A businessman has been left dumbfounded after American rap legend Raekwon the Chef reached out to him through Instagram to enquire about a pair of trainers he had customised.
Kris Boyle, owner of Dundee Sole – the city’s first “sneaker laundry and trainer refurbishment centre” – couldn’t believe that the Wu-Tang Clan member sent him a direct message last week asking about the bespoke shoes.
A fan of hip-hop and inspired by the group’s 2015 Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album – which was limited to a single copy and remains the most expensive record ever sold at £2 million – Kris was keen to put his stamp on the sneakers.
The 32-year-old said that he wanted to create something totally unique – that would leave people scratching their heads.
He said: “I am a big fan of Wu-Tang and obviously a big fan of trainers as well and I know fine well that that sort of custom market with the Wu-Tangs is dominated by Nike.
“I wanted to make something that other people would think ‘I can’t make that, I don’t know how he’s done that’.
“I put two shoes up for sale, through a raffle, and about 120 numbers sold out in roughly an hour.
“The idea behind the trainers was the Once Upon a Time in Shaolin record. It was an album that Wu-Tang made and the concept was that it was to be a piece of art instead of a piece of music that gets mass produced and everybody hears it.
“Somebody posted a picture of the shoes on a Wu-Tang fan page in Brazil and I started getting loads of messages in Portuguese.”
Over the next few hours Kris received more than 1,000 messages from excited fans and, before he knew it, the rap legend himself was making contact.
He said: “He messaged the page directly. He was really interested to find out how I made them and what I’d done.
“I offered him a pair, but I never heard back from him.
“It’s really crazy. I’ve had customs that famous people have seen before but it’s all European – nothing ever goes across the pond so it was crazy.
“I about hit the roof. To get a message from somebody like that is incredible.”
Kris, who created and raffled the sneakers in July, said that he doubts there is another shop in the world like his.
“I would say there isn’t a shop in the world like my shop. The best trainers are in Dundee Sole and that’s a fact,” he said.
“For dead stock and vintage trainers I wouldn’t say you get anywhere better than Dundee.”
Kris also shared his expertise in a one-of-a-kind “sneaker class” on Sunday, where three men travelled from around the country to his Hilltown-based shop for a lesson on refurbishing and customising trainers.
Despite the success of the session, Kris is wary of the restrictions brought about by coronavirus and has no plans to hold another class imminently.
He added that he was hopeful about hosting classes in the future.
Representatives of Raekwon the Chef have been approached for comment.
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