Beware! You’re about to get nun-chucked by the all-girl sneaker powerhouse known as Saigon Customs. Originally from Vietnam, mackstress Miss Saigon gained knowledge in the art world through a unique forum, which laid the foundations for creating a customizing sensation. Not content with going it solo, Miss Saigon has built a movement that is well on its way to a worldwide takeover, courtesy of a sexy yet refreshingly witty outlook. We caught up with the first lady literally minutes after receiving another custom trophy for the pool room!
Hey lady, how’s tricks with you?
Awesome. Just went to the I.S.B. (International Sneaker Battle) to grab a trophy real quick with Miss Edla (my super right-hand Aussie lady) along with our amazing manager Cedra. We had a ball - we went full throttle and it really paid off.Congrats!
Can you give as some insight into the sneaker customising powerhouse that is Miss Saigon?
Well I was born in Vietnam and adopted by a couple living in France. I've been lucky to live in some of the most culturally dynamic cities in the world: Paris, London, LA and New York. I fell into the world of customising because I've always customised my life to suit me without even realizing it. Customizing is taking something and making it yours, whatever it may be.
You’ve obviously had some sort of experience with the paintbrush before! What were you doing before you started to bang out such amazing customs and how did it lead to where you are today?
I’ve worked in a whole lot of different jobs in fashion production while attending college with a Fine Arts Major. I've helped designers with production from the bottom up, and although it's tougher to learn a business that way, it's really good if you want to get a solid understanding from the inside. I've done hand painting for Miskeen, a New Jersey-based company that is very big here on the East Coast. But quite frankly I learned the most when I was a model for art schools in NY – for example, the School of Visual Arts, F.I.T, Parsons and the Pratt Institute. Those are some of the top art schools on the East Coast, in the world even, and I feel as though I got to go to class for free (and get paid at the same time) while compiling a whole lot of knowledge on different techniques. When you pose, you're stuck having to listen and observe. But one of my favorite things to paint are portraits, as I am fascinated with human universal behaviors.
Well, you certainly live up to your moniker in your designs – how important is it for you to adopt an Oriental flair to your customs?
It's important for me to represent my Asian heritage through my art. Although the family that raised me was Caucasian, I am extremely proud of my ancestry. For years now I have incorporated the Vietnamese hat into my art. It's my way of paying dues to my wonderful culture and exposing it to the rest of the world - and in a different light than all the clichés, like all the Vietnam War movies out there!
Sneaker Freaker