One of the culture's most respected customizers thinks that affordable custom sneakers are the way of the future.
Although he's previously thrown shade at customers who make lowball offers, The Shoe Surgeon—whose real name is Dominic Chambrone—tells Business of Fashion that in order for custom sneakers to be a sustainable business model, they need to become less expensive.
"In the long run, people aren't going to keep on buying expensive one-off shoes," Chambrone said. "It's going to be more about making them affordable because it's only going to be so long until we run out of people that can afford a $1,000 to $5,000 shoe."
He's got a point. As it stands, the custom sneaker market caters largely to big spenders, leaving many 'heads stuck on the outside looking in. Lower prices would allow custom footwear to be more accessible to the masses, but that also means that quality would likely take a dip in the process. Either way, it sounds like the custom culture could be in store for a shake-up.
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