Here’s the conclusion of the interview Phiscal Matters had with the designer of the famous Obama sneaker, Van Taylor Monroe.

Phiscal Matters: So have you heard from another customizer in the business about your work? Has cats tried to holla at you?

Van Taylor: The funny thing about customizers is that a lot of them don’t talk to each other. I noticed that when I got on Myspace a few years back, I tried to contact these people and they don’t socialize in the customizing scene to much and I think that they’re intimidated somewhat. That is why I say on my Youtube channel that I don’t mind helping other customizers out. I don’t mind hitting you up and asking you “how do you paint this [and] how did you do that? What paint did you use?” And I don’t mind telling them how I do it. What I do really ain’t a gimmick. People always ask, “how you do that? What’s your trick? What’s the short cut and what’s the paint did you use? It ain’t no screen print, there ain’t no graffiti on it. If you can’t draw it and paint it then I am not worrying about it. If you can draw it and paint it, then I am like fine, you would have probably found out anyway. People be tripping and they be like, “oh man I tried to ask such and such and he ain’t try to help me. He didn’t even respond to me. He doesn’t have any intentions on telling me.” But there is one dude out, I think he is out in New York and he did an Obama shoe as well, and he did it a few weeks ago and he hit me up and told me: “I know you did it first, I’m trying to do mine different.” So he went out and did his Obama shoe and him and I are cool, you know. He does good work too. And then I got my man ‘L out in Seattle Washington, and Soul Junkie out in San Diego – they do good work as well. But other than that, these other cats they don’t reach out. [With us] customizers, we don’t really get along.

Phiscal Matters: I guess cats don’t realize that there is enough money out here for everybody.
Van Taylor: Right, everybody, I mean I can’t customize everybody. I can’t even customize in my own street. I am looking down my street right now. If everyone on my street wanted a shoe, I couldn’t even do it. It would have to be another cat to come in and do it. So I don’t know why everybody is so bummed out and tripped out. And I know that I probably got hate when I was doing the Obama shoe and got press from FOX Business News. I don’t even go to customized boards and post my pictures on there, because they’ll hate all day.

Phiscal Matters: How long does it take for you to make a shoe?
Van Taylor: Man, it takes me anywhere between – if it is simple color ways – then it will take any where to four hours. But if I got to real get down into a shoe, it takes anywhere from 8 to 25-26 hours. Yeah, anywhere between 8-26 hours on how difficult and complicated the design is.

Phiscal Matters: That’s a whole day!

Van Taylor: Yeah, I know! But for the Obama’s, it takes 10-12 hours. If I’m in the zone, it takes eight and I just bust it out and be done with it. I do it straight like that. I don’t half step. I get it completely done.

Phiscal Matters: So basically it’s a case of the demand out weighing the supply.
Van Taylor: Exactly.

Phiscal Matters: I can’t imagine how many orders you got for the Obama shoe now.

Van Taylor: Ah man, it’s crazy, that is why I gotta get into mass production thing, and a lot of people are hitting me up about it and they have good ideas. There was one person in Houston who said, “I could help sell some shoes and you can make 500 of them and I can put it up.” And I am like “wait a minute. First of all, I ain’t about to paint 500 pair of tennis shoes. Do you know how long it takes me to paint these shoes?” They are like “No, how long does it take? And I am like, “I ain’t about to sit here and paint for days on end.” I don’t care about getting money in the game, because I am about to step off from the game and take it to a whole new platform. Like I am trying to be on a level where I am rubbing elbows with the cats that just started their own shoe company like, Greedy Genius and those type of cats. I am trying to think like that, because most cats, most teens especially in urban hoods, they look and dream too small. You would probably have a better chance of working up and trying to buy your own team, instead of trying to be a star in the NBA. You can write the checks. Ain’t nothing against the people who trying to get to the NBA, but [to me], there’s too much of that. It is not a balanced. Why don’t you own your own thing, besides owning a record label?. That is the reason why I am out here and speaking to the kids all the time. It’s more out there than what you are reaching for.

Phiscal Matters: Who are some of the notable celebrities who ever have purchased your shoes?

Van Taylor: will.i.am, T.I., DJ Toomp, Brian Michael Cox, Music Soulchild, Amerié, Slim Thug, Fabulous, Fat Joe and P. Diddy. Diddy has two pair of my custom shoes, and one of those are the Obamas. Hill Harper has like three pair of shoes and Gayle King, Oprah Winfrey’s home girl, got hers at the DNC! That’s crazy right?! Gail King is wearing my shoe and in her own color too?! She likes yellow. So I made some yellow Obama’s for her.

Phiscal Matters: Wow that’s a pretty sizable clientele. Were you at the Democratic National Convention?

Van Taylor: No, I wasn’t even there, because I had a pair of shoes that were auctioned off by Russell Simmons. I gave it to him and his organization and he auctioned it off at a function in the Hampton’s a couple of months ago. So he got a pair. They were auctioning off at the DNC for the Hope Gallery [I believe]. It was an art an gallery at the DNC where they had all the Obama art, and they asked for my sneakers to be there. So I was representing but I was not there.

Phiscal Matters: Is the Obama shoe the number one selling shoe in your repertoire?

Van Taylor: By far. Probably when it goes into the Smithsonian, it will probably be the most famous custom shoe ever. Once its in the Smithsonian, I am going to keep on pushing and striving to [further develop] the shoe company and I think that is what is really going to solidify myself as a customizer. I’ll be known as “that guy in the summer of ‘08, he put it down when he made the Obama shoe.” That is all I ask for. No other accolades. You don’t have to say I am the best ever or none of that. I leave it up to your own interpretation on what is the best. But to actually scratch history? My moms always said “Leave a mark; don’t leave without anyone knowing you were here.” I just did that right there. This is something that is going to be in history forever. 


Phiscal Matters: What’s next in the immediate future for you Van?

Van Taylor: I got some more social conscious shoes coming out and I am also going to reach out and make one for the Hispanic community as well. I want to paint some of their heroes that they don’t hear about in school, and they need to be recognized as well. You know, I didn’t know much of what they were going through and I believe we’re in their month (Hispanic Heritage Month). I want to take what I do out to Los Angeles. I have a lot of people in L.A. and lot of people in Long Beach. I grew up in L.A., and there’s a lot of beef and tension between Blacks and Mexicans. It wasn’t like that when I was young. When we were kids, you didn’t’ t care. My best friend was a Mexican and if I go there now, and he don’t know me he would probably try to shoot me. This is stupid. We all grew up together and played on the same playground. And we all are in the same [economic] class, and then you get older and influenced by propaganda and gang violence. I’m going to come out to where they at and we going to sit there and take pictures together with this Mexican shoe, and show some type of unity through the art. I am going to see how far it goes and see what we can do.

Phiscal Matters: Thank you for your time Van.

Van Taylor: The pleasure was all mine.