This winter fashion’s ‘sleeper’ hit has really come into its own; creating your own bespoke shoe, clothing and accessory designs is now a possibility for all. From Burberry Trench Coats to Ralph Lauren Polo shirts, and running shoes with your name on them (literally), you can now easily add your own spin to an increasingly wide range of products. With the help of some nifty web technology, customizing your own shoes is a great place to start.
Step out in (your own) style – creating shoes for work and play
The internet has made all this possible. No longer do you have to find a space for your Jag on Jermyn Street in order to access fashion made uniquely for you. The internet allows you to customise a wide range of basic shoes styles. Bear in mind this is customisation, all you budding Jimmy Choos looking to actually design your own shoe from first principles will have to look elsewhere. For the rest of us mortals, a wide choice of shoe templates keep us far enough on the straight and narrow to avoid disaster. Beyond this the choice is all yours.
The basic process is to move through the customisation process step by step. A shoe ‘avatar’ appears on your screen; simply click on the area you wish to work on and then choose from the list of options available. The image of your shoe will change as you add to it and you’ll be prompted to fill in any areas you miss. When you are happy simply choose your size and order.
Forget Michael Johnson’s gold running spikes – it’s time to design your own trainers, specialist sports shoes, and fashion trainers
This is where it gets really exciting. Adidas have definitely got out in front of the fashion pack and are leading the shoe customisation field with a simply huge range of shoe designs available for customization online. In fact, for some of us, the choice can be a little dizzying. If this is you, do your research before you dive in. Decide what type of shoe you want, have a look at the standard designs and work out you palette – it is all too easy to get carried away with the massive range of upper, sole, lace, tongue and stitching colours.
Once you’ve designed your shoe it is a good idea to save it, take another looks around the site and come back to it, just to make sure it is right for you. You’ll very quickly get a feel for what looks good, so your first pair of customised shoes is very unlikely to be your last.
For those of you looking for specialist shoes; running shoes, football boots, tennis shoes etc. the customisation process could lead to your best performance yet. Adidas offer a not only a range of sizes, but you can adjust the size and width for each foot independently, to ensure an absolutely perfect fit. Take a leaf out of the professionals’ book and match your shoes exactly to your sport, your feet and your style.