Baltimore 'Shoe Muralist' Gains National, Celebrity Attention For Custom Designs
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore artist is gaining national attention for his clothing, most notably his custom shoe designs.
Akio Evans has become known as the 'shoe muralist' online and he is the artist behind one-of-a-kind designs that caught the attention of the film industry and celebrities like Dr. Dre, Kevin Hart and Dave Chapelle.
Evans has been making shoes and sewing clothing since he was a teenager at Northern High School in Baltimore.
"I just kept going at it and putting my own spin on things," Evans explained.
That led him to create his own brand, Akio's Glorious Heroes, named after his mother, Glorious Taylor, also a seamstress, who died of a heart attack in 2012.
"My mother always took something out of nothing and made it into something, " he said.
His signature is imprinted on the left corner of his apparel, right next to the heart. Each one of his designs tells a different story.
"The way that I look at it is, our story and signature is the most valuable thing," Evans said. "So, when we leave here, if I'm no longer here, how we are remembered is if we leave our mark."
Evans's clothing is now sold at The Sound Garden in Fells Point. His custom shoes are featured in an upcoming HBO series, and he's been asked to design outfits for Will Smith in his new Peacock show airing this month.
Evans also shares his passion for art with those in his hometown. For several years, he has been working with Baltimore City School students, teaching them how to share their stories through art.
"I try to always separate that you have to be somewhat of a perfectionist when you create art," he said. "Everybody is a creator in some type of way."
