Shoes as art: Lawrence teen designs one-of-a-kind sneakers

By Yadira Betances
Staff Writer

February 24, 2008 07:17 am

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LAWRENCE — Orlando Carrillo believes sneakers should be used for much more than walking.

To him, sneakers are art.

Carrillo, 18, wants to tap into the designer sneaker market — a billion-dollar industry thanks largely to rappers who not only wear them but sing about them in songs like Nelly's "Air Force One," Lil Wyte's "Icy Whites," Run-DMC's "My Adidas," and The Pack's "Vans."

Through his business, OCustomz, Carrillo is taking Air Jordans, Nike Dunks and other popular sneakers and adding his own touch with a palette of colors to create designs and lettering.

His clients run the gamut from Lawrence native Bill Perocchi, chief executive officer of Pebble Beach golf venue, to Li' Fame of the rap duo MOP (Mash Out Posse), to New England Patriots rookie standout Brandon Merriweather.

"It was very overwhelming when I met him, seeing how excited he was and knowing that he liked my sneakers so much," Carrillo said of his introduction to Merriweather, who heard about OCustomz through word of mouth.

Along with his new sneakers, Merriweather left OCustomz with a business card he's apparently been passing around the Patriots locker room. Now Carrillo is customizing pairs for Patriots halfbacks Kevin Faulk and Laurence Maroney.

"I'm just trying to build a customer base and I feel the Patriots players are still on top of the world," said Carrillo, an industrial design student at Massachusetts College of Art. "So who better to have to represent my art? Selling to them gives me more hope for the future."

Carrillo met Perocchi and his wife, Nancy, while sitting in the luxury box at a Red Sox game he attended with members of the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence. Nancy Perocchi logged onto Carrillo's Web site and fell in love with his work. Later, the family called to order three pairs of the sneakers that sell for $75 and up for their son and his friends.

Carrillo understands the obsession with designer sneakers, and why young adults will camp out in line for days to buy a new shoe or spend hundreds of dollars on a single pair.

He owns 65 pairs from Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Bape and Converse, the most expensive of which are $275 Bapes.

"I felt bad for the next week seeing a chunk of money disappear from my bank account," he said.

He also traveled to New York to attend a sneaker show, where he stood in line at 3 a.m. on a blustery November night waiting for the doors to open.

Carrillo said he was always interested in design, but it wasn't until the end of his junior year at Central Catholic that he started taking it seriously. He graduated from Central Catholic in 2007.

His foray into the world of sneaker design started simply: He wrote "OC 21 OC" on a pair of basketball sneakers. Today, he has produced sneakers featuring people's names, players' numbers, initials, company logos and spider webs, among other designs.

The only thing Carrillo won't do is draw cartoon characters on sneakers.

"It's not my style and I don't want people to know me for that," he said. "It takes away from the shoe because people will focus on the character."

He says acrylic leather paint works best, because it doesn't peel, crack or rub off. He uses nail polish remover to erase the shine from new sneakers, then puts on a sealant before beating them up with a brush to make them look grungy. For designs, he uses a computer template and applies colors to the tongue, toe box, toe, strap and back panel of the shoe.

Along with his surroundings, Carrillo says, hip-hop, rap and rhythm and blues influence his art.

"Every song and every person has its own feeling and mood," he said.

Steve Kelley, who has been at the Boys and Girls Club for 43 years, remembers Carrillo's transformation.

"He realized sports wasn't his reason for being anymore, so he changed his outlook on life and work ethics," Kelley said.

"He is an amazing, talented kid and we're so proud of his work."

Jackson Garcia, homeroom coordinator at Central Catholic, said he can relate to Carrillo because of his own passion for sneakers.

"The fact that his dream is coming true makes me proud," Garcia said.

Carrillo believes he has the passion, ambition and drive to succeed.

"I need to keep a good head, stay focused and think outside of the box," he said. "Think of crazy ideas and make them happen."

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