Description
A talented sculptor gets her kicks out of turning pairs of TRAINERS into incredible works of art - which she sells on to celebrities.Melicka Ghafouri, 21, can spend up to 400 hours at a time turning Nike and Adidas footwear into intricate pieces of art from her studio at home. She has transformed sneakers into anything from ambulances, apartment blocks, human skulls and amazing sculptures that seemingly float in the air.Melicka began by learning how to customise trainers before teaching herself sculpting techniques during lockdown which led to her exhibiting in Paris. Her creations have since racked up more than 40 million views on TikTok and Instagram - gaining her a legion of followers, including celebrity fans.Melicka has since had orders from the likes of US rapper Yeat and English singer YungBlud as well as brands such as Disney for her unique pieces. Melicka, of Coventry, said: “I started out customising sneakers, the typical customs you see, and it was around 2021 when I started exploring sculptures. "I wanted to do something more, I envisioned I could take this hobby full time. "I don't really enjoy shopping or picking out clothes, so I was thinking about how to make commercial products into art work.“When I was 16 I saw a picture of custom Futurama Air Force sneakers, I liked the idea of having something I love on my clothing. “When I got older I realised more people have custom clothing and I had more time to figure things out and learn the proper way to do it. "I just liked the idea of people wearing my art - I thought 'maybe I can work hard and make it a living'“I’ve since done probably a couple of hundred custom shoes and around 10 to 15 sculptures as they take a very long time."The fact I get to make art for people who really love it and have such great conversations with people who wear my work is really nice."One of her most detailed pieces is a Nike Airforce 1 trainer model of an ambulance, named 'Airforce 111', with flashing lights, moving wheels and tiny side mirrorsMelicka, who now works as a sculptor full-time, says her favourite is the sneaker skull she made for rapper Yeat, who is known for his unconventional fashion sense.She also turned a trainer into a apartment block for London brand Notwoways, which was founded by YouTube star Callum McGinley, aka Callux.It features a swimming pool, a 'zen' garden with plants and stairs to each floor inside the Notwoways shoe box.Melicka says she can spend anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months to complete her detailed designs.She added: “It’s hard to average it, but the range would be between 10 days to several months sometimes. The higher end is probably 300 to 400 hours."Trying to figure out something with no instruction manual is hard. There’s a lot of trial and error. I’m a perfectionist. I have to look at what shoe best fits the shape.“Yeat asked me to do a sneaker skull. At the moment that's my favourite. Most of them are either commission pieces or just ones that I've made for myself. “I’ve worked with Disney a couple times. It was for a movie called Elementals. The director wore them on the red carpet. I also did some for Star Wars: Ahsoka.“You do get a small couple of sneaker heads on social media who say I aim ruining perfectly good pairs of trainers. But that's fine, the majority of feedback is positive."