Sculptor Ben Young Created Custom Shoe Designs for Footballer Bill Tuiloma and Skater Jarrad Carlin

This article is presented in partnership with NIKEiD. In this series we pair creatives with athletes to create custom shoe designs.

Ben Young is a self-taught artist who creates intricate sculptures out of layered glass and concrete. Young grew up surfing in Waihi Beach, New Zealand, and previously worked as a boat builder. Not surprisingly, the sea is a central motif throughout his work. Hand cut and crafted from laminate window panes, the complex layering of the glass gives this otherwise lifeless material a sense of fluidity, movement, and depth. We asked Young to create custom shoe designs for fellow New Zealanders, skateboarder Jarrad Carlin and footballer Bill Tuiloma. You can read his rationales below.

Jarrad Carlin

This shoe design was inspired by Jarrad wanting something quite simple and white. The NIKEiD app had this awesome pinstripe pattern which I thought referenced the layers of glass in my work really well so I have used that in a subtle grey. He likes canvas and gum sole—which as a fellow skater I totally agree with—so I have kept that as a feature. I think the gum sole adds enough tonal difference to the rest of the shoe, and I like how subtle the pattern and all-white look is.

Bill Tuiloma

Bill's brief was pretty straightforward colour-wise; he liked bold colours but used in an understated way. I took visual reference from the concrete bases in my work and have used the silver as a base for his shoe design. This allows it to be a classic-looking design with a pop of colour and a statement made with the red highlights. The red also references the Samoan flag colours, and I added his initials for some extra personalisation. My own artwork is very detailed and intricate so I have included some patterning within the swoosh and the laces to add a little subtle interest.

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