Pump It - De-IY Shoes

16 year old American blogger Blair Fowler aka otherjuicystar07 from Charlotte, NC, caused an internet shoe frenzy on Monday by posting this video on her YouTube channel about an Australian site, ShoesofPrey. The shoe boutique, which allows users to create their own shoes from a range of customisable templates, including heels, ballet flats, wedges and gladiator sandals, had sent Blair a free pair of their shoes as part of a PR campaign to promote the brand via select blogs. Blair then posted the short video which encouraged other YouTubers to design their own shoes and post videos of the results. As a result, Blair's video got in excess of 450,000 views with ShoesofPrey, a relative newcomer to the eCommerce market having been set up in October 2009, receiving over 200,000 visits in one day alone. Not many of these hits translated into sales as Blair's teen market is probably still waiting for their parents' permission to spend up to £180 on a pair of shoes, however, it did generate a massive amount of awareness for the company, once again demonstrating the power of social media in brand marketing. I was tempted to have a go myself and it really is a fun little site, kind of like a grown up Fashion Wheel for shoes. The prices are pretty reasonable (£115 for ballet flats, £150 for 1.5-3.5 inch heels and £180 for heels up to 4.5 inches) and there's a great selection of styles, heel heights and widths, colourways and fabrics to choose from- including calfskin, python, fishskin, silk and patent leather with vegan leather to follow later this year. The site can cater for special width requirements and you can even send in a photo of your feet to help make sure your shoes fit perfectly, however, if they don't, as long as you send them back within 30 days in an unworn condition, then you can get a full refund, including the postage (£15 for worldwide on all orders) - you just have to pay to send them back again. These would make a great present for the girl who has everything and, handily enough, gift certificates are available.

If you like the idea of designing your own footwear but are looking for something a bit more urban, in addition to the NikeID studio and MiAdidas where you can book in or go online to design your own trainers, try comparatively new kids on the shoe block, the Kings of Neon. These guys will produce anything from one off's to short runs (great for new bands, sports teams and clubs, promo events and stag do's) onto plimsolls (plain or with a rubber toe cap), Vans Authentics or Chukkas or Converse Oxs or High Tops. Prices run from around £29.99 to £64.99 for adult one offs and gift vouchers are also available. The site was ranked as one of FHM's top 100 places to shop online and you can get designing for kids, mens and women's shoes at their new site http://www.solecreator.com/.

Trainer Spotting

A long time ago I found that, despite my love of high heels, my flat feet and dodgy knees weren't as keen so I turned to trainers. I'm not talking about the ugly, practical kind you wear to the gym, I mean the quickstrike, tier 0, limited edition, prized finds you scour the world, or at least eBay, for then wear like a badge of honour.

Adi Dassler is my homeboy, Jeremy Scott my wingman and I worship at the altar of the goddess Nike. It's a whole other world... I'm not a collector -my kicks are strictly to be worn and appreciated - but for anyone who's thinking of getting involved, these sites are a great start: Hypebeast, Sneaker Freaker, Kicks On Fire, High Snobiety, and oki-ni.

Whilst big fashion labels' sportswear has been incredibly successful, their own trainer lines have often been the stuff of sockless eurotrash nightmares (Prada's much copied mens hybrid trainer-shoes being a notable exception) but no more. Now everyone's at it, they're putting the effort in and they're even making it luxe.

Collaborating with one of the sportswear titans is a surefire way to grab yourself some market share and create buzz shoes that sell out almost before they drop but some of the international fashion houses are bypassing these well established megacorps and going DIY.

Check out Christian Louboutin (who's rumoured to be dropping a shoe collaboration with hip hop producer Swizz Beats later this year) for gorgeous 'Louis' studded hi tops in white and black (pictured right) which come with the signature red sole; Dior Homme, Raf Simons and Givenchy indulge in some light bondage for S/S 2010 while Viktor & Rolf and Maison Martin Margiela keep it clean with almost clinical minimalism.

Louis Vuitton has also put together its' own more wearable range of kicks for s/s 20010 inspired by the Kanye West x Louis Vuitton 2009 designs, some of which looked a lot like a spendy, luxury version of his Nike Air Yeezys.

For the ladies, Jimmy Choo has announced its first ever trainer range which launches in spring 2010. View the collection here and join the wait list by emailing: trainers@jimmychoo.com. They're pretty sexy and the star eyelet detailing is a nice touch but at £325-£395 although these will be better for your feet - and your back - than their trademark 10cm stillies, clearly your bank balance may not escape so lightly.

Elsewhere, fashion giants like Gucci and Lanvin have been teaming up with smaller, more street smart brands before putting trainers out eponymously. The Lanvin x Acne ranges are simple and fresh, while the Mark Ronson x Gucci sneaker range, which scored a success in 2009 with its' colourful, preppy shoes, continues with more muted 'English' designs (which aren't immediately obviously trainers) for 2010 (these are London exclusives scheduled to arrive instore in April).

The sports big boys are still fighting their fashion corner despite of this 'influxe' of competition; Nike's recent collaboration with Beatrix Ong (pictured right) made the Harvey Nichols' 4th floor Hub sneaker wall. adidas' 2010 fashion offerings come from animal lover Stella McCartney whose relaxed, easy to wear sports shoes are all vegan [insert your own Heather Mills quip here], there's the quirky, limited releases for the german label's Originals line from Rihanna's favourite, Jeremy Scott , and the Y-3 range by avant garde Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto. Puma's Creative Director, the influential fashion designer Hussein Chalayan has another 'urban mobility' range out for 2010 in addition to Puma's premium Black Label and further collaborations with other cutting edge designers inc. Alexander McQueen and Yasuhiro Mihara. Reebok also warrants a mention having recently secured a deal with Emporio Armani to produce their EA7 athletic line.

While the sports brand collaborations carry much more reasonable price tags than their high fashion counterparts, they are also, generally, more widely available - you're paying for the exclusivity as well as the premium quality and the name. So, whether you decide to kick it old school with the sports brands or nu skool with the fashion pretenders, whatever you do, remember to scotchguard.

Pics - top to bottom - part of my adidas collection (S/S 10 Jeremy Scott x adidas JS Wings shown), part of boyf's Nike collection, Louboutin 'Louis's, Jimmy Choo Tokyo's, Beatrix Ong custom Blazers for Nike.