East Peoria man has customized footwear for Kanye West, Floyd Mayweather

Justin Fenwick's story begins with a pair of decorated sneakers, size 10.5 and for sale from the back of his trunk.

His car was parked at the 1900 block of Knoxville Avenue, at a gas station at night, because when you're selling to a crowd "you wouldn't bring over to mom and pop's house," he said, you don't want them knowing where you live.

"If you're from the (1980s) and up you understand," he said.

Fenwick operates under the professional name Donk'e Punch, and is the self-described Andy Warhol of shoes. The 36-year-old customizes shoes, specifically Nike Air Force 1s, and adds Swarovski crystals, removes logos and retools the kicks to meet any image of his mind's eye.

"It just comes in your head," he said. "You picture it in your mind, and try and meet that picture."

Celebrities such as Kanye West, rapper Consequence and boxer Floyd Mayweather have commissioned the East Peoria man to customize shoes for them, with prices ranging between $200 and $1,500, depending on design.

"Some people settle for just average," he said. "I like to go above average."

Fenwick began customizing shoes in 2004, frustrated by the lack of sneaker variety Peoria had to offer. One weekend a friend caught him wearing a custom pair of Nikes at Northwoods Mall and, after admitting his craftsmanship, orders for specialized shoes by Donk'e Punch started coming in.

For the next two and half years, Fenwick worked solely on his shoes, living off the income of customers' requests. Learning to sew and remove a shoe's tongue took hours, he said, but slowly Donk'e Punch refined it to an art form.

"The sneakers are just my canvas," he said. "It'd be no different if I was painting a painting, the difference is it's a sneaker and it's wearable art."

Today, Fenwick estimates he has customized about 700 pairs of shoes, with themes including Russia, a colorful "Party Rock" shoe and yellow shoes made for Fenwick's daisy-themed wedding.

Inspiration comes from anywhere, he s! aid. The only thing he avoids is doing what's been done.

"I don't model myself after anybody," he said. "I try to, if anything, live up to my artist name."

Although Fenwick is from Peoria, he said Donk'e Punch is a line more widely recognized in New York City and Chicago. In 2007 he traveled to Los Angeles to expand his brand.

While there, he spotted a storefront advertising customized shoes and, curious, Fenwick walked in and flipped through the artist's catalog. He recognized four years of hard work scattered between the pages.

"I'm from Peoria, Ill., and you go all the way out to L.A. - and L.A.'s huge - and you just so happen to run into that?" he said. "I think in a funny way God's trying to tell you something."

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Fenwick said he knew he must be doing something right. The 36-year-old kept working, customizing and listening to motivational speeches by Arnold Schwarzenegger to stay positive.

"I'm not trying to be the Tom Cruise of custom shoes," he said. "I don't care if people see me out. I just want my work to get the limelight."

This September, he began talks with a Las Vegas casino to design a line of casino-themed shoes.

By summer, Fenwick will have Lace Nation, his first full line of custom shoes, featured at a gallery show.

Ultimately, he'd like to design a pair of shoes for Nike.

"I'm not out here searching for what am I good at, what am I talented at," he said. "To me, I've found that, and I'm just trying to build on that as I go."

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Nona Tepper can be reached at 686-3251 or ntepper@pjstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @ntepper90.