Profile: C. Williams

C. Williams creates retrofit sneakers, building a brand of his own.

“At some point in our lives, we just want to make sense of ourselves. Whether it’s the clothes we wear, the car we drive, or the music we listen to, each and every one of us strives to differentiate ourselves from one another, yet function within a confined society with similar ethics, ideologies and direction.” – C. Williams

We walk in them everyday. They come in different colors, shades and sizes.  They take us where we want to go, whether near or far. Shoes have been around for thousands of years, and have evolved into many types and styles; in various textiles and materials.  While most shoe designers almost always use leather for the majority of their shoe concepts, you won’t find Shoe Retrofitter, C. Williams, sticking to the industry standards. 

One of the ways that C. Williams has been able to set himself apart from the pack has been through his use of a broader spectrum of textiles and materials that aren’t limited by today’s trends and assumptions, including bamboo, cork, suede and even Lego to name a few.  His innovative approach to retrofitting men’s and women’s shoes has led to some show-stopping creations that have been worn and adored by respected names in the fashion and entertainment industry, including Snoop Dogg, Producer Nottz and Pro Snowboarder Simon Chamberlain.

Some fabrics are rarer than people know.

There is a common belief amongst consumers that the textiles and materials used today must have been designed and produced recently. In actuality, manufacturers have a 12-year plan of what textiles and other materials they’ll produce. As they produce these textiles and materials, they slowly introduce them to suppliers who in-turn will distribute them to apparel and shoe manufacturers. From there, designers for these manufacturers will begin designing our wares. As you might expect, working from a common pool of resources can make it much more difficult to produce something that will stand out. As a work-around, some fashion designers stow away textiles and materials for decades, in the hopes that no one else will have them by the time they put them to use.  For anyone familiar with collecting sneakers, you might refer to these types of “stowed” products as “deadstock.”

In addition to being custom designed, one-of-a kind and hand-made,  C. Williams shoes typically incorporate rare, deadstock textiles and materials. Because of this, his shoes are not only more extraordinary than your average sneaker, but each one is unique in its own way. In a time when most things are commonly available and mass-produced, “unique” is becoming one of the the most desirable commodities. To find out more about his approach to producing custom footwear and to see his available collection, visit www.libertyboutique.com.

 

People and trends in modern day society

In a world ruled by automated mass production of everything, it can be difficult to differentiate yourself from someone else. Trends are popular for a reason. What’s trendy is generally easy to access, well marketed, overly hyped and in turn coveted.  Trends are normally easy to become accustomed to and the number of people giving into them makes them seem oh so right.  Unfortunately, following everyone else on the the popular route when you make a purchase has it’s downside; everything and everyone starts to look the same.

As consumers of apparel it seems like we’re trapped in a catch 22, but unlike Joseph Heller’s coined phrase, we’ve got more choices than we give ourselves credit for. People want to be able to get clothing, jewelry, shoes, etc. quickly and with ease but we want it to be unique too; we don’t want to waste money on today’s trend that might be tomorrow’s walk of shame; we want quality items that don’t just look good but are well designed and constructed. Then are some people who don’t mind the cost, or the short-shelf-life, as long as they can get the rarest or most trendy thing out there…especially when it’s something that’s coveted by all and nearly impossible to acquire.

Long gone are the days when nearly everything that people wore was custom-made.  Years ago, if you wanted a suit, it had to be specially ordered and tailored individually. Even if your neighbor had the same style of suit by the same tailor, it wasn’t necessarily made from the same material, and since it was customized for you it may have had different features (maybe something as simple as an extra pocket or special buttons). On top of all that, it was different because it was measured, designed and made by hand. While supporters of industrialization would argue that consistency and quickness were necessary parts of our progress, it was these differences in the details that gave a person pride in what they were wearing.

Nowadays, it seems like the trends have taken over.  No matter how clever the ideas get, they’re still rooted in stagnant ground.

 

Mass production in the making

All of C. Williams work is high quality, hand-made and one-of-a-kind; not being made by massive assembly lines.  In a time when mass production rules you might ask, “how can something made this way hope to compete?” Case in point: Audi, the German manufacturer of premium luxury sports cars on automated assembly lines recently delved into hand-made cars with their R8 model (a small team of 70 people builds 25 R8s per day).  Already being hailed as one of the greatest sports cars ever made, many industry insiders speculate (and track tests suggest) that it might even be superior to  classics like the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and BMW M6.  As with C. William’s retrofit shoes, it’s this hands on approach to production that that has resulted in  a superior product. 

Still, some may wonder, “Why build by hand when it prevents your from producing and selling as many shoes or cars as competitors?”  From the perspective of a shoe or car fanatic, however, the answer is clear.  It isn’t about the quantity, but rather the attention to detail and the quality of the engineering.

Setting an example for other retrofitters.

I started this post with a quote from C. Williams for a reason. For those of you who have visited this blog before or check for updates on sneakerfreaker, slamxhype or hypebeast, you’ve most likely seen his work. If not, let me give you the quick rundown. In his own words, he’s “on a mission to create an everlasting trend that will continue to grow.” But don’t let the word “trend” and its negative connotations sway you the wrong way.  This “trend” is the focus on giving people back a sense of individuality, personality through what we wear, how we wear it and most importantly how it’s crafted…or in my own words,he’s redefining the consumer’s role in fashion by giving them the ability to conceptualize ideas through his hands, craft, design sensibilities and his products. 

For the past 8 years C. Williams has been working with a variety of innovative thinkers to produce custom footwear that has been deconstructed and rebuilt from the ground up to reflect their vision, sensibilities and style. He’s bringing a quality of materials and craftsmanship, and elevated levels of style and individuality that most if not all companies are unable to achieve simply because of the way they produce their products. Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t to say that automated mass production doesn’t have certain advantages, such as cost and convenience.  I just think in a time when people are struggling to break free from the crowd, rather than stumbling upon something that happens to suit them, people should find a product that represents them individually.  This is the direction we should be looking towards.  Whether it’s sneakers, clothing, your car or even your home, C. Williams philosophy on infusing your personality by applying yesterday’s craft to today’s technology is a trend that I hope will catch on with the masses, even more than it already has.