Never blend in
Hi, I'm Karmela, the hands (and the paint stains) behind Custom K. I paint sneakers and jackets for people who don't want to look like everyone else. Every piece starts as a brand-new pair or jacket that I buy myself, and ends up as something nobody else on the street is wearing.
Five questions
- Why paint on things people wear?
- A painting on a wall waits for you to come and see it. A painted pair of sneakers goes everywhere you go: to work, to a gig, to the playground. I like art that gets scuffed, rained on and noticed.
- Where do the designs come from?
- Mostly from the people who wear them: a favourite anime hero, a kid's latest obsession, the city they grew up in. For the shop I paint what I'd want to wear myself: loud colours, cartoon lines and a bit of attitude.
- How long does one pair take?
- Longer than most people guess. Every layer has to dry before the next one goes on, and the last coat seals it all so it survives real life, rain included.
- Can I get a design someone else already has?
- Yes, I'll paint it again for you, until I retire it. But it won't be a twin: I paint every pair by hand, one at a time, so yours always comes out a little different. That's the point.
- What should you feel when you put one on?
- Like yourself, only louder. Never blend in isn't a slogan, it's the brief.
How I work
Everything is painted by hand in my studio in Zagreb, with paints made for leather and fabric, and sealed so it survives real life, rain included.
Every design can be painted again on request, until I retire it for good. Each one is still painted by hand, one at a time, so no two are ever exactly alike.
Two ways to get one
From the shop: pick one of my designs and your size. If it's in stock, it's on its way in a few days. If not, I paint it for you, and you'll see the waiting time before you pay.
Made for You: tell me your idea, we talk it through, I send you an offer, and once you like it, a quote to pay. Then we make it happen. Your kid's hero, your city, your wedding colours. Anything goes.
Updating identities. Not for the fainthearted.
The website and the shop behind it are designed and built by Pixion, a software studio from Zagreb. I paint; they make sure your order gets to me.
Get first dibs
New designs, studio news and the odd one-off. Subscribers hear first.
- New drops before anyone else
- Peeks at pieces still on the table
- One email a month, tops