Matt “Sekure D” Fabris has 450 pairs of shoes. How he could ever keep track of them, we would never want to imagine. An Australia-based artist notorious for his work on customised sneakers, he was a huge basketball fan and this fired up his obsession with sneakers. He started painting his own shoes to make them unique from what others were wearing, and he also painted for his friends.
Since emerging into the scene as Sekure D, the versatile artist has been meticulously creating one-of-a-kind sneakers that have been sold and exhibited all over the world including the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Having his roots in graffiti art, Sekure D also creates artwork over other mediums such as vinyl toys. His ever evolving aesthetic is based on his love for all things graffiti, comic and cinematic.
Besides painting sneakers, Sekure D is also working on collaborative projects. He has built up a great relationship with a number of brands including collaborative projects with Kidrobot, Nike, Jordan Brand and Globe. Expanding his reach, he has also started working on a YouTube show about sneakers. There is also a ‘big secret project’ in the pipeline for Sekure D that may launch towards the end of the year. As ambiguous as it may be, we’re still very much looking forward to it.
In our chat with Sekure D at the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC), he talked more about his work and the rather trivial but sensational fact of having a dislike with working with celebrities (mainly because they don’t like to pay – yikes!).
Nookmag (N): What is your favourite silhouette to work with?
Sekure D (S): It’s always been the Air Force One. It’s the most popular shoes Nike has ever made and it has a great face for customising because it gives you an upper and a lower ground and this gives you perfect contrast. Jordon has just become popular. Five years ago, we would never paint a Jordon. It was a rule. But right now, Jordon comes out so regularly. Although they are still collectibles, but a little bit of its mystic has been gone because you don’t have to hunt for Jordons anymore since they come out every weekend.
N: What is the most unusual request that you’ve received?
S: I’ve been approached by pornography companies and stuff. I turned the job down. I couldn’t do it. You get a lot of silly requests. But when it comes to weird, nothing beats that. I won’t say what they wanted, but it’s really graphic!
N: What is the key to an awesome piece of customisation work?
S: You got to start by choosing the right shoe to work on. For example, if you were to paint on suede, it wouldn’t last very long. So the stuff you don’t see, is often the most important. The acetoning and preparation is very important. But I’d say preparation and material selection are really important. If it’s not leather, the artwork is not going to last very long. I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I don’t do digital designs anymore. I just paint as I go.
N: Are there times where the designs that appear in your mind don’t turn out like you had imagined?
S: Yup, all the time (laughs). One of the things people ask the most is “Are you afraid to make mistakes?” I’m just not because I can fix it. That’s one thing I learn. These shoes cost $280. To paint them is kind of a scary process. If you mess up, you could ruin something that’s worth a lot of money. But at the same time, I’ve been doing it for so long that it doesn’t concern me anymore. I know that I can fix anything. What I’ve learned is that I just got to trust my instincts and trust my designs. If you’re afraid of making mistakes and not going to take risks, I think everything’s going to be a bit boring.
N: How durable are your customised shoes?
S: They’re completely fine. I tell people don’t wear them to the pub or don’t do something silly like play basketball outside. I tell them that you’re just going walk around like you’re walking in a pair of $800 shoes. If I have a pair of [expensive] shoes, I’m not walking in mud, I’m going to be really careful and I think that’s just how you got to be with things. They’re painted to be durable. My brother has been wearing his pair of customised shoes for three years and they’re fine.
