Kaws’, a New York artist that once freelanced for Walt Disney, is best known in the sneaker culture for his contributions toward brands like Nike, Bathing Ape, and Vans, but in the purist of fusing art, hip hop and pop culture he teamed up with Kanye West to shock the masses. Kaws’ created this amazing art montage of colorful cartoon-like images (pictured to the left) for Kanye’s fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. He also supplied a special alternate cover for the iTunes only version of the album that recently released on Dec. 16th.

Inspired by Kaws’ 808s & Heartbreak artwork, Mache & emmanueLabor went to work creating a pair of custom sneakers that Kanye West himself would call Amazing! The shoe of choice was the classic all-white Nike Air Force 1…..with emmanueLabor tackling the front half while Mache held down the back. The same white/grey/black plaid fabric from Kanye’s suit can be found on the lacing area, toe, and sides with the tongues showing off some red broken hearts.  The heel and Nike swoosh contrast nicely, flowing right into the colorful artwork that surrounded Kanye. See detailed pictures after the jump and the audio to Kanye’s song “Amazing.

Read the rest of this entry »