By Samuel Wightwick
A shoe artist who makes custom trainers for celebrities and sports people is now making trainers and crocs – for horses.
Marcus Floyd, 41, originally started doing custom jobs on trainers for people as a hobby alongside his full time job.
He soon got better and as his work improved, the interest from people soon grew.
He started his business “Infinite Kustomz” and began making custom trainers for professional singers, actors and even NFL players.
Marcus wanted to take his skills to the next level and flew to California in 2021 to attend the shoe surgeon academy, where he learned how to make shoes from scratch.
The following year, he was contacted by an advertising agency who wanted him to make a pair of trainers but this time for a horse!
Marcus, from Lexington, Kentucky, USA, said: “This ad agency was hired by a tourist agency called Visit Lex.
“They wanted to bring attention to The Breeders Cup, which is a race series for thoroughbred horses that was being held in Lexington that year.
“The ad campaign went great and Horse Kicks was born!”
The business has gone from strength to strength since and has even won an industry advertising award.
Originally, Marcus charged $1,200 per shoe due to the upcycling costs of turning old horse boots into top designer shoes.
However, he has now managed to get the cost down to around $1,000 a pair.
Marcus, who works in the Maintenance department at Toyota, said: “They’re very popular and everyone who has bought them from me has said their horses love them
“I may be the only person in the world doing this so I am really focusing on this side of my business for 2024.”
Some people on social media have questioned whether letting horses wear these trainers is safe.
But Marcus explains that horse boots have always existed, he is just changing the aesthetic.
He said: “Horse boots have existed long before me that is what people don’t understand.
“What I do is take the boot and upscale that and create something that looks like a premium designer sneaker.
“I’ve done about 10 designs so far, if you include the four that I did for the campaign when I started.
“I want to bring a real sneakerhead feel to the equine world.”
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