Meet Michael “Shoe” Shoemore

Multifaceted artist and designer Michael “Shoe” Shoemore is influencing the art community and fashion world in an impactful way. Starting his career in the entertainment industry as a photographer and video producer, he rose to stardom working with the likes of Jhene Aiko, Domo Genesis, Rich The Kid, Migos, and collaborators of Kanye West and Virgil Abloh. As an artist and designer, with his personal brand Shoe, he has generated support from H Lorenzo Archive, Sole Folks, Design Miami, the city of Watts, California, and the art and fashion communities in New York and Paris, France. Born and raised in California, he prides himself on having the support of his hometown, and will continue to make his city proud. From switching off from producing Grammy nominated visuals, to launching the latest innovative shoe installation and his brand, Shoemore is showing the world that no dream is too big to obtain.

Who is Michael Shoemore?

I am a multidisciplinary artist by the means of art and design. My brand Shoe was founded last September after I debuted my first art installation **Sneaker Rush** and dropped clothing pieces inspired by Jean Basquiat. It was my artistic expression of showing people how I fe lt about the state of luxury and streetwear culture. The installation traveled all over the world at a variety of different pop up locations last year and this year. A few of the places to name are the Better Watts Initiative, Art Basel Miami, New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week. H Lorenzo Archive and Sole Folks in Los Angeles also have been huge supporters of my work.

How has fashion impacted your artistry?

Fashion has always been a part of my artistry since I was a kid. I think what pushes me now is that during the era of streetwear 2006-2012, I could not afford the items that I really wanted yet and I never forgot that feeling. As I got older around 2013, I learned about thrift shopping and second hand designer pieces that are sold on sites like eBay and Grailed. I realized that I could get highly coveted pieces for less than retail. I also realized at the time that my passion for digging for things was more than just a hobby. It eventually led to me wanting to design for myself and being a part of the fashion scene in addition to the art I am creating.

My love for sneakers and clothes inspired me to dive more into fashion as a part of my artistic endeavor. Early on I shot street fashion photography with my friends, in which my work was later posted on blogs, such as Hypebeast and Highsnobiety. From connecting and meeting a variety of people, to attending high profile events, I began designing and working with more people in the fashion industry. One of the campaign’s I worked on was with Ibn Jasper. My creative partner Eyes and I were asked to creative direct and shoot multiple visual campaigns for his newly developed shoe line Stratica International.

Fast forward to this year, I have been to multiple fashion weeks in Paris, and shot two fashion visuals for my own brand and displayed **Sneaker Rush** during Paris Fashion Week in both January and June. Being a guest at the fashion shows for Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Kenzo, and Ami. Very surreal moments for me,

How have you been able to balance being in the art community and fashion industry?

It all feels like one world to me honestly. I view fashion as art. It’s about seeing the art and storytelling in everything to me.

What have you accomplished in your career worth mentioning?

I received a Platinum Plaque for the song “Sativa” by Grammy nominated artists Jhene Aiko and Rae Sremmurd. I played a part in the creative direction and production of the music video. It was one of my first big accomplishments when I began my career. It led to me working with one of my mentors named Daps, on a number of different videos for artists such as Migos, Rich the Kid, Sheck Wes, DJ Snake, 21 Savage, and Gucci Mane. Another accomplishment worth mentioning is the fact that I was selected to display my **Sneaker Rush** installation and art print at the Better Watts Initiative “Dark Waters benefit show in Watts, CA. It was an incredible feeling to give back to a community that my family comes from. It was a very special experience for me.

Can you share some of the people you have had the pleasure of working with?

Yes, of course. I have worked with Erasmo Ciufo who is an incredible fashion designer from Milan, Italy. I had the pleasure of working with him on the designs of my **Sneaker Rush** clothing. We connected on Instagram in 2020 during the pandemic. I told him about the idea and he wanted to be involved in the project. He has done tons of creative projects with brands such as Adidas Originals, Y-3, Off-White, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Moncler. He also has his own brand called Untitled Artworks. It was a lot of fun bouncing ideas off of each other and finalizing the designs. I also had the distinct pleasure of working with Ken at H. Lorenzo Archive. He was one of the first people that gave me the platform to display my work in a high-end retail store. We have a couple other projects in the works alongside a couple of my friends.

Who are you influenced by?

Virgil Abloh and Kanye West I would say are heavy influences for me. They were some of the first people I saw that looked like me, in places around the world in regards to fashion and the art community. That was not the norm for me at the time. Something about myself always loves challenging what’s traditional and considered normal like these two icons did. Outside of them, Kobe Bryant will always be a goat to me because of his work ethic and passion. The Black Mamba was a prime example of being serious about something and following through. He was a master at execution. Here lately, the writer James Clear has been a huge influence on me. He has an incredible book called Atomic Habits that helped me understand how small wins lead to big results.

What are you currently working on that you can share with the readers?

I have a collaboration coming with one of my long time friends Domo Genesis that we are releasing in a unique way. We aren’t really saying too much about it until it happens. Also  designed my first shoe and dropped it at Paris Fashion week this past June. With my name being Shoe it was something that I feel I’ve always been led to get into. We also shot a film for the shoes in Paris at the Pigalle Court, it has amazing colors and texture.

How has the city of Los Angeles impacted your career?

I began working with one of my college brothers Carrington “Eyes” Mitchell, who was already directing visuals at the time. Reconnecting with a lot of my old friends from college, who were in LA to pursue similar dreams, led to a lot of opportunities throughout my career thus far. Domo Genesis is another friend from college I reconnected with while being back in LA. We bounce ideas off each other daily, and work together as creative collaborators. Ogemdi Obiwuru is another creative collaborator I met in LA at a Samuel Ross H Lorenzo pop up back in 2017. He has a brand called Osso that’s in the CFDA. We have attended many fashion shows together and have been a part of multiple collaborative projects.

What can we expect next from you?

You can expect for me to take over the world.

Where can people find your work?

@mikeshoe__ on Instagram, and visit my official website www.mike-shoe.com

Michael Shoemore is someone the world will know one day. As he continues to take his talents to new heights, he promises to create opportunities for the next generation of successful entrepreneurs and creatives looking to impact the art, fashion and entertainment worlds. Stay connected with him by following him on Instagram @mikeshoe__

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