Looking at the current state of sneaker culture, hypebeasts rule the day with their impossibly expensive sneakers.

Take adidas Yeezy Boost 350s for example. Supply and demand dictates that if you want a pair, you either pay $200 at retail or pay exorbitant prices on the resale market.

Both options are unattainable for a majority of sneakerheads out there, but that doesn’t matter. It is and it isn’t adidas’ fault, just like it is and it isn’t Kanye’s fault.

It’s the same reason why Jordan’s are impossibly expensive for anything other than General Releases, and even those are ridiculous, no matter the quality of materials. If you haven’t picked up a general release Jordan Brand shoe lately, just see how sub-par the material quality is. It’s ghastly.

Supply, demand and hype control the sneaker industry, and it’s ow business works: create a product everyone wants but not everyone can have. Demand, among other things, dictates price, and the more hyped something is, the more you can command on a secondary market.

But say you want to have a nice, high-end pair of Fragment x Jordan Brand Air Jordan 1s. First off, good luck. Second off, no one in their right mind should ever have to pay Flight Club $1,500 for a pair of sneakers.

Don’t get me wrong, I love them; they’re one of my “holy grail” pairs of Jordan’s, but I have rent and a car payment and student loans to pay off. I can’t imagine my girlfriend would appreciate it if I came home and said “Hey babe, I finally got my Frags! Can you pay rent this month?”

Stripped customs via Instagram: @bell_hop

But that’s the state of the resale market for sneakers. If I hate anything about sneaker culture, it’s the resale market. I’m very much about the idea of wearing what you own. Collecting is one thing, but buying 12 pairs of a coveted shoe JUST to sell is kind of shady, in my opinion.

That’s why I customize my own sneakers. To be fair, I don’t really “customize” as much as I buy a pair of blank Jordans and then paint them into colorways that I like but can’t get my hands on. I have done a few originals, but I’m branching out into the true “custom” side of things. It’s a fairly new endeavor for me, but it’s an aspect of sneaker culture that is long and prosperous.

Custom Nike Women’s Roshe Run via Instagram: @bell_hop

Custom Nike Women’s Roshe Run via Instagram: @bell_hop

I prefer to use Angelus paints because that’s what was recommended to me and they have great customer service, but there are a ton of companies out there that sell flexible acrylic paint made specifically for shoes. Jacquard comes to mind quickly.

Custom Diadora B.Elite III via Instagram: @bell_hop

One of the cool things about both of those companies is they understand the value of the culture, sponsoring artists to help promote their brands. You can do a cursory search on Google for sneaker customizers and find some supremely talented artists busting out breathtaking works of art on sneakers.

I can’t afford Frags, or Breds, or any of the coveted sneaker releases, but I can afford to paint up the shoes that I DO have into the colorways I like. Angelus says to make what you don’t have, and that’s exactly what I do. I don’t feel like I’m being disingenuous when I wear my painted Bred 1s down the road, but I won’t tell someone they’re authentic either.

Sneaker culture has gotten to the point that people call you fake or lame if you’re not copping and rocking the latest or greatest, but for most of us it’s just not a luxury we can afford. But that shouldn’t stop you from wearing what you like.

I like painting, I like shoes, it was only a matter of time before I merged the two and saved a few bucks in the process. Try it out, make mistakes. I have, and it’s been a great ride thus far.

If you’d like to see some of my work, feel free to follow me on Instagram at @bell_hop. If you’d like some work done, feel free to DM and I’ll get back to you too.