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Nice Kicks: What was your first wire sculpture?
Parlaitin: My first sculpture was back in middle school. It was of Elvis. He was on his knees and had his microphone. It was very basic, but it gave me the ability to find a medium where I was free. No one told me to use that medium. I?ve tried painting. I?ve tried some other things, but wire, for me, seems like a limitless possibility. I feel like I can create anything with this.
Nice Kicks: What made you want to create sneakers, and which one did you make first?
Parlaitin: The first sneaker I made was a Converse Chuck Taylor that I had laying around. I put it out on Converse?s page on Facebook. At the time (2010), the default on pages was mixed in with fans. You didn?t have to go to another page to see what fans posted. It was all on the same timeline. So, when I posted that Converse on Facebook, there were hundreds of people all over the world, using languages I don?t even know, commenting on this shoe. I had no idea the impact it would have on other people all over the world. It was crazy! I had hundreds of people requesting to be tagged on this shoe. From that, and my love of sneakers, it was a no brainer.
Nice Kicks: What year was that?
Parlaitin: 2010.
Nice Kicks: What is your favorite sneaker that you have made?
Parlaitin: My latest sneaker is my favorite. The Converse was cool and the Jordan was great, but this one is exactly where I want to be. I have three more sneakers that I need to finish, and they take so long so I try to release them one at a time. This particular one was started in June of last year, and I didn?t finish it until about three weeks ago. It?s a New Balance. I?m trying to keep it chronological, so I have two more (to release) prior to it. I was able to donate one to an NBA player. I have a picture of this player holding the shoe, but it is yet to be released.
pARlaiTin with his Air Jordan 3 Black/Cement wire sculpture
