PRESTO: November 2007

Interview with Manuel Angot

The recent popularity in customizing sneakers has brought a wealth of attention to these unconventional artists. Through the masses has risen one French maestro by the name of Manuel Angot of Art Force One. His imagination and fascination with all things colorful has produced some of the customization worlds most jaw-dropping paint jobs. His unique work has not gone unnoticed with large electronics companies utilizing his skills as they attempt to branch out to the younger generation. For the second Year Anniversary of the New York branch of famed Japanese sneaker boutique Atmos, it was Manuel who offered up 24 pairs of customized Dunk Highs for the event. He also represents the lone French entry on the upcoming Air Force 1 25th Anniversary video by Just For Kicks director Thibaut Delongeville.

Can you tell us about yourself?
I'm originally from the Normandy region of France. I grew up in the country-side. I came across graffiti around '89 in the subways while visiting my aunt in Paris. Slowly I became interested in graffiti. Coming from Normandy, I had to work twice as hard to be noticed. Parisians had the chance to tag everyday, for me I had to work much harder for people to recognize me.

As an artist, how did you fall into sneaker customization? What other products do you customize?
I discovered sneaker customization about 5-6 years ago while I was tagging in the subway. Some paint fell on my sneakers, and that's when it all started. I thought it was cool and wanted to recreate this again. For me I thought it was just a hobby that would go on for two or three months but it obviously turned into more. I also do a lot of customization of tech products such as Bluetooth headset makers Bluetrek, Motorola, Blackberry and Xbox 360.

Do you find that there's a different approach to each product you customize?
Not really, there's always a reference to street culture. Sometimes there's even coordination between the tech products and the sneakers I customize. However when customizing certain products, the preparation of products is a bit different between plastics and leather.

What are your favorite sneakers?
The Air Force 1, the Air Jordan VI and the Air Max 1.

What do you like about being a shoe customizer?
The one thing I love about finishing a pair of custom sneakers is peeling off the tape to see the finished product.

What is the biggest challenge when customizing shoes?
The hardest thing is probably the prep needed to get sneakers ready for customization. The use of solvents to get rid of the color and of course finding the inspiration behind each sneaker.

Where do you look for inspiration when customizing a new shoe?
Everything I see in life forms the inspiration for my work. The street, cars, video games, magazine logos, pretty much everything inspires me. I also try to use my own little tricks and techniques as well.

Do you think it's your ability to interpret your inspirations that make you so successful?
Often I may see something that others don't. I could be with friends and say “Hey did you see that?” and my friends may just give me a blank stare and say they didn't see anything. Sometimes my friends think I'm crazy haha.

Playing with color is a key element when customizing shoes, is there a particular color you like to use? Why?
Green and purple are favorites of mine. I'm a big fan of comics, and for me I've always been a big fan of the Hulk.

What do you during your spare time?
I like to spend my time playing video games, my favorite game right now is Stranglehold on the Xbox 360. I also like to watch TV shows such as Heroes, Prison Break as well as spending lots of time on graffiti.

Is sneaker customization more along the lines of art? Or more about the sneaker itself and creating a product.
This is a hard question haha, we're seeing a lot of opportunities such as Nike iD to create personalized sneakers. But sneaker customizers are going a bit further and creating a product that is truly unique and one of a kind with greater detail. But customization is starting to get bigger with many shops featuring custom sneakers.
How did your involvement with Atmos NYC for their 2 year anniversary happen? Were you happy with the end result of the Dunk High?
I go to New York a lot and I live on 125 St. with my friend which coincidentally is the same street where Atmos is located. They found that my use of bright colors and style was something which correlates well with the current 80s trend in New York. I was extremely happy with my creation of the Atmos NYC Dunk, I used lots of colors and geometric shapes. I chose colors that were perhaps deemed unmatchable. In the end, the shoes sold out in about a month. It took about 3 weeks to complete all 24 pairs.

Have any of the large footwear companies ever contacted you about your work?
No companies have really contacted me but sometimes these companies are inspired by customizers. I see a lot of weird things going on. Companies say they'll send back your photos and then a few months later some new products release and make you think “that's my shoe, it's like the same”.

Do you feel that big companies look to customizers for inspiration?
Yes I find that companies look a lot towards customizers. These days you see a lot of things such as glow in the dark sneakers which were original concepts from customizers. You see lots of hybrids now as well. I feel that customization is at the basis of everything. We're also in the process of changing things. Big companies can easily turn the trick and use the designs of customizers. There's really only a few customizers like SBTG and Meth who were able to really make a name for themselves among the big companies, something really cool. It's definitely something I want to achieve in the future.

Do you have any final comments?
Check out my newly relaunched website Art Force One which features a dynamic background landscape that will change according to the time of day. Also check out my part in the upcoming Air Force 1 25th Anniversary video by Thibaut Delongeville (Just For Kicks director) and the launch of a new clothing line next year.

this was on hype beast and if you want to see more for his shoes here you go

http://www.art-force-one.com/