Artist adds personality to footwear for others

RALEIGH, N.C. — Shoes — sneakers, clip-ons, cleats — serve as a canvas for Raleigh artist Mike Phillips Jr.

You name it, and he can probably paint it on a pair of Vans or Huaraches: sports teams and logos, superheroes, insects, cartoon characters and patterns such as camouflage or zebra stripes in nearly every shade.

On one pair, Phillips painted the “Spider-Man” villain Venom grinning from one side and surrounded by wispy cobwebs.

Inspired by Dubble Bubble gum, another pair pops with bright tones of yellow, blue and pink.

Galaxies are also a popular design: swaths of purple, blue, red and black speckled with white dots representing stars wrap

around the shoes. Optional ad-ons include angel wings and glitter.

Phillips’ masterpiece, though, is his heat-sensitive design. Indoors, a pair of shoes is one color, but as soon as the wearer walks outdoors, the shoes immediately change colors.

Heat compels the change. When doused in cold water, the shoes return to their original shade.

“It’s magic,” Phillips said with a wink.

Most of his customers find Phillips through his company’s Instagram account, @SirCastleTeees, which has 140,000-plus followers. Customers choose a base shoe, then pick or describe a design for Phillips to replicate.

Pairs start at $150 and go up from there, depending on the intricacy and time required for the design. Phillips, who has sold about 600 pairs of shoes this year alone, also buys, trades and restores shoes, and paints and sells game controllers and hoverboards.

“Having a big social-media presence broadens your reach,” said Joshua Larrick, one of Phillips’ two employees. Fans often tag the Instagram account and post reviews of the shoes online for the sneaker-head community to peruse.

“It’s global networking,” Larrick said.

On a typical weekday, customers begin lining up outside Phillips’ store, which also goes by the name Men at Work Kustom Kicks, before it opens. Inside, shoes of all sizes, colors and designs line the walls.

The store is part of the Phillips family empire near downtown Raleigh: Mike’s father, Mike Sr., owns Men at Work Car Care Center and Barber Shop.

Among the younger Phillips’ most frequent customers are teenagers and younger children.

“Kids get picked on and bullied if they don’t have cool kicks,” Phillips said. “Shoes are the new trading card.”

For some families who can’t afford expensive shoes for their kids, Phillips donates his designs. Last year, he donated more than 100 pairs to the local Boys and Girls Club. He also rewards kids with good grades and perfect attendance at school: Those with all A’s get a $30 discount; B’s, a $20 discount; and perfect attendance, a $10 discount.

His interest in shoe design began in high school, when everyone was wearing the same Nikes and Air Jordans, Phillips said, and he wanted something different.

He began drawing on his shoes with markers before upgrading to store-bought paint. Eventually, he started mixing his own paint, which takes several days.

About 100 pairs later, Phillips said, he had perfected the heat-sensitive design. He now needs about an hour to paint a design on one shoe and can finish as many as 10 pairs a day.

Phillips’ father encouraged him to launch his shoe business in 2013 and the next year gave his son the space to open a storefront.

“My dad was the first person who believed in me,” said the younger Phillips, who has sold customized pairs to celebrities and sports stars, including Montrezl Harrell of the Houston Rockets, Colombian singer J Balvin and hip-hop artist Kodak Black. He also ships shoes internationally.

Eventually, Phillips hopes to open stores in Los Angeles and Atlanta, but for now remain focused on dreaming up more designs.

“Shoes are a way of expressing yourself,” Phillips said. “I just have a vision for it.”