LIFE OF A CUSTOMISER…twistedJoE

DAMN…how i wish i could own ALL of them, these are my DREAM LIST:

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There will be times when people look down on YOU and making constructive comments like “YOU CANNOT MAKE IT…”

WORD OF ADVICE:

Hold your head up HIGH and do whatever it takes to prove those BASTARDS wrong!!! Giving up is definitely not an option…it only makes u a LOSER so to speak … make them “eat†their own words!” For they are just a bunch of JEALOUS F**K!

I think lotsa customisers like myself experienced†lotsa PMs asking for†some advice/tips… now the big question is should YOU help them???

Taking into consideration that not many†have†walked the road†we’ve walked … bashing thru barriers and obstacles to gain valuable†customization knowledge and skills … lotsa money, sweat, blood, rejections, time are spent / wasted during the arduous journey…Will U give in to them???

In my humble opinion, nothing comes easy & free in this world. The BEST way to learn is to learn†thru†the painful and long process…In this way, u will achieve†maximum knowledge/skill…

Initially, I answered to their call…but now come to think of that,†i’ve stopped giving advice …

Feel free to drop COMMENTS†regarding this issue …..

Ever since we started customising shoes, sleeping is definitely not a priority. All† 3 of us, hold a DAY job… Wheneven there are†orders, new customs or an upcoming event, the whole team sleep an average of 4 hrs a day and that includes our weekends. Currently we gathered†a personal record of have†4hrs of sleep daily for 2 whole month (inclusive of weekends).

For my†DAY job, i work in the engineering industry, the MULTI-METER is my BABY! Starting†in the evening†from 6pm till 2am in the morning,†I†worked like a factory worker, †reproducing my custom sneaks to fulfil orders/upcoming projects/events…†

Starting a BRAND is easy,†but maintaining it is TOUGHER than†we thought…BUT i f**kin enjoyed being a factory worker for my sneaks than doing BORING shit in the DAY!

GOD BLESS the kids who worked DAMN bloody hard for this BRAND and hopefully they’ll reap the harvest in the near future…AMEN!

I’ve been a sneakerhead for about 11-12 yrs till now…Back then theres only RNC (penisula), D-corner (bugis area), LEFTFOOT (FAR EAST) in the mid 90’s in spore…..ain’t from rich family…worked off my ass since young to buy sneaks…till date about 100 pairs…these are part of my collections..

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THIS IS HOW IT STARTED:

I†started†this customizing game†3 years back, the initial†1st yr†was an ON & OFF thingy…

There was lotsa experimenting and failures along the way all for the sake of fun laughter peace & joy…nothing serious about it…(damn…looking back, what was achieved†were really beginners’ standards) hahahahaaa…

One fine day,†I managed to custom a pair of sneakers which i felt it was†decently good enough to post online…(anyway i didnt post it online initially) hahaha…. That became the turning†point where†I started†dreaming of setting up my own custom BRAND…..HYPETHETIC..

After that, everything became more & more serious…lotsa money has been thrown into expermenting…lotsa money wasted…lotsa time,†research, sweat & blood wasted toooo…but i never gave up….

It was back then early 2006, i finally came out with something i felt that was†”MORE THAN DECENT”…†which is supremo legacy…HYPE OR MONEY…after which i decided to hook up with my buddy SHAUN aka YEN, who is a web designer, to start up our online store…Shaun was†indeed a†great help to me as he handled the website, photography & sales aspects of HYPETHETIC. Which leaves me with more time to handle custom works.. he in times also helped me with†some custom jobs…really APPRECIATE that!

11th SEPT 2006 -†marked the OFFICIAL LAUNCH of HYPETHETIC online store. A dream come true…for me….really…

You may have†noticed, 90% of the customisers are into paintworks. As for us, we wanted to†set ourselves apart from the rest of the customisers around the globe,†by putting our focus into FABRICS/MATERIALS/PRINTS… and†become†our STYLE of customising..

We were fortunate enough to†clinch 2nd place in the fabric category in an AF1 competition organised by SOLE COLLECTOR magazine †in Dec 2006. It was from there on…HYPETHETIC gained more exposure and†attention†in the local & international scene.

Circumstances got HYPETHETIC to recruit†another†member, CLARK†, to help out in the†operations of hypethetic. From there on…†I started†imparting customization skills and knowledge to both Shaun and Clark. After harsh and intensive training sessions,†both of them†are now more than capable of doing their own custom designs…soon you guys will be witnessing their works in the near future…..

When i meet new people during events, a common question “Why the alias twistedjoe???” would pop up during conversation.

It all started†by my sister, who gave me this nick…

For every comment/story my family members†made/shared in the past yrs… it came†naturally that I would†come back with a rebuttal by twisting and turning†the†facts till there were†mixed outcomes, be it a stoopid,†corny, irritational,†gross etc. †Simply putting myself into THAT SHOE…fabricating†my own version of a situation just for†fun and laughter, peace†and joy…

Finally the day came where†my sister made†this comment….”Why is your mind so twisted???†You could call yourself twistedjoe instead !” It sounded insanely cool and since then I adopted the alias.