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5 Ways to Customize Your Sneaker Gifts

Dec 21, 2023

Unless you plan on dropping a whole lot of cash to cop a pair of grails, you may want to take a more DIY (and wallet-friendly!) approach to shoes. The solution: Customized sneakers. 

At Hibbett | City Gear, we’re constantly amazed at the ingenuity and unmatched creativity displayed within the sneaker world. Don’t think you’re super crafty? Fear not! From one-of-a-kind paint jobs to customized sneaker stickers, we’ve rounded up five personalized ideas that are unique and involve only a bit of work and plenty of creative expression. 

Hydro-Dipping

Hydro-Dipping

This “water transfer printing” process allows you to skip the whole “drawing on your shoes” thing and turn any pair of kicks into cool custom sneakers using just a few materials. The Q YouTube channel offers an easy DIY step-by-step of the hydro-dipping process using a pair of Air Force 1s. For a sweet pair of marbled shoes that match your DIY tie-dye everything, check out One Crazy Mom’s hydro-dip instructions.

Stickers & Decals

Stickers & Decals

If you have a vinyl cutting machine, you know how easy it is to make custom decals. All you need (besides the machine, of course) is some adhesive vinyl in whatever color you want, a weeding tool, and a scraping tool to flatten the sticker to the shoe’s surface.


If you’d rather buy them from a professional, check out The Shoes Girl’s wide variety of sneaker heat-transfer decals. And if you decide you’re not crafty at all, just head over to Etsy, type in “sneaker customization,” and cop a custom pair of shoes in any pattern or colorway you can imagine.

Paintbrush Magic

Paintbrush Magic

And sometimes, you just have to really break out the paintbrush to get the effect you want. Want to jazz up that leather sneaker with a wild animal print? Check out B Street Shoe’s tutorial on painting leather sneakers. Or, if you can’t afford to buy a pair of Louis Vuitton or Gucci shoes, you can make your own with Just1 Shoes’ custom canvas sneaker tutorial.

Custom Laces

Custom Laces

Know how pillows make your couch look more put together? Consider shoelaces the “pillows” of your sneakers. Custom laces make a big impact, and they’re super affordable. A Girl and a Glue Gun takes plain white laces and colors them with Sharpies — and they look ah-mazing.

Sneaker Doodles & Dazzles

Sneaker Doodles & Dazzles

What’s more fun than drawing on your shoes? Sketch out the design you want in pencil first, and then outline it with a paint pen or permanent marker. If you want to fill in shapes or designs, take a thin paintbrush and paint for customizing sneakers, such as acrylic glossy or matte varieties you get from the craft store. Don’t be afraid to embellish your shoes as you doodle. Add glitter to stars, jewels along the toebox, or googly eyes to a smiley face.

When it comes to customized sneakers, your creativity can be limitless! Don’t be afraid to break out the craft supplies to make a one-of-a-kind sneaker masterpiece more meaningful than those holy grails. Grab a pair of shoes at Hibbett | City Gear, and get started today! 

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