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Chase Shiel

@chaseshiel

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Footwear Maker, Melbourne 🇦🇺
🎬 Proof of Concept: @poc.chaseshiel

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I worked closely with @mizunoaustralia on these custom Wave MG4s for Freddie Gibbs’ Australian tour.

The most nerve-racking part was submerging the uppers in boiling dye for an hour, praying the colour would turn out like the original rendering. You never really know how they’re going to turn out until you pull them out 😮‍💨

A lot of work went into these, but really happy with how they turned out!

#mizuno #mizunoaus #freddiegibbs #mizunoaddict #chaseshiel by @chaseshiel

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4 days ago

🚨 WIN A ONE-OF-ONE PAIR OF CUSTOM AIHL SNEAKERS 🚨

@chaseshiel x The District collab is back — and this time it’s for the hockey heads. 🏒

We’ve teamed up with custom sneaker artist Chase Shiel to build an exclusive one-of-one pair of @theaihl kicks. Hand-crafted, never to be recreated, valued at $1,000 — and one die-hard hockey fan is taking them home.

There is one pair on the planet. They’re not dropping in stores. They could be yours. 👟

HOW TO ENTER — all three: Sign up to The District Docklands mailing list (link in bio) Follow @thedistrictdocklands Follow @theaihl

📅 Entries close 11:59pm Sunday 31 August 🏆 Winner drawn Monday 7 September 👟 Valued at $1,000

Made to order once we have your size, so allow up to two months for Chase to build them. Collected in person from The District — we don’t post them.

Rink tickets are sold out, but the big screen isn’t. Catch the Goodall Cup Grand Final at HOYTS The District this Sunday — second cinema just added. 🎬

Tag the biggest hockey fan you know 👇

T&Cs apply. 18+, AUS residents. Full terms via link in bio. This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Instagram or Nike.

#AIHL #GoodallCup #ChaseShiel #CustomSneakers #TheDistrictDocklands IceHockey taken in The District Docklands by @chaseshiel

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2 months ago

The GEL-STRATUS MC sample/tester for the @asics_sportstyle_au customisation pop-up a few weeks ago, dyed with @ritdye
For this one I brushed the dye straight onto the mesh — it spreads fast, you can see where it’s bled through into the stitching on the synthetic panels. Really like how the teal sits against the silver.

#RitDye #asicssportstyle #customasics #asicsgelstratus by @chaseshiel

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2 months ago

Pop-up customisation event with @asics_sportstyle_au
Dyed mesh, metal charms, numerous shoelace choice — everyone left with a pair that’s one of a kind 💫.

A big thank you to @asics_sportstyle_au for letting me do my thing 🎨

#asicsaustralia #customisation #customworkshop by @chaseshiel

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2 months ago

Somewhere during the Scarface project I stopped thinking about making a shoe and started thinking about making a release.

The artwork came from that shift. The leftover leather was already there - just sitting on the bench.

Machine stitched, then hand cross-stitched around the edge onto the canvas. The hand stitching is slow—every loop is a decision I’m making in real time, no deadlines, no back and forth, no rushing it.

I used to make leather artwork like this 14–15 years ago. Stopped. Forgot how much I enjoyed it until I was back in it.

I don’t think this will be the last one!

#leatherart #mixedmediaartwork #contemparyart #footweardesign by @chaseshiel

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2 months ago

The goal was subtle. Nods and easter eggs rather than a design that’s screaming at you — something that could believably sit in a real Nike release, with artist flair and creativity, but enough restraint that you have to do a double take.

There was a grittier direction we could have gone too — the bathtub scene, chainsaw, blood on the chinos. More abstract, more artist’s-interpretation. Didn’t happen for this pair — didn’t have the material in stock to do it properly, and wasn’t going to force it just to chase a stronger visual.

What we kept was restraint. Black, white and red — same palette as the film’s own poster — used sparingly rather than as a wrap. “Say hello to my little friend” sits quiet on the heel. The split seam at the toe, red piping, ‘white powder’ substance detail worked into the black leather at the heel.

And the insoles we went fully literal — $100 bills, wall to wall in vinyl 💵

Reference it. Don’t recreate it.

