By design, the shoes fit
Green maintains sneaker business while starring at Dickinson
Needing a birthday present for his soon-to-be 10-year-old daughter, Michael Mull heard about the star Dickinson football player who moonlights as Houston’s own version of Kickstradomis.
Michael and his daughter Natalie were sent home with a pair of Air Force 1 sneakers adorned with a Gucci print highlighting the well-known Nike swoosh. The shoe logo is enhanced with a cutout around it, creating a drip effect. The letters spelling “AIR” on the midsole are meticulously painted green and red.
These are not $1,200 shoes, but the red-painted bottom is so flawlessly done they might be mistaken for Christian Louboutin sneakers at a quick glance.
“I gave him a design of what I wanted, and he made it happen,” a satisfied Michael said.
What started as Donovan Green flexing an artistic muscle few knew he had is now a burgeoning business for the 17-year-old junior, who is one of the top tight ends in the country. Green (6-4, 220) just
announced his top six college choices: Florida, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Texas A&M, Texas and Southern California.
Green has customized 20 pairs of shoes, and each could pass as something someone bought off the rack. Some of his best work includes a pair of Air Max shoes Nike cofounder Phil Knight himself would pay top dollar for. The shoes are adorned in the University of Oregon’s school colors with the “O” logo on the midsole.
There are a pair of Air Jordan 12 sneakers that Green made look extraordinary without doing much — parts of the sole are painted money-green. A pair of VaporMax shoes were hand-painted to create a brown-and-beige camouflage effect. Sharp white teeth and a long red tongue painted inside the Nike logo make it come to life.
Another pair of Air Force 1 sneakers dressed in gray, black and white camouflage hold a special place in the Green household. Donovan gifted them to his father, Dominque.
Donovan asked his parents for paint and a brush one Christmas — a request so simple it bewildered Dominque and mother Kisha. They were happy to comply, though, and ecstatic to see the finished product. Acetone, stencils, an X-Acto knife and a grow light for whitening are among Donovan’s tools today.
“I was like, ‘That’s pretty good,’ ” Dominque said upon viewing his son’s early work. “Then he did another pair that were pretty good, and I said, ‘OK, you knowwhat you’re doing.’ ”
There is an artistic vein somewhere in this family’s roots. Once, while in middle school, Donovan’s older brother Jordan drew a sidewalk chalk portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. Jordan owns a printing press for customized Tshirts at home. The brothers promote their work at Green Customs, an Instagram page.
Dominque, who is a pipefitter and played football at La Marque during its mid-1990s dynasty, has a drawing background and an uncle with an art degree from Texas Southern. Kisha is a beautician, which is an advantage for Donovan. He uses Salon Care 50 Volume Creme Developer — available only to licensed cosmetologists — to restore yellowed sneakers.
Other influences include entities with massive social media platforms in shoe customization such as Vick Almighty, Sierato and Feelgood Threads.
The family is still pleasantly surprised at Donovan’s talent. His business is a crash course in economics, and he has discussed with his parents how to create price points for his services.
For Donovan, a selfproclaimed sneakerhead, there isn’t a better outlet away from football.
“It lets me get out and just do what I want to do,” he said. “If I’m bored and I don’t want to play on my (video) game, it’s just something I can focus on and spend hours just wasting time doing something, and I’m making money off of it.”
Donovan’s business also is the perfect introduction to the workforce for a highly regarded football recruit who might not otherwise get it.
These days, many recruits’ schedules leave little room for them to get jobs. Donovan, for example, also plays basketball at Dickinson. He’ll almost instantly trade touchdown catches for alley-oop dunks as soon as the clock strikes zero in the Gators’ last football game. Donovan usually spends his summer on the AAU circuit or in training.
“It’s just great because I don’t have to go out of my way tomake time for something else,” Donovan said. “It’s great that I can work on my own clock whenever I need or whenever I want or whenever I can get it in if I’m not working out. It’s just always nice.”
Inside the Green household, there is a large plastic bucket of letters from nearly every college football program. It’s warranted. Brian Perroni, recruiting analyst with 247Sports, calls Donovan the new breed of tight end. His hand won’t be in the dirt often, but he’s a nightmare matchup for defenses.
“He’s a bigger kid in the slot that’s hard to cover, and he has really good speed for his size,” Perroni said. “A lot of schools love that, especially the speed and athleticism you just don’t see at 220 pounds very often. He’ll probably play in college at 240 without losing much.”
College coaches also are aware of Donovan’s artistic talent and use it in recruiting pitches, bringing up possible internships and connections that would allow him to do this as long as he pleases.
Donovan is entering college as name, image and likeness legislation is on the verge of being passed across various states. The NAIA passed NIL legislation in October, and the NCAA is expected to do the same as early as January. Student-athletes could soon monetize their social media influence, for example, or promote private businesses, among other possibilities. Donovan’s business could figure into this legislation.
He keeps the big picture in mind.
“It’s just great to know all of these schools are focusing on me and putting money in to pay for my college to take stress off my parents,” he said. “It’s a great situation.”
“I gave him a design of what I wanted, and he made it happen”
Michael Mull, customer of Dickinson tight end Donovan Green