Colour explosion! I felt "Like a kid in a candy store" seeing his work!
I find it funny that recently people have moved away from wanting things to be completely unique to them. I recall a time in fashion when one would buy something, take it home and start stitching things onto the garment, painting onto it or simply cutting it to make sure no one had the exact same thing. What happened to that? It still goes on, yes but only in certain parts of London - namely, Brick Lane and Camden (the most obvious choices).
Asian Persuasion - Asian Scroll-inspired sneakers with a matching box!
I remember my visit to Hong Kong and seeing all of the beautifully put together and yet beautifully unique outfits of girls, boys, men and women of the city - irrespective of the region they hailed from. I think about the city of Tokyo and the Harajuku and Ganguro trends and how despite them being a trend, all who go by it are completely unique. Why are we living in a city where uniforms range from Topman suits in the CITY (we'll get to that another day), Hollister on virtually every teenage boy and Uggs on girls everywhere?! Where is that sense of London's individuality?!
I'll tell you where it is.
Theon Marcel is not just another guy who can customise sneakers or design and print t-shirts. He is an artist and his art is based completely on being unique. Looking at his work, I was like a kid in a candy store (not to mention that his work, with colours exploding everywhere quite resembled a candy store!) Influenced by comic art and, as I joked, "all things fun in life" Theon Marcel's work is truly exceptional! Working on materials from canvas right the way through to suede means that there is nothing that Mr. Marcel cannot work on! More so, being inspired by each person's individuality, Theon works to make sure that nothing is ever the same in his work - sometimes going so far as to paint a continuous comic strip over a few pairs of shoes! (Stand in a line and see what happens to your hero!)
I recall meeting with Theon and commenting on the spectator shoes he was wearing as you see so few of them now. He smiled at me, shook his head and said "I painted them." I was astounded! The sheer attention to detail down to the point that he painted them to look as though they were old and weatherbeaten like true vintage shoes was amazing! I honestly thought they were leather! There began my love for his work and I must say that since that day, two years ago he has never failed to impress!
Reminded of Kanye, anyone?
If you would like to get your hands on Mr. Marcel's work, you can e-mail him on theonphokeerdoss@gmail.com and for my readers in the states, worry thee not because Theon does shipping at little extra cost. Let's bring back individuality and let's do it in style!
Ciao Belissimi!
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