Jon Goodman is more than a customizer or a customer. He?s a brand. The young man that cites KVN and Methamphibian for paving the way has created his own lane with a line of custom products and his service of custom classes. We caught up with the JGoods founder to hear how he got started, what customs mean to the culture, and even a good story about working with Cam?ron.
What got you into sneakers?
I had two older brothers growing up who really got me started. When I was about ten, I wanted all the Nikes and Jordans because that’s what they were wearing. My mom didn’t like to spend too much on shoes so I had to save up for the pairs that I wanted. As I got older and starting going on the internet more, I started looking for shoes that nobody in my area would have. Eventually I found Niketalk.com and that really got me in the game. I would always be looking on that forum for new releases online and in stores. I remember going to skate shops for the first run of Dunk SB’s and getting hated on because I didn’t look like I skated.
How did you get started making customs?
The first customization I ever remember was me and my older brother putting electrical tape on some Jordan 14s and some Jordan Superfreaks. That didn’t work too well. In 2002 or so I painted the Swoosh on a pair of Dunks and people started asking me about them. At that time, I only knew of two people who regularly customized shoes. One was a guy named KVN and the other was named Methamphibian. Both of those guys really inspired me to take it to the next level and those guys deserve credit for bringing sneaker customization to where it is now. Originally I just wanted to have shoes that nobody else had and I found that there were a lot of other people who wanted that too. After getting some good feedback, I spent weeks going to art stores perfecting my paint mixture and sketching colorway and design ideas.
Which creation is your personal favorite?
It’s hard for me to pick a favorite just because each pair takes so long to complete. Usually my favorite is the shoe I’m currently working on or the last pair I finished. The pair I think I’m most proud of is the Air Force 1 “Hexachrome” just because I hand mixed 26 colors of paint and perfected each one of those squares to create that effect. Those shoes took forever.
Who have you done work for?
Some of the bigger names are Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Joe Mauer, Torii Hunter, Larry Fitzgerald, Cam’ron, Mayer Hawthorne, Justin Upton, Prince Fielder, and Jermichael Finley.
Are your designs meant to be wearable or as a display piece?
They are definitely meant to be wearable. That’s why so much time and research has gone into the JGoods? paint mixture. That being said, most people who buy a pair rarely wear them or never wear them at all.
What?s your general design process?
Usually I talk to a client and get their thoughts first. Then I think of some ideas, make some previews with Photoshop, and decide on the final design from there. After the design is done, I start the painting process.
How much time does a project typically take?
Coming up with the design usually takes a few days because it’s hard to come up with a final design right away. I usually like to think of a couple general ideas and slowly work through them in my head. The painting process takes anywhere from five to 40 hours depending on how detailed the design is. You definitely have to be motivated and patient to be a sneaker customizer.
Where do you find inspiration?
It really depends. Some of the designs are based off of conversations with the client and some are just original ideas that I think would look good on a certain shoe. For example, Larry Fitzgerald said he wanted Arizona Cardinals Air Force 1’s so I made what I felt was the best version of those. A different example is the Jordan 12 “Fadeaway”. Those shoes were just set up perfectly for a gradient fade because there are 15 sewn “panels” that go front to back on that shoe. I knew that Jordan Brand had never done that so it made sense.
