Custom Hi-Top Zelda Converse by KyozoKicks.

Step back and take a look at the Zelda series as a whole, it is amazing that a game that continues to transform just about every aspect is able to retain a loyal and vocal following. As the series aged, the art-style changed drastically, more than once. Where we once played a side scrolling adventure of Zelda II : The Adventure of Link, we now swing controllers around our living room in The Legend of Zelda : Twilight Princess for the Nintendo Wii.

Nintendo does the same thing time and again with it’s usual suspects, Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda et al. Yet they have undoubtedly cracked the code when it comes to appeal, we love the characters themselves and will accept them with open arms no matter what form they come to us in. It is of little suprise then that I was called upon to create another pair of shoes based off of The Legend of Zelda.

This is the third time I am visiting the Zelda franchise (and I can already confirm not my last) and I am eager and pleased to do so. This pair, as with every shoe came with its own challenges. A rare event for me this time was that these shoes were intended for a girl, meaning I could experiment with colours I don’t normally get to. This time I was working on a pair of Hi-Top converse so I could take advantage of the vertical space I. Wrapping around the back of the shoe, and onto the sides is a Hylian symbol. I have long wanted to use the guiding fairies from the series such as Navi in a design, who throughout The Ocarina of Time helps and guides the player through the world and seemed fitting to adorn a pair of shoes. Whilst the main design was done with a brush, the trail behind the Fairy needed to be somewhat transparant and was done with an airbrush, letting the viewer see the design behind the trail.

Leading up the back, or spine of the shoe is a row of recovery hearts from the series. Hearts are also used to display affection throughout the series, such as when Yeto and Yeta hug during Twilight Princess. As these were being given as a gift I decided to incorporate them into the design. Like many of my custom Converse I finished off the piece with aftermarket laces, using the same colour as the Fairy to tie the design together.

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