Two months before the concert we received the request from Alex at CANVVS to make sneakers for Ed Sheeran for his European tour. In every city where he was set to perform, they wanted custom sneakers to be made by the community. We had the honor to create the sneakers for Antwerp.

Tom started on the design and at first made an Air Jordan 1 Low. In the end, the Air Jordan 1 High was chosen because Ed preferred high-top shoes. He collected the album covers and composed them on the panels so they looked good as a whole. If you look closely, you’ll see the toebox is still white. This is because space was left for a possible new Mathematics album.

After the design was finished and approved, it was time to print the illustrations on canvas. To match this as best as possible to the design, we digitally placed the patterns over the illustrations and positioned them so that on a canvas of one square meter all the patterns would fit according to the design. Good preparation is key and ensures the best result.

When the printed canvas arrived, we could start the project. But canvas on its own is not directly suitable for shoemaking. That’s why it had to be reinforced on leather. The leather was sanded and glued with two layers. After letting it dry briefly, the canvas could be applied. To make it adhere properly, it then had to go under the heat press so that the glue was activated and bonded optimally.

After cutting out the patterns you might think they could be stitched together right away. But before stitching, some patterns need to be reinforced and skived. Skiving is essential for wearing comfort. It makes sure that where patterns overlap, they blend smoothly so you don’t feel or see it while wearing the shoe. Not skiving properly will cause hard edges to show under the panels and create painful pressure points on your feet. Reinforcement is also important, for example at the heel and toe. Once all preparations were done, we could begin stitching the panels together.

When all the panels are stitched together, the shoe already starts to take on its 3D form, but not yet the way you know it. Then comes the lasting process. The upper is pulled over the last. The last is basically a plastic form of your foot. This way the shoe gets the right shape to be wearable. We also have to heat the upper so the reinforcements become more flexible and can be shaped perfectly around the last. After cooling, the reinforcement holds its new shape. During this process, staples and nails keep the material tight around the last.

After lasting, the shoe is ready to be marked, sanded and glued so the upper can be attached to the sole. For marking the shoe we use a special machine that presses the upper into the sole with equal pressure everywhere. This way you can clearly mark how far the upper sits in the sole. That line indicates where to sand and glue. After gluing the sole and upper, we place them in a heat-activation machine that activates the glue through warmth.

The moment of attaching is here and requires extra concentration: either perfection, or Sacai style. After pressing, we put the shoe in a vacuum press which presses the upper firmly to the sole. After about 20 seconds the press opens again. Then the shoe stays on the last for 48 more hours so the shape fully sets and holds. Afterwards, the shoe can be taken off the last and the final sole stitches are done.

As a last detail, we added “Antwerp” and two mini swooshes with the airbrush on the sole.

The shoe was finished and ready to be photographed by Vince. The photos were made in a minimalistic theme that fits Ed Sheeran. First on a plain background, then in Photoshop the illustrations of his album covers were added.

Then the day arrived: concert day. Sam went together with Alex from CANVVS and Vince to hand over the sneakers in person. Watch the video below to see the handover and his reaction.

After the handover it was time for us to enjoy the concert and see Ed Sheeran perform in our sneakers.

A project never to forget. Thank you CANVVS for this opportunity.

Ed Sheeran Sneakers

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