Imagine that you are using a urinal in a public location, minding your own business, when suddenly, the man to your right—who is blatantly ignoring all aspects of urinal etiquette—hollers at you about the shoes you’re sporting that day. Your response?
This situation presented itself to Chris Hui, the 19-year-old entrepreneur and CEO of C2 Customs, on a random afternoon in Chicago. While some guys might flip, Hui refers to the experience as one of the highlights of his career in the fashion industry. According to Hui, the short and sweet conversation went something like this:
Fan: Dude, where did you get those shoes?
Chris: Oh, I made them.
Fan: You’re C2? No way!
With those few words, all awkwardness evaporated as Chris and his elated admirer took a photo together, right there in the restroom.
“It’s random events like this that make it all worth it for me,” Hui says. “It’s kind of cliché, but it’s pretty sweet when I feel like my work is recognizable enough that you can see it outside of a shoe event or competition and still recognize it as a piece of C2 Customs’ work.”
Commonly known as “C2,” Hui currently balances his time between life as a custom shoe designer and a full-time student at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He claims his experience thus far has been nothing less than the ultimate adventure – and it all sprang from a middle school obsession with flashy kicks.
Hui, who burst onto the international fashion scene and won countless awards for his custom shoe designs, has made a name for himself from the comfort of his own home in Milwaukee. He has created more than 300 pairs of hand-painted shoes and awed a population of custom sneaker fanatics—all by the age of 19.
He got the ball rolling at age 13 when he bought a pair of used Nikes from Goodwill. After cleaning them up and painting them like the purple Kool-Aid character, he sold them on eBay for a profit, and the rest is history.
What started as a hobby quickly turned into a small business. While his parents were often concerned he was in over his head, Hui held his own in the business world, expanding C2 Customs and achieving incredible success along the way.
[1]Click photo to view gallery of photos of C2 Customs shoe designs.
“When I started my parents thought I was crazy and they had no clue what it was about,” Hui says. “Half the time I really didn’t either. I was just taking the shoes around and painting with whatever kind of paint we had in the house.”
Today, Hui personally takes care of all aspects of his business, including design, inventory, shipping, finances, marketing, web and collaborations. Although he currently has most dimensions of his business down to a science, Hui is quick to admit the effect running a business had on his childhood.
“It made me really accountable, forcing me to develop my time management, social and professional skills,” says Hui. “While other people were experimenting with drugs, I found a healthy outlet to keep myself grounded.”
Sue and Hungsun Hui, parents of the young designer, are proud of their son for more than his successful business endeavors. Throughout it all, he has managed to maintain a well-rounded lifestyle, balancing business, school, athletics and a social life.
Although getting started in a small market like Milwaukee presented enormous challenges, Hui believes his location ultimately led to the development of his unique brand image. Having the space to mature as a designer without much external influence gave him an edge. While sneaker culture thrives in places like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Tokyo, starting in Milwaukee gave Hui the added advantage of a less-saturated market.
“It’s also kind of cool when people expect me to be from a bigger city,” Hui says. “When they find out I’m from Wisconsin it adds to the uniqueness of my work and to me as a person, like they wouldn’t expect this coming from a person like me.”
It’s clear from the awards he has won that Hui has made an impact on the global sneaker scene. Hui was the winner of Sole Collector’s National Championship for Best Customs in 2006 and voted Sole Collector’s Customizer of the Year in 2004 and 2005. He has also been featured in various publications including TIME, SLAM, Complex, the Chicago Tribune, MKE Magazine, Sole Collector and Sneaker Freaker. Hui has made live appearances on Milwaukee’s TMJ4 news and NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly. He displayed work at exhibitions like “Soled Out” in New York in 2004 and Los Angeles in 2005. Hui is currently being featured in the Sneaker Pimps World Tour, painting live in Chicago and Minneapolis.
“When he won Sole Collector’s National Championship for Best Customs when he was 16, the whole family (minus his dad) was there to see him beaming with pride as he beat out competitors from all around the country,” Sue Hui says. The places his business has taken him continue to amaze his family, who never imagined his interest in painting shoes would ever go beyond a hobby.
Unfortunately, great success is often met with great challenges. Hui must constantly decide whether to create a design that is artistic and original or one that serves as a profit-generator. Sometimes the two line up, but when that isn’t the case, something’s got to give.
“His main desire is to be recognized as artistic,” Sue Hui says. “He derives a great deal of joy from being recognized as a great shoe customizer by other shoe fanatics when he attends sneaker conventions.”
The reality of seeing his name and life story in TIME was the shocker for his parents. There is something about seeing your son’s name in a popular national publication that flips a switch, like maybe he and his work are kind of a big deal…
The process begins with an e-mail conversation between Hui and a prospective customer. Using Adobe Photoshop, Hui is able to confirm that his vision coordinates exactly with that of his customer. When the details are settled, he heads out to the local Finish Line or Foot Locker to purchase a pair of sneakers.
Hui is often asked whether he had to obtain a license to alter Nike’s products. Surprisingly, Nike is supportive of artists like Hui, often hiring them for promotional events.
“They don’t really see it as a big deal,” Hui says. “The Nike logo stays. It’s just my work on their canvas.”
The hands-on work begins using acetone to remove the factory finish from the shoe. This chemical, which reeks like nail polish remover, opens up the pores of the leather, allowing for a smoother, more professional application of paint. If he deems it necessary, Hui will use masking tape to block off certain areas, but tends to resist.
