Customized Kicks

I owned my first pair of Chuck Taylor Converse All Stars at the tender age of 9. They were navy blue high tops and I loved them. I think they retailed for $43. Yesterday, I saw a pair of the same kind of shoes, but for $179! Sure prices have gone up in the past 15 years and these shoes are customized, but still $179 for a pair of shoes that you could colour in yourself?

How much are people willing to pay to feel unique?

Or, is it right to charge extra for art? Even if the art looks like it was done by an 11 year old?

Don't get me wrong. I think that the designs by Paul Otvos & Markus Ahab Vurrgh are tons of fun and I love their use of bright colours. They are very Keith Haring-esque, one of my favourite artists who did very well with his simplistic child-like designs. If I had a high paying job and no free time I would totally buy a pair.

But for $179 you could buy enough paint to decorate 2 pairs of Chuck Taylors and still have money leftover for some argyle socks to clash with your kick-ass new shoes. Then you'd really feel like a work of art.