11/19/2021
I am extremely happy to present my submission for the
The theme I did for these was the Comanche Nation. I did not want to do the traditional native portrait. Instead I wanted to use more symbolic imagery that relates to the tribe to me on a more personal level. I decided to go with a Nike D-Break Type. Rather then the normal vans or air forces. I wanted to create these to look like they could be a running moccasin.
I got help from my Mema (Grandmother) to send me imagery that meant a lot to her and the tribe overall. Through these I incorporated the traditional bead work in using the tribe colors. Each individual “bead”/ square was hand painted to look realistic following the same pattern from a real bracelet! Next I decided to stick with the shades of brown to match the idea of a moccasin, to match the cork, and to make the colors pop out!
I used leather laces to create that nice visual flow of brown throughout the shoe and to give that subtle shine. On the aglets I used a real arrow head that would’ve been used by a warrior to show the strength needed by the people of the Comanche tribe. On the toe I wanted to include the trail of tears symbol because the tribe was very affected by it but rose above the struggle and are still thriving till this day! That is the kind of warrior I wanted to emulate within this pair.
I then included the family crest subtlety by using a water bird wing in place of the Nike swoosh. The wing included the Comanche tribe colors as well to match the beadwork. Rather then doing all blue with color highlights, I decided I wanted to do a nice color fade that that shows more details within the feathers. I wanted to leave the midsole, guts of the shoe, and back of the tongue white to give it that nice balance in contrast while still making the colors pop. I am extremely happy with how these turned out and I cannot thank for the opportunity. I learned more about my culture and family through this that I could’ve ever imagined!
And if you read this far, you rock!
My paints were by:
Laces by:
Sneakers by:
