More Custom Design Shoes on Vans Slip-Ons

Our Punk Your Chucks post was a pretty popular one, and it featured a New York City artist who hand paints shoes with custom designs. Over at YourKicks.com, a Beverly Hills shoe company, each Vans slip-on shoe is also hand painted with custom unique designs using acrylic paints that are coated with a protective layer to preserve the artwork. From what I've seen, their work is extremely detailed and carefully crafted. If you're looking for originality and rare Vans, I would suggest checking out Your Kicks and seeing what they have to offer.

TOMS Shoes One for One Movement

TOMS Shoes is a shoe company with a mission: to provide a child in need with a new pair of shoes primarily to help prevent the contraction of diseases and infections. Many children growing up in developing countries come from families too poor to afford shoes or sandals, and walking around barefoot is the norm. However, debris and contaminated soil threaten the health of children walking barefoot when they get cuts and open sores on the soles of their feet.

"The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation." - TOMS Shoes

In their One for One Program, with every pair of shoes you purchase from TOMS Shoes, TOMS will give a new pair to a child in need. A popular way that several groups of people have been gathering support for this movement is by holding "Style Your Sole" parties.



At these Style Your Sole parties, people get together to customize their own blank TOMS shoes - and whether it's to express their creativity, create memorabilia for showers or parties, or just to have fun, all of the shoes purchased for these events still go towards the One for One movement. The white canvas classics are recommended for these get-togethers because they are the easiest to decorate and customize. They are $44 per pair, but orders of 25 pairs or more will receive 10% off. For more tips and information on how to hold your own Style Your Sole party, check out TOMS Shoes website.

Become a Shoe Designer and Design Your Own Dream Heels

Now you can create your own custom design heels without having to literally paint on your shoes yourself. Over at DreamHeels.com, you can submit your own creative designs to enter to win cash, free shoes, and have your unique design printed on pumps to be sold worldwide. Once your shoe design is submitted, your entry will be voted and commented on by the Dream Heels online community. If your design is selected, you will win $250 in cash, $250 in Dream Dollars (store credit), and $0.50 residuals for every pair of shoes sold featuring your winning design (up to $1,500).

The next shoe design contest winner will be selected in September, so head over to DreamHeels.com to enter now!

Punk Your Chucks - Custom Hand Painted Shoes

I have always been a fan of unique creations, and having a pair of custom designed shoes is a great way to get compliments. Punk Your Chucks is a website that features an urban New York City artist with a lot of talent. Artist AKA MAG offers custom hand painted converse Chuck Taylor sneakers (Chucks), clothes, Vans, Air Force Ones, tote bags, pumps, and urban vinyl toys. This guy is so good that even celebrities have commissioned him to do work for them - celebs from Will Smith, Tommy Lee, Kelly Clarkson, the producers of Twilight movies, and more! Check out his galleries at www.punkyourchucks.com and get inspired!