zissoushoes

Shoe customizer Ken has been working on the perfect Team Zissou sneakers and has put a finished batch up for sale on EBay. While the real Zissou sneakers used the now rare Adidas Rom, Ken has chosen to use the Adidas Italia. We think the finished product is quite good.

Ken’s Flickr Gallery

Ken’s EBay Store

Related items: Steve Zissou’s cool shoes prove tough to fill (USA Today) | How To Make Your Own Team Zissou Shoes (Instructables.com)

The real deal:

Update: more from Ken after the break…

For those of you unfamiliar with the art of sneaker customization, here’s a breakdown of the professional process I use to create these limited edition items.

Step One:  The Adidas Italia logo must be gently removed from the sneaker.

Step Two:  The thin layer of wax coating covering the three stripes must be gently removed as well.

Step Three:  Using a custom acrylic paint mix intended for leather use, the stripes are made to perfectly color match the sneakers in the film.

Step Four:  The “Zissou” lettering is then applied by hand, in 5mm Helvetica medium condensed font, the official font used by Adidas.

Step Five:  To prevent any cracking, peeling or chipping of the paint, the sneaker is coated in several layers of a special matte varnish and weather protectant.

Step Six:  A pair of perfectly color-matched yellow laces (you’ll be surprised how many different yellows I’ve had to buy to find the perfect ones!) are then laced in.

Step Seven:  A custom Team Zissou sticker is then applied to the box.

The sneaker used in this particular case is the Adidas Italia 74, a cousin to the out of production Rom.