#handmadesneakers #leathercraft #customsneakers #footweardesign by @chaseshiel

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2 months ago

Scarface wasn’t only chosen because it’s an iconic film. A random generator wheel picked it 😜

But it already had such a strong visual language, which made it perfect to translate into footwear.

The split upper came from Tony Montana’s black-and-white suit. The red piping represents his inevitable downfall, while the typography and packaging borrow from the film’s promotional artwork.

We added Easter eggs throughout the design to make it unmistakably Scarface without simply covering the shoe in obvious references. The aim was to translate the mood of the film into something wearable.

This pair became the first release in my Proof of Concept series—a collection of projects exploring whether ideas from outside footwear can be turned into footwear.

#scarface #airmax90 #sneakerdesign #customsneakers #proofofconcept by @chaseshiel

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2 months ago

My New Workshop.

Over the past few months I’ve been building this out — figuring out what I need, what I don’t, and how I actually want to work day to day.

Full walkthrough is up on YouTube (link in bio).

#workshop #walkthrough #customsneakers #sneakercustoms #melbournecreatives taken in The District Docklands by @chaseshiel

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5 months ago

Got back from my first trip to China about a month ago - mainly to meet my partner’s family, but I also wanted to see what’s possible beyond hand-making every pair myself.

After 18 years of customising, my head and neck are starting to feel it 😬
2026 goal: less hands-on production, more designing at scale.

I visited everything from factories producing 20,000+ pairs to workshops making just 10 pairs.
Checked out a TPU manufacturer with swatch books that felt like an archive gallery of past, present, and future finishes.
And entire malls dedicated purely to footwear materials and components… I could’ve spent days there.

Now that I’ve seen what’s possible—I want more.
Next trip soon… but first, I need to design some shoes 😈

#footweardesign #footwearbusiness #chaseshiel #customsneakers #shoefactory by @chaseshiel

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8 months ago

A Custom Air Jordan 1 High I created in memory of my client’s late mother — a project that meant a lot to both of us.

The colourful pattern you see across the upper is taken directly from her favourite dress, the same one she wore to his high school graduation. The base is a Jordan 1, chosen because his very first Jordans were the Bred 1s… a pair he was only able to afford because his mum chipped in an extra $200.

Purple suede runs throughout the design — their shared favourite colour — tying everything back to the moments and memories they held close.

On the heel and tongue is an elephant head, representing her love for elephants and the collection of figurines she kept for years. And on the clear outsole, we embedded her actual footprint, so every step he takes, she’s walking with him.

The wings on the collar nod to the ROY Jordan 1s, but here they hold a deeper meaning: they represent an elephant’s ears, symbolising protection, guidance and presence.

We’re calling these the Gizne x Jordan 1s.
“Gizne” means life in Russian — a word she used lovingly for him, his whole life.

A tribute made with love, memory and meaning. 🕊️💜

#tribute #customsneakers #chaseshiel #handmadesneakers #customjordans #jordansaddict #customkicks #memorialart #artwithmeaning #inlovingmemory #madebyhand #storytellingthroughdesign #sneakercommunity by @chaseshiel

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a year ago

Over the years, I’ve built up a massive pile of leftover sneaker uppers — I only reuse the soles for my customs, so these just keep stacking up.

Having them build up has always felt like a waste, so I’ve been trying to figure out how to give them a second life. I’ve experimented with a few ideas before, but nothing really clicked or was worth the time.

I’ve been exploring a new route lately — using high-quality generic soles out of China to bring these uppers back to life and make them wearable again.

Curious to hear your thoughts… should I keep exploring this route?

#sneakerreels #upcycled #customsneaker #soleswap #chaseshiel #sneakerconcepts #nikecustom by @chaseshiel

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a year ago

Life Dump 📸. I’ve been quiet for the past few months! Between working on the Fujifilm x Converse project, finishing private orders, a quick getaway, a visit to hospital with severe migraines, and just a few days ago injuring my knee 😬 — it’s been an interesting time 😝

I’m working on a lot of new products outside of sneakers; progression is a little slower than I’d like. I am, however, keen to share the work I have been doing 🥳🙏

#lifedump #customconverse #customsneakers #chaseshiel #handmadesneakers #customfootwear #sneakercraft #behindthesneakers by @chaseshiel

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a year ago