K-SWISS finals in CT on Fri
The competition has run it’s course and we’re down to 10 finalists who will be showing their customised shoe designs on Fri 8 Dec in Cape Town. We wish them all luck as their work is judged by international graf guru Logan Hicks, Lorne, we’re backing you and Jozi buddy.
After a four-month campaign which saw some of SA’s hottest underground artists putting stencil-to-sneaker in t…
he K-Spray Custom Kicks initiative, footwear brand K-Swiss has stepped the project up a notch with its announcement of the Top 10 finalists. These creative geniuses will have their customised shoe designs exhibited at the finale event in Cape Town on Friday 8th December, and are the competitive crop from which visiting international street artist Logan Hicks will select the final winner on the night.
They are: Motel7 of Cape Town, Nic Lewis a.k.a. The Formidable FINK DaFOE from Durban, Scott Robertson a.k.a. Dirty Sanchez of Durban, Paul ‘Senyol’ Loynes of Cape Town, Nick Herbert of Cape Town, Wes Van Eeden of Durban, design collective Love and Hate of Pretoria, Lorne Schnugh of Johannesburg, Rowan Toselli a.k.a. PS of Johannesburg and Shayne Walker a.k.a. Rist One of Cape Town.
The ten artists have emerged from a wide range of backgrounds, some hardcore graffiti and street artists with no qualms about ‘bombing’ or ‘tagging’ blank walls or trains, others from more commercially accepted fields like graphic design and advertising, but they have all been brought together by the common desire to be acknowledged for work in a largely frowned upon medium of choice. All ten artists were among hundreds who responded to the call from K-Swiss months ago to use a blank white K-Swiss Clymar as the ultimate canvas, with a variety of stencils and paints transforming the shoes into serious eye candy.
Finalist Nic Lewis, 27, said that for him graffiti was a means of escape. “When you look at that wall, it’s all you’re really thinking about. I don’t really express any opinions in my painting, but I do think that graffiti is definitely one of the best ways of putting a message or a point out, also, it’s not about being heard, it’s about being seen.”
Rowan Toselli, 18, of Johannesburg adds: “Graffiti and street art are the ultimate way of expressing oneself, as it allows one to incorporate anything, there are no limits to this art form and it is endless.”
For others like Nick Herbert, who has been in the graffiti game for the past nine years, the intentions are perhaps less ‘deep’. “I don’t express my opinion through graffiti,” he says, “it’s more something for myself than for other people. I originally got into it for one reason – fame.”
Durbanite Wesley van Eeden summed up the modern appeal of the evolving art form: “To me it’s a reaction to the modern world. We now live in a concrete jungle, where buildings are the new trees and billboards are our new scenic view spots.”
Life, people, their surroundings and the world in general provided the inspiration behind the hyper-detailed shoe designs of these ten artists and, coupled with creative thinking and a sheer knack with using stencils and spray-paint on a small surface area, means that the finale on Friday 8th December is sure to be a hotly contested battle.
Twenty-five year old Lorne Schnugh of Johannesburg said of his fiery design in shades of red and orange: “I tried to depict the masculine and feminine sides of Jo’burg. The female face is depicted in a powerful and vibrant manner, being the heart and soul of the city. The male figure appears soft, angelic and it takes the role of protector.”
Shayne Walker, 18, spent his time perfecting a slick, monochromatic affair with the profile of a cigar-smoking gent on the side: “My inspiration came from the mafia and their ability to maintain their class and sophistication,” he said, “even with their somewhat illegal activities….which kinda relates to graffiti writers and street artists.”
Motel7, 19, the only female through to the Top 10, had this to say about the K-Spray Custom Kicks competition: “I think it’s great because it also highlights the fact that we are not street hooligans messing up the streets, we’re creating positive messages for the general public, and a brand like K-Swiss can help us fight that bad reputation.”
Durban-based Scott Robertson shares the view, saying: “It’s a good thing. It’s a great vehicle to get one’s work and name out there. The fine art scene is full of wine quaffing wind bags using galleries as their country clubs. More should be done to promote contemporary street art.”
