If you’re considering an extreme pimp makeover of your tired shoes but don’t know where to turn, LeBraun Colvin is your man.
Vivid hand-painted sneakers and eclectic T-shirts deck the walls of Colvin’s downtown workshop, Studio Endure. Behind the counter, a stockpile of blank duds (shoes) await the master’s touch, where acrylic paint sits bottled on desks and splattered on the floor.
“At Studio Endure we want to be the custom place…if you want something different, one of a kind, that’s where you go,” Colvin says. “You’ve got to come to Endure. Period.”
And come they have.
With roots in New York hip-hop culture, sneaker art has morphed into a global, largely urban, phenomenon with mobs of “sneaker heads” scouring the internet and local boutiques to keep up with the trends.
“The whole sneaker collecting thing is popular outside the US.,” Colvin says. “You’ve got releases that only come out in Europe, only come out in Asia. People are combing the globe trying to find them.”
Stateside, with financial backing from Peter Block, legendary Cincinnati-based corporate consultant and best selling author, Colvin renovated and moved into his 1408 Main Street location last year. And business is booming. But this didn’t happen overnight.
In child prodigy-like fashion, the largely self-taught Colvin, 27, began developing his artistic gifts by doodling in class as a kid.
“I’ve always been the kid in the class drawing…God blesses us with talents and gifts…I draw, I paint, I create,” Colvin says.
Colvin further honed his skills at Aiken University High School, where he studied commercial art for two years, graduating in 1998. He continued his studies at ArtWorks, a local non-profit dedicated to employing students and emerging artists to create public works of art. From there he detoured into stints in retail management and bar tending, before returning to teach at ArtWorks, and then opening Studio Endure.
Colvin discovered sneaker art seven years ago. Instant light bulb: “I can do that,” he recalls thinking.
After painting shoes for a few friends, Colvin tapped into his natural business instincts and started his new company from the proverbial basement of his mother’s house. His only means of running shop were homemade business cards, a beeper and some paint.
“I was getting enough business that I had my mom’s basement full of peoples’ shoes,” Colvin says.
Word, thankfully, spread fast.
He soon escaped the confines of his mother’s basement and began displaying sneakers at his cousin’s shop.
“We decked out some shoes, put them in the window, and next thing you know we were running orders for custom shoes,” Colvin says.
As the business grew, Colvin assembled a tight knit crew of five other local artists.
A reputation now precedes Colvin, who does work for members of city council, the Cincinnati police force, even professional athletes and rappers.
Eric Davis, Chad Johnson, Stephon Marbury, Black Jack and Cam’Ron are but a few of his well heeled patrons.
Colvin listens attentively to each customer’s needs, and consistently turns out high quality products that keep regulars coming back for more - some of them weekly.
The devout routinely drop off “ten to fifteen blank articles,” ask Colvin to work his magic, and then pick them up later in the week. Each item, from sneakers, to T-shirts, to blue jeans goes for a minimal $50 a pop.
“The sky’s the limit…I just did a portrait T-shirt. It was easily…$120,” Colvin says.
Yet, Colvin’s artistic prowess goes beyond designing punchy apparel for hip urbanites.
“I’ve outfitted entire nightclubs. I’ve done theme rooms in peoples’ homes…a few local art shows,” Colvin says, adding that he’s even “done his Michelangelo thing” on a domed ceiling in one client’s house.
His openness to such eclectic projects keeps his customer base diverse. Even necktie wearing, briefcase toting executives have been known to don fly kicks when they leave the office, Colvin insists.
“This isn’t just a black thing. This isn’t just a hood thing. This isn’t just a rap thing,” says Colvin. Apparently not, with one loyal customer aged 83.
However, Colvin is not content to rest on his laurels as local sneaker art magnate.
“I have a community focus…I want to give back and actually create jobs and teach people.,” says Colvin, who speaks to local youth at public schools and colleges about “staying on the right path” and overcoming hardship, relating his own personal experiences to encourage them.
With his talent and vision, Colvin could easily pack up his paint supplies, move elsewhere, and begin churning out sneakers for the masses.
But he thinks Cincinnati is a great untapped opportunity and customization is central to his success. So he plans to stay.
Furthering the local cause, “We want to carry local independent stuff,” Colvin says.
True to his word, besides using a few brand names like Nike, Chuck Taylor and Starbury, Studio Endure stocks locally made shoes and hats.
Colvin plans to eventually open new locations, starting in the suburbs north of I-275.
This will provide an option for those reluctant to venture into downtown, where the image is “still a bit tainted,” despite the significant downturn in crime.
“You’ve got knuckleheads in every neighborhood, whether they’re knocking over mailboxes or knocking out people,” he says.
Knuckleheads aside, even if Colvin’s a Cincinnati boy at heart, it doesn’t mean he isn’t testing himself in the big, bad sneaker art world outside the ‘Nati.
Colvin’s entering his first competition, the Chicago Sneaker Showcase, this July 5. It’s part of an intriguingly eclectic part-car, part-barbershop expo held at Chicago’s Navy Pier.
“It’s our first competition so I’m a little bit nervous,” Colvin admits. But “we look [forward] to…showing them what we’re doing down here in Cincinnati.”
As for local competition, Colvin is quite confident in his standing. “I don’t think I really have competition because I’m that good,” he says.
He adds that his brick and mortar store gives him the competitive edge over others, who largely operate from their basements and depend on the internet for sales.
Colvin uses his downtown base to build relationships and breathe life into the community. He regularly invites people on the street to come in and check it out.
By reaching out this way, he’s become an integral part of the revitalization taking place in Over-the-Rhine.
Colvin ultimately envisions a flourishing Cincinnati with ambassadors from all walks of life sharing the good news of customized apparel and each using their own gifts to contribute to the renaissance taking place downtown.
His call to action: “I think Cincinnati’s really untapped. And I think that in the independent scene a lot of stuff can happen…if people jump [with] two feet into what they want to do and just do it…What are you waiting for?”
Photography by Scott Beseler