Sole Legends started with shoes, but now he’s expanding his portfolio.
The Bronx-based artist, whose real name is Ariel Moscoso, got his start as a sneaker artist as a kid who couldn’t afford to keep buying new kicks.
“I always been a sneaker fanatic,” he told Page Six Style. “Growing up I didn’t really have a lot of funds to constantly be buying sneakers, so I started looking into changing the colors and stuff like that so it would kind of look like I had a new pair of sneakers all the time.”
Moscoso, 33, eventually launched an Instagram page for his work in 2016, where he showed off the pink Supreme-Louis Vuitton sneakers he painted for Wendy Williams, who shared a picture of the custom work on her Instagram in August.
Williams discovered Moscoso’s work when she saw his window display at Manhattan Wardrobe, the store where he typically purchases his paints and supplies.
“I have a display there of all my work and she happened to see it,” he explained. “She grabbed my business card and she gave me a ring and that’s how that started. I did a pair of sneakers for her — pink Louis Vuitton sneakers.”
After falling in love with the sneakers he painted for her, Williams brought him her rhinoceros ottoman.
“I was happy to get that done for her,” he said, noting he’s ready to get into customized furniture full-time in addition to his sneaker work.
He charged her $1,500 for the paint job of the ottoman, which he described as being “vintage brown leather” before he took his paintbrushes to it.
“It was a lot of detail,” he explained. “[It took] a lot of time.”
The hard work paid off, as the rhino has become his favorite piece.
“It was the first time I ever did anything like that,” he shared. “That was really exciting for me.”
As for sneakers, Moscoso told us the average paint job costs about $350 — if the customer provides the sneaker — and takes between three to five days to complete. If Moscoso provides a brand-new pair, he tacks on the price of the sneaker to the price of the paint job.
Though his work speaks for itself, Moscoso, who also does sneaker restorations, admitted he has customers who are hesitant to hand over their Yeezys and other high-end sneakers given the steep prices.
“I do respect [their nerves] because these sneakers are not cheap. A lot of people, they’re working hard, it’s not easy to dish out $300, $400 and even sometimes $500 on a pair of sneakers and trust somebody to customize them,” he said. “I’m grateful enough to say that my work speaks [for me]. They see my work and ease up a bit.”
Moscoso has reached out to Louis Vuitton and Supreme multiple times to make them aware of his artwork but hasn’t heard back.
“I constantly tag them. I constantly reach out to them,” he said. “I let it be known I’m doing this.”