I hit up Felix when I heard rumors about Converse re-launching their skate program, since he was one of the architects of Con’s first foray in skateboarding. Felix can be a pretty modest guy in his way, so I wasn’t expecting so much honesty about the ins and outs of the industry. As a veteran pro skater, shoe designer, clothing designer and stylist (and who knows what else he has cooking), Felix knows more about the shoe game from firsthand experience than most will ever learn. Feel free to see everything the man is juggling via onefelix.com. —PJC
Seriously Felix, have you ever met a shoe you couldn’t match to an outfit?
I’d have to say no. Riggin’ my kit is a pastime. But recently I’ve been streamlining my personal color palette. It makes packing so much simpler. So I travel in one colorway all the way down to my board.
Is the object of acquiring kicks to impress other heads? Or is it just pure materialism?
Being from New York, your kicks do a lot of talking, so I think it has just been embedded in my cerebrum since birth and strengthened as I grew up in that environment, where I found myself running home at times to not get flipped for my kicks in Washington Heights.
Are you still heavily influenced by NYC and nostalgia?
Definitely. I was around for the birth of hip-hop and B-boying, and I grew up alongside rap music in New York, so when I get in an old school state of mind it makes me remember some of the greatest moments in time, back when the NYC greats put swagger in the whole world’s step.
Who’re you working for now?
For the last three years I’ve been working for Famous Stars and Straps on various aspects of the company, more recently focusing on marketing and team development. But I always do some freelance design as long as it is non-conflicting with my work or sponsors. Seems like my workload is always growing.
You got any new shoes coming?
Some of my most recent shoes designs were a Nike Supreme I remixed with my cat head logo in chrome, like an allover print, for the Sneaker Pimps Tour; mid- and low-tops I did for Lexani Lifestyle; and a line of shoes for the Double B Brand, which you can check out at Finish Line.
How do you feel about Converse’s new push into skating, now that the brand is under Nike’s umbrella?
It has yet to be seen, but it’s completely expected. The blueprint we laid out when Converse made its first go set the template for Nike and all others to follow. Using classics with a twist for skateboarding, sneaker heads were able to get their OG favorites in new color stories with a slight morph of modern technology to bring them up to date for our abusive lifestyles. No hard feelings, but when Converse had their abrupt break before relaunching, unfortunately a lot of royalties fell through the cracks, so that was a tough break. It would be nice though, after I put them on two covers, in about 100 pages of editorial, and toured 15-plus countries, that I would be contacted. But hey, to be real, no one there now probably knows that history.
What was your title when you first got with Converse?
Endorser, but I worked on design, team development, marketing. I helped direct the company with the help of Andy Howell after we were able to get the “Skateboard Division” out of the mainstream advertising company’s hands, because I wanted it to succeed. The skateboard line was run kinda like a smaller company inside the bigger one, so we were able to have a lot of wins fast, but not fast enough in such short a time to carry the company. My shoes were top-sellers and at one tradeshow Shane Wallace [owner of the Active chain of stores] said he wrote orders for more DVS Daewons and my shoes than anything else at one ASR, so that was flattering.
eBay—love it or hate it?
Cool if you don’t want to leave your house and have no friends. But I just recently tried to freak the game and searched for Kanye’s Air Yeezy hoping a stylist might had swooped some and put them online…
Which pair are your everyday go-to sneakers?
Lately, blacked-out Boings ’cause my feet hurt after I’m done skating. I’m kinda rough when I ride and got caught up in this vulcanized crack cocaine. These Lakai Rick Howard Selects hurt so good I love ’em, but my feet are humming when I’m done skating. And I’ve been pimping these all red Pony Uptowns ’cause they match my car.
Who are some sneaker heads that keep it rilla?
DJ AM—his kicks are always clean. I loved watching Javier Nunez doing frontside flips in the red Supreme Blazers days before they dropped while all the fools sleeping on the sidewalk in line for them cringed.
Any brands that impressing you right now?
In skate, Lakai has clean styles, so does Fallen. Gucci will always do some cool stuff, although since the departure of Tom Ford, stuff has fluctuated. Royal Elastics will do some cool stuff and has never sacrificed their integrity. Right in the middle of skate and fashion, I’d give it to Supra. Supra is probably the most I’ve been impressed lately.
