collaborations, with Nice Kicks & Sneaker Freaker putting out notable projects with popular sneaker brands.
Its rare to see a lot from Eastern Europe when it comes to the world of sneakers, though to break the mould we managed to get an all access view to sneaker blog turned customisers O Sole Mio. Being a collective of young Romanian sneaker reviewers who all share a deep passion for sneakers, they only realised their potential in the customising game late last year. This come after attending the infamous Crepe City event on the 31st October, where they decided to bring along some customs just to see what sort of interest they would attract. To their surprise, they received a lot of attention due to their highly detailed, well-packaged 1 of 1 themed customs, with finishing touches being something they pride themselves on.
Although, coming from Romania their aim is to break into the mainstream sneaker customising industry. In the new year, O Sole Mio are focused on paying close attention to ensure they deliver perfect packaging and their use of materials to make sure their customers are as happy as they can be.
We managed to chop it up with Remus, of Ol So Mio about his thoughts on their brand, as well as the current sneaker scene;
CJ – So who is O Sole Mio? (General background information)
O Sole Mio: O Sole Mio started in 2014 as a catalogue of online sneaker reviews. The reviews were made in our native tongue as an effort to educate the young sneaker heads.
In 2015 we showcased our first run of customs of at Crepe City. We were surprised by the feedback and decided to refine our technique. We decided to add customs as an extension to O Sole Mio, besides sneaker reviews.
For 2016 we want to enhance the O Sole Mio concept with two new additions, an online shop and another project that we want to keep it secret for now.
CJ – What is your sneaker collecting history?
OSM: Our sneaker collecting history started almost 10 years ago with a trip to Paris. In our weekly rotations we tend to switch many styles, starting the week with some 350’s and runners and finishing it with a pair of Air Jordan.
CJ – How did you start getting into customising sneakers and why?
OSM: Sneaker customs always had a special place in our heart. We felt inspired by the customs that we were seeing regularly and decided to try painting a few silhouettes.
CJ – Being from Romania, what is the sneaker community out there like?
OSM: Due to certain factors such as the absence of stores selling sneakers, the economical power and a sneaker ‘trend’ that recently started we feel that the sneaker community from Romania began a few years ago.
We are curious to see how things will roll in the future.
CJ – Where do you get your inspiration from in your design process?
OSM: This is a tricky question since the inspiration always comes from odd places. The only thing that is safe to say is that every concept started with an open mind set, a clean pair of sneakers and a ton of Angelus painting.
CJ – What styles/brands of sneakers do you like customising?
OSM: We started to customise sneakers as a ‘what if’ project. Due to the fact that we never tried painting on sneakers before we decided to use classic shapes such as the Air Force 1 or the Jordan 1 due to their simplicity.
CJ – Who inspires you in the sneaker customising world and why?
OSM: Two of the customisers that inspired us are Mache Design and SBTG. Both of them are legends. They took the sneaker customs to another level and educated so many persons that had a close mindset regarding customs. JBF Customs is also a legend. We fell in love the Python covered Jordans from the first time we saw them. Also the Bape camouflage inspired custom is our favourite A Bathing Ape inspired custom. Another of our favourite customisers is The Shoe Surgeon. The amount of odd artworks that they are doing is remarkable, especially the sole swaps. Dent Kicks Custom also put that work in. You need to check their Multicolour Flyknit inspired Roshes and their ‘Wine for your feet’ custom, great attention to the details and packaging. Also, don’t forget to check Sab One. Very well thought customs and packaging, especially the one for Staple.
CJ – What are you thoughts on the sneaker world going into 2016? And what are your thoughts on Adidas’ increase in popularity in 2015?
OSM: As always, it is difficult to predict the future. We believe that Adidas will grow in popularity with their current projects and cultivate a bigger hype with the Yeezys. Besides Yeezys, we are looking forward for the Raf Simons, White Mountaineering, Y-3s and every product that is having the boost technology. 2016, in our opinion, will be remembered for the technical innovations that are taking shape right now. The Adidas 3D Futurecraft sneakers made us extremely curios due to the fact that the possibilities of design are endless. The Nike Mag release is also going to happen in 2016, as well as the Puma Self Lacing Autodisc. In terms of the sneaker world in general, the social media will still play an important role.
CJ – How are you approaching sneaker customising in 2016? Are you looking to try anything new?
OSM: First of all, we want to improve our customer service. Due to the nature of the customisation process, it is sometimes hard for the customer to imagine the finished process. We already have some ideas that we want to implement in the following months that will make the progression smoother for the customer. We also started experimenting with materials at the beginning of January, changing the original materials from an Air Jordan 1 to premium calf leather. We are looking forward to try new silhouettes. All of the materials used are of the highest quality, coming from Italy.
CJ – What has been your favourite custom to date, what was the inspiration behind it and why is it your favourite?
OSM: Since we invested so much time in all of our customs, it is hard to choose our favourite. We fell in love with the ‘Mantra’ due to the amount of details painted and the crazy colour palette. Both of the sneakers are different from one another, making it harder to find a balance between them.
CJ – And finally, where can we find out more about you and your work? (social media plugs)
OSM: You can find out more about O Sole Mio by checking out their social media, they are also looking to start an online shop bedsides, so keep an eye out !
Facebook : ooosmio
Instagram : ooosmio
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