Noel Parelho dos Santos serves proper sneaker customization
As a seasoned sneaker enthusiast, at some point, you just get tired of seeing some silhouettes.
Let alone, some colorways. It feels like the refreshment is out, finished, done.
Here’s where sneaker customizers come in. The pond is everlasting but some just really stand out.
Meet Noel Parelho dos Santos, a Portuguese sneaker customizer born and raised in Germany (now living in Berlin), serving us very refreshing colorways. As a full-time retail supervisor at New Balance, Noel spends most of his spare time customizing sneakers, creating new concepts and color schemes, and investing his precious time in creating content.
As mentioned, being a seasoned sneaker enthusiast, I pay attention to detail. Especially in this oversaturated market. Brands pop out more silhouettes than Halima Cissé pops out babies.
Back in the day, you’d wait gracefully for a new shoe to come out. Today a shoe would release and within a month you’d see over 5/6 colorways releasing. Not to mention the poor quality of some shoes nowadays. I tend to think a lot of brands have missed Ludwig’s memo.
Less is More. - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
In my daily discovery of dope shit on this precious planet, I’ve found a gem. And when I say humble, I want to stress that in the richest form of the word. Noel brings you colorways you look at and be like “Why didn’t the brand come up with this?”. And yes, that’s a nod to all you brands out there to pay attention to what this man is doing. Especially New Balance, you have a gem under your nose, please see it before it is too late as Noel aspires to become part of a footwear design team.
You might wonder, how you could get your hands on one of his creations. Well, it’s pretty easy:
- You follow Noel’s Instagram
- You shoot him a DM, discussing your desired creation
- You don’t stress the man, you let him work in peace (60 working hours on average)
- Most importantly, you reward the man by his preference.
And that ladies and gentlemen, is how the cookie crumbles.
In other news, dos Santos is pleased to announce his dedicated studio opening this May where he’s looking to bring his customization game to a new level. Adding sewing techniques to his customization skills. Not to mention, letting us in a bit more on his passion.
Make sure to follow Noel on Instagram and keep a close eye on his upcoming projects.
