When it comes to sneaker customising, nobody does it better than Dominic Ciambrone, also known as The Shoe Surgeon. A master of his craft, he's been taking apart and putting together shoes long before many sneakerheads were even born, and with a client list as star-studded as the night sky, we just had to speak to the man himself.
An absolute OG in the industry, we sat down with Dominic for our latest "Under The Influence" segment to discuss his humble beginnings, his insane career, weird requests, hype culture, and so much more!
Image via The Shoe Surgeon
What made you want to customise sneakers to begin with? How did you get started? I was always creating and making things with my hands growing up. Then I got into dressing cool thanks to my older brother's soccer mate, Jesus Contreras. We would go to malls together to shop. Once I made it to high school, my cousin Chanelle let me wear her original 1985 Air Jordan 1s and everyone flipped so I knew I needed to keep wearing cool shoes.
I was getting Jordans before they were even released. All my friends that I hung out with in school all had the same shoes so I knew I needed to figure something else out. So I airbrushed an all-white Air Force 1 Mid in camo, and when I wore those shoes to school I got an even better response. After that, I was searching for other ways to create with paint, cutting, sewing, etc.
Where did the name The Shoe Surgeon come from? Actually, the Shoe Surgeon originally started as Shoe $urgeonz (money sign and the Z). I was in a small hotel in Times Square with my best friend Dj Tonytone and my oldest brother Louie. We were writing down ideas and I came up with a surgeon, like a real surgeon, because that's what I wanted to do with shoes.
What’s the customisation process like? Each custom is different. Now there is a design team behind me so they mock up any ideas they are thinking. Or I'll have an idea inspired by a moment or material. Sometimes clients know what they want and other times they leave it up to us. It's never the same.
What’s your favourite silhouette to work with, and why? I don't believe in favorites. I do, however, believe in moments, and the Air Jordan 1 silhouette was the first sneaker I wore that really got mass attention so I enjoy that one. I also enjoy creating and developing new silhouettes that don't even exist yet.
Is there one project that you’re most proud of or you think about the most? I recently read the The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Dr. Deepak Chopra and based on that, I still have a long way to go before I can consider myself to be truly successful.
One project that I enjoyed the most was with the NFL Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Miami during the SuperBowl last year, working with kids to customize cleats. My career was creating and building products, my path is to help inspire and show others how to believe in themselves.
Image via The Shoe Surgeon
What’s the weirdest request you’ve ever had? A friend of mine at Nice Kicks wanted me to make a shoe for Riff Raff with his face moulded into the bottom of a sneaker.
If you could only use one material for all your projects, what would it be? I'd rather repair everyone's shoes than be stuck using one material! I need variety, that's just who I am. That's what inspired me to start, and repairing is the most sustainable approach to helping the world.
Nelly’s AJ3 Dancing Shoes are iconic. Who approached who for this special project? Nelly hit me up on the DMs and text message. I wasn't even aware he was on Dancing with the Stars. He had a problem and he knew that I had the solution.
Who is your dream collaborator? I still want to sit down next to Pharrell Williams and create something new. It doesn't even need to be a shoe, it could be music, furniture, an experience etc. Although we did do a boot together.
With all that said, the most fulfilling collaborations so far are the ones that come from our Shoe Schools. It's nice to collaborate with someone who's never even thought of shoes to be a career and I'm grateful we have been able to build that with the schools and help others' dreams come true.
While we're on that, how did you come up with the Shoe Surgeon Shoe School? When I first pursued a career in shoemaking and customization, it was hard to get the knowledge I needed to go through the process from start to finish. I had an eccentric mentor, Michael Anthony, and we clicked just knowing we always wanted to create a trade school. I really wanted to create an avenue of learning for the next generation, and I want to continue making personal connections with people.
Image via The Shoe Surgeon
What is your opinion of hype culture? Hype culture is wanting something that's in the hype. It's grown more now than ever! It's nice that it's here and it should always be in balance of good, well-made products and stories.
What’s your favourite sneaker at this moment in time? I don't have a favorite of anything. I don't believe anything I have I own, because when I die I won’t be able to take it with me. I currently like Birkenstock Bostons, I have a knee brace on after ACL knee surgery so they’re easy to slide on and off. My favorite sneaker is the one I haven't created yet, because it's truly about the journey not the finished product.
How have you been keeping busy over the pandemic? As much as the pandemic has slowed down my personal life, I challenge myself everyday to continue working hard and grow the business. I have been putting my mental health first through reading, meditation, exercise, and mindfulness and really learning to be present in the moment. Spending time with my kids helps keep me grounded.
Do you have any exciting projects coming up that you can tell us about? We’re currently working on a collaboration with Jason of Beverly Hills for a $100,000 pair of shoes. The new space is still being built out. My most exciting projects are with my kids and I want to continue to be better and do more for them.
Do you have any advice for aspiring sneaker customisers out here? Keep going and believe in yourself. Artists face challenges but it doesn't diminish their ability to succeed. Persistence is key and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. In fact, don’t believe there was ever a box there to begin with.
Trust the process and never stop creating!
Image via Shoe Surgeon Shoe School
