In South Korea, there's a growing trend of "sport shoe customization" services, offered by popular brands such as Nike, Converse, Vans, and others. These stores allow you to have a hands-on experience of DIY sports shoes, where you can unleash your creativity and design a shoe that perfectly embodies your individual style and preferences. During my recent visit to the "NIKE BY YOU" customization store in Apgujeong, Seoul, I had the opportunity to craft my very own sports shoes. It was an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. For those of you who are curious and keen to try it out, I've put together a guide to help you get started on creating your unique pair of shoes.
Information
Nike Apgujeong
Estimated Cost: Nike Air Force 139,000 KRW (No additional fees)
*Notes: Customizing Nike sneakers require filling out a form and entering a lottery draw.
Address: 831 Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
서울 강남구 선릉로 831
Our Visit
During my recent visit to Nike's customization service "NIKE BY YOU," I had the opportunity to not only customize sneakers but also personalize sports apparel and hats. This fantastic service is available at various locations, including Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Apgujeong.
It's essential to plan ahead because all customization services require advance reservations, particularly for sports shoe customization. For example, at the Nike store in Apgujeong, you need to fill out a form and submit your application within a specified time frame. Unfortunately, queuing on-site is not an option, which adds a bit of challenge. To increase your chances of securing a spot, you can join Nike's official Kakao account for Hongdae and keep an eye out for the weekly open customization service schedule on Wednesdays. Keep in mind that it's a limited lottery draw, so even if you're fortunate enough to be selected, you can only bring one additional person with you. So, you really need to take your chances and hope for the best!
If you haven't made a reservation for customizing regular sports apparel and hats, you can still give it a shot by queuing up and asking at the store when it opens. According to information shared online, if you prefer to queue on-site, it's advisable to inquire about available time slots for the day as soon as the store opens. This way, you can increase your chances of getting a spot for the customization service.
Having made a prior reservation for Nike's customization service, I arrived at the Nike store in Apgujeong at 1:00 PM on a weekday. Upon showing them my Kakaotalk reservation record, they quickly escorted me to the customization floor. Inside, I was greeted with a wide array of Nike's customized products, offering a dazzling selection to choose from.
I couldn't help but notice the customization stickers for Nike hats and T-shirts. Taking a quick glance, I found it truly fascinating. The process allowed you to pick your favorite stickers and use Nike's machine to print them directly, resulting in a one-of-a-kind style that perfectly represents your individuality.
Customizing shoes at Nike is a bit more time-consuming, taking approximately 2.5 hours in total. The process includes designing and choosing colors for the shoe style, which takes around 20 minutes. After that, there's a 5-minute instructional video to watch, followed by a 60-minute session for applying tape. Another 5-minute video is shown, leading to a 30-minute spray painting segment. Finally, the process is wrapped up with 30 minutes dedicated to completing the finishing touches.
Prior to beginning the customization process, the Nike staff measured my shoe size. It's worth mentioning that all the available customized shoe options are based on the classic Nike Air Force series, which happens to be one of Nike's most iconic collections.
Before you begin, you have the option to use Nike's tablet to browse through a range of shoe styles and choose your favorite colors. Once you've made your selections, the customization process can begin.
This step requires a considerable amount of patience. You'll need to use tape to cover specific areas of the shoe, and these taped portions will retain the original white base of the Nike Air Force. The exposed areas will be spray-painted by the staff to apply the colors you've chosen.
This step might appear straightforward, but it actually took me almost an hour to finish. Thankfully, Nike provided paper tape, making the removal process relatively smooth. However, certain areas, especially where the shoe curves, demanded careful and slow peeling to ensure a perfect match with the desired shape.
Once you're done, make sure to use a degreaser or rubbing alcohol to clean any areas that the tape might have missed accidentally. This step ensures that there are no residues or adhesive left behind, which could potentially impact the spray-painting process.
After this, the Nike staff takes over to handle the spray-painting process based on the colors you've selected, which typically takes around 30 minutes. It's genuinely captivating to watch them work their magic. What's even more interesting is that even if you choose colors from Nike's provided options, each staff member's technique is slightly different, resulting in a unique and personalized style. This is one of the advantages of Nike's customization service for sports shoes. So, even if you happen to see similar designs on the street, rest assured that there won't be an exact 100% match, making your customized shoes truly special and one-of-a-kind.
After waiting for some time to make sure the paint on the shoes has fully dried, you can get ready to peel off the tape and unveil the true appearance of your customized shoes.
As I peeled off the tape, I couldn't contain my excitement as the white inner sole of the shoe gradually revealed itself, beautifully contrasted with the freshly spray-painted colors. This being my first time experiencing Nike's customization service, I found the whole process incredibly refreshing, and it has left me eagerly anticipating the final result. I can't wait to see how my customized shoes will turn out!
As you peel off the tape from the shoes, it's crucial to pay attention to the finer details and double-check whether any color accidentally got onto the areas that were supposed to remain as the white base. If there are any color smudges, you can quickly remove them using a degreaser or rubbing alcohol.
Here are the results from our Nike By You customization service! We were very satisfied with our results and couldn't wait to take them home. If you want to see the full process in detail, check out our Youtube video below! Coming Soon...
HARAGO Ep.2 Nike By You
We hope that this was helpful! If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment below or send us an email at help@creatrip.com! You can follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook to stay updated on all things Korea!
