Introducing Sneaker Speculation’s new interview series, “The Resume”, a quick-fire feature spotlighting creatives within the sneaker community. Through concise, engaging conversations, we get to know the individuals shaping sneaker culture, what they do, what inspires them, and how they first got involved. The Resume serves as a platform to highlight both established and emerging voices, fostering deeper connection and integration within the ever-evolving world of sneakers. Our first creative is Angel Ortiz Jr, college student and footwear designer for Stadium Custom Kicks, and he is most known for his creative custom colourways that he posts daily on his page.
I AM…
Angel Ortiz Jr, but I go by AJ. I am a Current College student and a footwear colourway designer for Stadium Custom Kicks. I also post concepts daily on my page @SneakerNerdofl to share my passion for footwear and basketball sneakers with the community we’ve built on my page thanks to supporters. I believe shoes can be in so many more colourways, not just the ones a brand releases, or you can crossover existing colourways onto newer models. My goal one day is to be able to create some of these colourways so that people who have the same passion for colourways and sneakers can purchase these products and wear them.
MY FIRST PAIR OF SNEAKERS WERE…
If we are talking about my first ever pair of sneakers that I can recall at a young age, it was the Puma Speedcats. They actually brought them back this year, and I love them so much. I only have one pair at the moment, but I’m looking to get more. If we are talking about the first ever Air Jordan sneaker, it would be the Jordan 9 “Powder Blue”. I vividly remember those because I thought I had the most futuristic-looking shoes. Very bulky and stiff, I will say, but I loved the design of the Jordan 9’s outsole pattern and how it reminded me of a baseball glove.
I STARTED SNEAKER CUSTOMISING BECAUSE…
I got into sneaker customising because of the Nike KD 7 “USA”. I was 13 years old, and I was in Cleveland, Ohio. LeBron had announced he was returning to Cleveland, and my parents took me to the mall to purchase shoes for school. I was browsing the shelves, and there I saw the KD7 and immediately fell in love with the shoe. The design, the colours, the hidden details… shout-out to Leo Chang and the Nike team for making one of the best basketball sneakers of all time. It was all part of God’s plan that day for me to see that shoe and set up my love and passion for sneakers. Since I was 13, I designed shoes by sketching them out or creating my own, printing out an all-white shoe from Google and colouring it in, and playing around on NikeID. But when I was in high school towards the end of my junior year, I started to learn how to create my own designs on my iPad, and at first I just left them and didn’t post about it. But I had an existing clothing brand called SneakerNerds and had a page and was like, ‘Hey, why don’t I just use that existing account and just post daily concepts?’ So I did. I want my page to represent people who love footwear and want to see sneakers in different colourways. It started off very slow, and then day by day followers and likes increased. I also used to post videos on TikTok daily, I kind of stopped and have started using Instagram a lot more. But it didn’t all just happen overnight, it took a lot of God’s work and guidance, hard work and dedication to be where I am now with my page and as a footwear designer. I’ve gotten to be mentored by legendary footwear designer Aaron Cooper and helped develop and create an “Aura” 247 colourway that remains a sample never released, but I am grateful for the experience I got from Aaron during that process. By posting daily I grabbed the attention of my boss, Alex Katz, who is a professional baseball athlete, and got my first design job as a footwear colour designer at Stadium Custom Kicks.
MY MAIN SOURCE OF INSPIRATIONS ARE…
It’s hard to stay creative and keep doing new things. I will admit that. But footwear is always changing and evolving, which is the beauty of it. I like to look at comic books, superheroes, old cartoon shows I used to watch as a kid, Disney movies, and existing colourways. I also look at older shoes and furniture catalogues and go to museums or an arboretum. There’s inspiration everywhere in this world, and I try to look at things and say, “Hey, how can I make that into a shoe?” I also like to put a little bit of blue in everything that I do. Sometimes there are exceptions, like an all-pink colourway.
A SNEAKER DESIGN OR TREND I WISH WOULD COME BACK IS…
I miss when people would post Kicks of the day (#KOTD) that was fun looking at those hashtags and looking at what people were wearing that day. But other than that I don’t have a specific trend I’d like to see come back, I just want footwear to be made accessible. With the future of footwear changing I think we will see a lot of 3D/4D printed sneakers and I’m excited for that.
MY HOLY GRAIL IS…
There are so many pairs I want to own and have in my collection, but I can for sure name the three sneakers I want. The Adidas Pharrell NMD Human Race F&F “burgundy” pair. I absolutely loved the Pharrell NMD. I had the black pair, and they were some of the most comfortable sneakers I owned and very casual and sleek to wear. The second pair would be the Kyrie 2 “Krispy Kreme” special box. I had a pair when they first released, but I sold them to buy my family Christmas gifts. The Kyrie 2 “Krispy Kreme” was meaningful to me because I remember my mom would take me to Krispy Kreme as a kid, or my grandpa, and it just reminded me of those times, so I will definitely try to get a pair again one day. The third would be the LeBron 12 “Sprite Mix” (special packaging). I don’t know what it was with that pair, but the colours just worked, and they blew my mind. I love that colourway so much. But it would be one of these 3 I would like to own in my collection and have as my Holy Grail.
SNEAKER SPECULATION 