![]() And then it has a little bit of old-school graffiti.” My idea for them was to kind of go back to the late ’80s, early ’90s … the aesthetic from the old A Tribe Called Quest albums, that kind of typography. “They asked me to custom-paint each sneaker with the characters’ names and the She’s Gotta Have It logo. Since then, she’d occasionally done customs through private commissions, but not for anyone quite as famous as Lee. “I think it was a last-minute idea, so I had to move quickly,” said Mastrion, who customized her first pair of sneakers several years ago in a live-painting sneaker competition at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, which she won. Andersen scheduled a time for her to pick up four pairs of “White Cement” Retro Air Jordan IVs, which Lee wanted completed ASAP. Andersen deferred to New York artist AVone, aka Anthony Vasquez, who recommended Mastrion. So, Lee commissioned one of the show’s writers, Lemon Andersen, with the job of finding an artist capable of customizing sneakers up to his standards of dopeness. He wanted to gift each actor a pair of sneakers. As filming for his upcoming Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It, which is based upon the film, drew to a close, Lee wanted a unique way to show his appreciation to the four main characters of the series. The first four pairs Mastrion designed for Lee weren’t for the man himself. He wanted the words “Repel Agent Orange” and “Resist” on them. Lee wanted the shoes to reflect his protest of Trump. (In 2006, Lee received his own line of “Spiz’ike” Air Jordans.) So, how did Mastrion, after years of living and working in Brooklyn, finally get to meet one of the borough’s most beloved sons? Their artistic genius crossed paths in February when she customized five pairs of Air Jordans for Lee, whose character Mars Blackmon from his 1986 debut feature She’s Gotta Have It became Michael Jordan’s quirky companion in one of the most popular ad campaigns in sneaker history. I felt like I was meeting one of my lifelong idols.” He’s always been a huge creative influence - besides being an incredible storyteller and producer. ![]() I always felt that he really represented, and captured the borough. “I’m a native New Yorker, but I’m a Brooklyn girl, through and through,” said Mastrion, a muralist and painter, “and there’s a lot of Brooklyn love that comes with growing up watching Spike Lee movies. ![]() In Mastrion’s mind, the two are kindred creative spirits for the simple fact that Brooklyn, New York - the place reflected in much of their work - is for both of them, home. An interesting tidbit, but nothing too special, right? Not for Mastrion, 34, who’s always felt a special connection to legendary filmmaker and actor Lee,who celebrates his 60th birthday today. The question? What was it like, you know, meeting Spike Lee? For many people, this fun fact would be a footnote. On Lee’s 60th birthday, we tell this story through the artist behind the sneakers, Brooklyn’s own Danielle Mastrion aka went to the same high school that my mom went to,” answers Danielle Mastrion. In an effort to ensure that these sneaker tales live on, The Undefeated presents a recurring series, “Sneaker Stories,” which begins with the story of a pair of shoes filmmaker, actor and sneakerhead Spike Lee had customized as a representation of his protest of President Donald Trump. From the pair of Air Jordans Michael Vick wore in games on turf during a Pro Bowl season, to LeBron James’ first signature Nike sneaker, which eventually led to a billion-dollar endorsement deal and retro release, to Tinker Hatfield’s vision to design a sneaker based upon Michael Jordan’s catlike persona - every shoe has a story that deserves to be told.
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