Walking ART
In March 2020 , Lauren Trachy created “ The Custom Ones ”, designing and creating custom sneakers . Sophie Wilkinson met with Lauren to find out more about her business .
If you ’ re looking for a cool pair of unique sneakers ,
then Lauren Trachy is your go-to girl . Whether you ’ re interested in block colours , butterflies and flowers or a particular marvel character , Lauren can create you your very own customised sneakers .
Lauren is 20 years old , fairly quiet , but incredibly passionate . She plays in the women ’ s football league and the women ’ s rugby team in her spare time , she ' s currently studying for a sports degree and has recently launched not just one , but two businesses . Lauren describes herself as very entrepreneurial . Like many other creatives , her business The Custom Ones came to her over Lockdown .
“ I just wanted to do something useful with my time . I completed the Level 3 Art and Design course at Highlands which gave me the idea to create a business I would enjoy running . I love shoes and I love art , so I thought why not combine them ? It ’ s a fairly new concept in the UK , but people want something different , they want something unique to them .” The whole process takes approximately 6 hours , depending on the intricacy of the design . The trainers are prepped , hand-designed with leather paint and finished .
Lauren points down to her own sneakers , which of course are also customised . “ Scratch them , it won ’ t come off ” she dares me . I trust she knows what she ’ s doing though .
Having recently completed an online digital marketing diploma , Lauren was able to gain insight into using ads on both Facebook and Instagram . From here she was able to target people in Jersey and the UK who were interested in fashion and shoes . She has now customised over 30 pairs of shoes , which is impressive given the idea only came to her 6 months ago .
“ The first pair I designed was for my brother . He needed new trainers so I thought it would be nice to buy and design him a pair . He absolutely loves them and wears them all the time .”
Through Instagram , Lauren was contacted by Londonbased model Jack Harvie who has modelled for the likes of Vogue , Marni and St James . “ He approached me after seeing the ads and loving what we do . After talking for a while , he decided he wanted a custom pair of Air Force 1 ' s that showed the brands he had worked for as well as a cartoon version of himself . We worked on the design together and then I created them for him .”
It ’ s not just for adults though , Lauren recently created a pair for a young boy ’ s birthday . “ They were spiderman themed with his name – they were so cute !”
The process is simple – message Lauren with the shoe you want , either share your ideas with her or let her help you come up with the design and leave it to her – she ’ ll source the shoe you ’ re after and turn them into a unique piece of art .
Lauren ’ s second business is a sports photography and media agency , Sportsplex Media . “ I ’ m currently studying sports media , so I wanted to set something up to utilise my skills . It ’ s mostly sports photography and social media . The photography ranges from sports players wanting individual profiling and clubs wanting team pictures to footage of games . I recently had a short-term injury to my calf which meant that I was unable to train rugby or football for a couple of weeks however it allowed me to take some photos of the Jersey Reds Women during one of their tough preseason training sessions .” •
If you ’ re interested in speaking to Lauren about a custom pair of sneakers or if you need any sports photography , you can contact her through Instagram . @ thecustomones or @ sportsplexmedia
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