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Nice Kicks: What is the selection process for the sneakers you choose to create gas masks?
Freehand Profit: When it started, it was just using shoes from my hunts, and finding a great shoe, but something that?s affordable since I was doing it every day. Material cost was something that I had to keep in mind. Once the project (Mask365) was over in 2011, I had bigger budgets. So I started choosing shoes that, in all honesty, I had two pair of. I had one pair for the masks and one pair for me. The second pair was kind of a backup. Thankfully, I?ve only had to use the backup pair once, and that was for the ?Chicago? 10 mask. So I was choosing shoes that I wanted to buy anyway so that I would have the matching shoes for the photos. Of course after commissions, it became what materials would be a great mask, which colors would be a great mask, or the history behind it. When it?s all said and done, I want to have at least one mask from every serious Jordan release. I have the 1?s. I still have to do a ?2. I have the 3?s and 4?s. The 5?s are underway. Eventually, I will have everything because there is a certain character to every one of these shoes that comes out in the mask making process. They aren?t really planned ahead. The shoes are taken apart, and I see what materials I have in front of me and start piecing them together like that.
Air Jordan 10 “Chicago” Gas MaskNice Kicks: Do you have a vision where you want the mask to go prior to creating it, or do you tear the shoe apart and go with whatever comes to mind?
Freehand Profit: It?s kind of a freestyle, I would say. The shoes get torn apart strategically. They aren?t just torn down completely. I?ll take the uppers apart. I?ll take the tongue off of that. I divide them into bigger groups, and see which cuts I need to make. I like to see certain pieces intact. There?s no sense in taking things apart that I would want to put back together eventually. So, there?s a little bit of planning ahead, but it?s more foresight than anything else.
Nice Kicks: People often complain about a dip in the quality of material used in recent releases. You working with materials as often as you do, have you noticed a difference in materials from the earlier sneakers to the ones now?
Freehand Profit: There are certain ones that surprise me with the material. The one that I really noticed was the ?Cement? 4s. Once I cut it open, I was less excited about the shoe in my actual collection. Luckily, by the time I was done with the mask I was in love with the shoe again due to the design element. But looking at the raw materials, I was disappointed in the quality of the leather. On the good side of things, the LeBron Elites are ridiculous on the inside! They are just absolutely gorgeous. They are put together so well. It?s really a good example of design. Here?s one that surprises a lot of folks. When I cut up the Air Jordan Fusion 4 ?Laser?, those at the time were the best constructed shoes I had taken apart.
Nice Kicks: That’s definitely surprising…
Freehand Profit: Yeah. When I saw them from the inside, there was glue, but it was put in the right place. Everything was really neat, and you don?t always see that. It doesn?t have to be neat because it?s the inside of the sneaker and most people will never see that. For whatever reason, the Fusion 4 was really clean.
Air Jordan 4 Fusion “Laser” Gas Mask
