Created in partnership with Rakuten, brought together thousands of custom sneaker artists from across the US and Europe. With Rakuten’s support, the competition became one of the largest creator-driven sneaker showcases ever produced, giving emerging artists a platform on a global stage. From thousands of entries, just 100 creators were shortlisted by a world-class judging panel featuring leaders across sport, design, music, and sneaker culture. These Top 100 designs formed the Art of the Game Official Collection - a rare, curated snapshot of sneaker culture at its most innovative. The journey concluded in San Francisco, where the finalists were flown out for a filmed finale with the Judges. This finale marked a milestone moment: a celebration of creators, culture, and the evolution of custom sneakers as a legitimate art form. Now, for the first time ever, you can own a piece of this history. Each Top 100 sneaker - whether the original pair or a made-to-order version in your size - represents a creator who rose above thousands to earn their place in this landmark Rakuten x Stephen Curry series. This isn’t just a sneaker. It’s a piece of the Art of the Game legacy - and a chapter in the future of sneaker culture.
The Journey
Product Details
As a kid, hoopin\' was always my dream. I didn’t simply want to customize the shoe, but I wanted a story to be seen. This shoe represents ‘The Hoop Dream.’ I was inspired by the visual storytelling of Comic books. My shoe represents the storyline of every kid’s hoop dreams, the ups and the downs. It starts with a little girl playing on a mini hoop as we all have. Next to her is a road. In reality, you have to cross any road if you want to get the other side. In this case, the little girl has to cross the road to access the next stage of her journey. In the road, you find another little girl who’s saying, “The Grind Don’t Stop.” She’s standing in the road because the road is the representation of grind and hard work. Across the street is a little boy saying, “My Time Is Coming,” hinting to the fact that the hard work through the past stages will see him through. The next shoe goes into the older phase where a high school kid is imagining the collegiate and the professional stage. Although he’s imagining it, the shoe still displays the order of the journey on the shoe. The next stage displays collegiate success of a guy getting an and-one layup, and saying “AND-ONE!!!.” The final stage presented is the professional stage with a young lady holding up her draft day jersey. I specifically chose a woman to be in the final stage because I wanted to express the message that not only men become professional basketball players but women do too. As shoe customizers, we don’t customize the insides of the shoe because it’s the part that viewers don’t really see. So with that, I decided to paint the part of the ‘hoop journey’ that we don’t really see. The hard times, failures, and times of tribulations. On the insides I have two players looking down into their hands in frustration with discouraging words shaded behind them. The words are behind them because through that hoop journey we have to learn how to put the negativity behind us. This shoe serves as a source of inspiration that anyone can chase that hoop dream, no matter who they are or where they come from.
Read the full story of the artwork
This product has been made by the Creator previously and is part of their amazing portfolio. The Creator has listed this item as available to remade for clients.
Additional customisation elements may be available.
Own The Art. Wear The Story.
Discover the Top 100 sneakers from the CANVVS Global Competition - designs hand-picked by our judges from thousands of entries worldwide. Each pair is created by a rising creator pushing the boundaries of art, culture and sneaker design.
By owning one, you’re not just buying a sneaker - you’re supporting emerging talent, championing creativity, and wearing a piece of global competition history.
A HISTORIC COLLABORATION
