November 2nd, 2022

Art and Sole

Find out what happens when tattoo artists get their hands on shoe leather

Photos by Dylan Schattman

All reputable tattooers know their way around human skin. They know how to work with a client who is living and breathing. They know what colors to use with different skin tones to create the best possible tattoo.

Shoe leather is made out of cowhide, so why shouldn’t tattoo artists be able to replicate what they do on strips of leather waiting to be turned into sneakers? Dominic Ciambrone handpicked some of his favorite tattoo artists and challenged them to tattoo strips of shoe leather with the intention of turning the art into an amazing one-of-one pair of sneakers.

Dmitry Troshin

Andres Makishi

Luke Wessman 

Noah Minuskin

Vicente Guizar

BJ Betts 

Chaim Machlev 

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