N
Nick Squillari is the cycling shoe’s biggest
cheerleader. A podiatrist and longtime
cyclist, he was always a fan of the foot-
wear, but he took his love public in 2015.
The Australian was searching Instagram
for anyone as dedicated to shoes, but he
came up empty. “We’ve got two million
cycling kit Instagram pages,” he says. “Why isn’t there
one for the cycling shoes?” So he created VeloKicks
to unite and celebrate the bike world’s shoe-crazy
community.
At first Squillari featured any shoes that caught
his eye, but he began to uncover a globe-spanning
subculture dedicated to customization. “I unearthed
a couple of people using decals, a couple of people
painting them,” says Squillari. “And then it just
avalanched.” Now the 62,000-follower feed serves as
the platform for custom shoe companies, designers,
and owners with almost-daily posts.
As his account grew, Squillari also saw an
increasing demand for custom shoes. So in 2017,EVEN YOUR KICKS
CAN KICK ASS
(AND THE REALLY EASY WAY
TO CUSTOMIZE ANY CYCLING SHOES)
BY RILEY MISSELhe connected with a company that could make
him blank white cycling shoes (lace-ups for $193,
Boas for $207) that his followers could use as a
canvas. He also began working with artists for
seasonal VeloKicks design releases and with a
service that paints a customer’s art—WorldTour
team Michelton-Scott is one client—onto any shoes
they provide ($313).
Most requests are for sponsor graphics, geometric
patterns, and pop culture (may the Force be on your
shoes), but one man asked Squillari to memorial-
ize his 2,300-mile spin from Perth to Sydney. “He
wanted to commemorate all the things in that
ride—including the dingoes he was getting harassed
by at one point. So, there’s a dingo on them.”
For cyclists eager to attempt their own custom-
ization, Squillari says to start with decals. “Buy
vinyl decals, like what’s used on a bicycle frame.
They’re quite hardy, through rain and pulling off
shoe covers. And if one gets damaged, just peel it
off, clean the surface, and reapply a new one.”
As for getting your shoes featured in the VeloKicks
feed, it’s easy, says Squillari. Tag @VeloKicks in a
post or Insta story, and he’ll try to find you a spot.
“VeloKicks was founded on the underground work of
artistic riders; we’ll always remain true to that.”1 Created by us
for a client’s cross-
country trip (featur-
ing the dingoes).
He doesn’t wear
them, just keeps
them on display.2 Created by Caitlin
Fielder for Sprig
and Fern Brewer y,
these shoes are as
exquisite as their
beers.3 For our second
seasonal release,
we partnered with
American sock
brand Ridge Supply.
It was our first col-
laboration, and it
came together quite
flawlessly.4 I like pop art. It’s
loud and bold and in
your face.5 Red Bull seems to
look rad on every-
thing—including
these kicks from
United Design Co.6 Exceptional
amount of work
put in by Fakhria
Nezami, female
artist and business
owner from Kabul.7 My father was an
aviation mechanic
in the militar y, so I
have an affinity for
the roundel. Classy
use of it here by
Artful Kicks.VELOKICKS FOUNDER
NICK SQUILLARI
SHARES A FEW OF HIS
FAVORITE SHOES42 BICYCLING.COM • ISSUE 5