“Usually I just paint without masking off anything because I’m confident enough and have steady enough hands that I don’t really make mistakes at this point,” Hui says.
Chris Hui featured with his version of the Nike Dunk 95 High.
For the next few hours, he applies coat after coat, forced to wait between each. No color will lay down a solid, even coat with a single application.
“It’s kind of a paint-and-wait process,” Hui says. “As a rule, black takes three coats, red takes five.”
While working, he often listens to music or has TV on in the background but has developed a knack for working in any environment.
“I kind of get in the zone, but at the same time, I’m not focusing on going stroke by stroke,” Hui says. “It’s pretty chill. People ask me if I get bored doing it, but I kind of got used to doing things on my own and having that time to myself.”
Once the base color is applied, Hui builds on it to complete the design. After letting the shoes dry for a day or two, he sprays on a waterproof finish. When the shoes look so professional you might pick them up off a shelf at the store, Hui is ready to transform a regular Nike shoebox into a custom creation, complete with a unique label for each customer.
A designer like Hui must ship all shoes in heavy-duty shipping boxes to preserve the shoebox. For many who collect shoes, the box is as valuable as the shoe itself.
Ty Mathis, a 30-year-old resident of Chicago and huge fan of Hui’s work, met Hui in 2004 when he was only 14 years old. Mathis, who found Hui on the web-based sneaker forum Nike Talk, has followed him ever since.
“I didn’t think anyone 14 could paint shoes like that, but he did,” Mathis says. “He’s young, he’s still into it. He puts his own little spin on what’s hip.”
Mathis, who owns about 18 pairs of C2 Customs, admires Hui’s work because it comes out clean and professional. Although Mathis considers himself a fanatic when it comes to sneakers, he’s content remaining a spectator when it comes to design.
“I tried to make a pair of shoes once—they came out just terrible,” Mathis says. “I respect people who customize shoes a lot more because I have tried it. I don’t know how they do what they do.”
Hui is often struck by a feeling of intense relief after completing a pair of kicks. When designing for a customer, the act of crossing an order off his overwhelming list is liberating for the young artist. When designing for personal satisfaction, he is hit with excitement.
“I can’t wait to share the new creation with other people, whether it be my friends or the sneaker culture as a whole,” Hui says. “That’s probably what I look forward to the most—when I create something new and can see how people react to it.”
Hui claims his creative designs can often be traced back to iconic patterns, citing various examples of signature editions by Nike.
“There are certain patterns that have caught the public’s attention more than others,” Hui says. “Some have stuck around and become more prominent, especially during the past few years when it has become really popular to reflect on the past and wear retro shoes and clothing.”
The safari print can be traced back to the Nike Air Safari of 1987, the cement print to Michael Jordan’s third edition of signature kicks in 1988, and the Air Tech Challenge to Andre Agassi in the early 1990s. Other popular techniques include animal prints and splatter application, designed to look like paint was blown on the sneaker through a straw. Hui does a lot of work with camouflage simply out of personal preference.
“You can use it in a military or pop culture style,” Hui says. “It’s something that has always intrigued me and there are so many different ways to interpret it.”While the business has been successful financially, with the average pair of shoes raking in between $200 and $300, money isn’t the only way Hui measures his success.
“I feel like I have a few designs within the history of custom shoes that are prominent and always recognizable as signature models that I pride myself on,” Hui says.
Others agree Hui is in business for more than the cash.
Nike Purple Rain Air Force One
DeWitt is the proud owner of a one-of-a-kind pair of C2 Customs featuring portraits of Bob Marley, Tupac Shakur, Matisyahu and Jack Johnson. Hui created the shoes as a going-away present for his friend when the two parted ways as they headed off to college.
So what lies ahead for Hui? Although the business has brought him great success, he does not plan to make a career out of it. Hui’s dream includes working in design, marketing or buying for a prominent shoe company like Nike, Adidas, Puma or Reebok. He would, however, enjoy customizing sneakers on the side. He sees life after college as a new chapter and approaches the future with a bring-it-on mentality.
As a college student, leisure time for designing tends to be scarce. Lately, Hui has returned to his roots, taking customer orders whenever he has spare time and placing less emphasis on turning product around for profit. When school is in session, Hui might only be able to produce a single pair of shoes per semester. Over breaks he averages about two pair per week, but claims it all comes down to time and motivation.
Nike Urban Corruption II Dunk Low
After years of being in business, Hui is still tickled by the recognition he receives from sneaker fanatics.
“As I’ve grown in popularity the amount of public support is pretty amazing,” Hui says. “I get e-mails all the time of people just saying, ‘Dude, I love your work,’ and things like that.”
Yet, Hui is still quick to downplay his own achievements.
“I’ve been extremely lucky,” Hui says. “I feel like there are other people who are much better than me at what I do, but I’ve just gotten a good wave of luck or set myself up for success better than they have.”
Regardless of how he made it to the top, he deserves credit for maintaining a level head and humility while being constantly bombarded by praise. For Hui, it has always been more about impact and less about money and fame. Throughout the entire experience, it has been clear Hui’s heart is in his work. You only need to take a look at the quality and creativity embedded in his shoes to see for yourself that he is driven by a genuine passion for the industry and the product.
Check out C2 Customs at c2customs.com.