Renowned Cape Town-based artist Paul Loynes, better known by his tag name, Senyol, and one half of the World War Won design team along with acclaimed fellow artist Warren Lewis, a.k.a. Circus Ninja, is equally optimistic about the role which projects such as K-Spray can play in creating awareness and understanding of underground art: “It is a good thing because it allows artists to further themselves by being given opportunities where before they may not have been able to realise those opportunities. As long as K-Swiss can remain relevant and show a true dedication to the arts, the people they are targeting will remain faithful to their brand.”
With plans to continue their K-Spray International Stencil Tour into its third year, and with artists like Logan Hicks and Sixten endorsing their collaboration with the street art scene, the five-striped sneaker brand has already demonstrated that it is 100% behind the graffers, taggers, and stencil whizzes who make this crazy world a more interesting place to live in.
For more: visit www.kswiss.co.za and www.kspray.com. Enquiries: 031 7027957
Find out more about Logan Hicks at www.workhorsevisuals.com.
K-Swiss Finale
Friday 8th December 2006
Solan Studios
Gardens in Cape Town (opposite Wembley Square)
Starting at 19h00.
Entrance is free.
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August 2006
Represent supports the underground! Check out this fresh initiative by Kswiss sneakers for the artistic youth!
K-Swiss is an international brand renowned for sneakers that have sprinted their way into South Africa with a huge following amongst everybody from preppy teenage tennis stars to grungy graffiti artists.
This time around they’ve used their involvement in the graffiti scene and their well-established street cred to partner with Blunt magazine and Sportscene, coming up with an awesome competition called K-Spray.
Internationally K-Spray has kicked K-Swiss’s competitors out of the ballpark and it’s arrived in South Africa to do the same. K-Spray is all about customising your fashion by giving your “sole” a voice.
The competition is aimed at artists and youngsters who are fashion and brand conscious and follow the latest trends, but also want to be seen as individuals. All teenagers have to do is go to www.bluntmag.co.za, e-mail their best piece of artwork before 22 August, wait to be selected by a panel of judges and then the fun begins!
They will get sent a pair of plain white sneakers and have free reign to customise them any way they like. Colour, patterns, slogans and pictures are all welcome!
Manager of K-Swiss SA Jeremy Nel says, “This competition will no doubt appeal to a whole new target market and help the brand to find yet another niche market to fit into to.”
Traditionally, graffiti has been the hobby of rebellious teenagers who spray painted illegal surfaces and hoped not to get caught. It is now increasingly being taken up by inspired youths searching for an alternative creative outlet, hoping that their art will be recognised and appreciated. K-Spray is therefore the ultimate opportunity to bring the art form into a new era of artistic influence.
A number of graffiti artists have surfaced from the underground to take part in this initiative. An artist like Tocil is recognised as one of South Africa’s most talented stencil artists, and is the perfect example of this discipline in its finest form. He says, “Stencil art holds similarities to any other art form in the sense that you need to have just as much creative energy and inspiration as an artist who would paint on a traditional canvas.”
K-Swiss have been pioneers when it comes to providing the youth with trendy and unique fashion alternatives. They have provided the inspiration behind many of the seasons’ looks, and Sam Edwards, marketing manager of K-Swiss says, “Even though we have brought a brand that is huge overseas to South Africa, we feel confident that the styles have a global appeal, and target one concept that youth worldwide possess, which is: the need to be seen, but the even greater need to be recognized.”
With this concept in mind, Edwards exclaims, “Our youth have a unique way of expressing themselves, and graffiti facilitates their voices and opinions. I knew they would jump at the chance to have their voices and opinions heard on a very different canvas: their shoes.” Edwards also knew that fifteen thousand Rand plus a generous clothing sponsorship would be an added bonus!
And if that was not already enough, the final judging round coming up in Cape Town on 8th December will include the world’s best graffiti artist, Logan Hicks, who will select the winner from among stiff competition.
Celebs, VIP’s and an array of South Africa’s finest artistic members will be there to show their support for this way-out concept and to give their “spray” of approval!
For more info: visit www.kswiss.co.za
For any enquiries call: 031 7027957
