How do you make a standout style statement at the NBA Draft, where eyes and cameras are guaranteed to be glued to players’ footwear? If you’re No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz, you go all-out with custom sneakers made of basketball leather.
Fultz, who was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, doesn’t have his own brand like fellow draftee Lonzo Ball. Instead, he got in touch with former pro skater Jimmy Gorecki, who runs marketing for up-and-coming handmade-footwear brand No.One.
“Back in April, we received a direct message from Markelle asking if he could commission us to make his draft ceremony sneakers,” Gorecki wrote on Instagram.
According to Gorecki, Fultz tasked No.One with a seemingly simple yet intricate project: The baller wanted a pair of the brand’s Bravo shoes, but he wanted them to made out of real basketballs.
“We were on the horn with Horween Leather the very next day sourcing the real article of NBA game balls,” Gorecki wrote of the process. “After we created a custom last for Markelle, we cut the pattern and did some personal embossing on both the tongue and heel tab.”
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The result is a fully handmade basketball-leather sneaker, which had everyone talking Thursday night.
Although Fultz’s custom basketball kicks are a custom, No.One offers other variations of the Bravo on a made-to-order basis. For more information, visit no-one.la.
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