HOW many Singaporeans can claim to have their own factory-produced Nike shoes?

Photo/ ALAN LIM

Mr Mark Ong, 27, can.

Next month, his Nike Royalefam Dunk SB premium model will hit store shelves as a limited edition sneaker.

The full-time shoe customiser, better known as SBTG for Sabotage, is riding the reconstructed sneaker craze, but declined to say how much he will earn from the major Nike tie-up.

Mr Ong's lucky break came in 2003 when he took part in a Niketalk.com customised shoe competition.

Then 24, the sneakerhead was just one of thousands all over the world who thought and talked about sneakers passionately.

The ex-basketball school captain at Temasek Secondary said he used to ogle at the latest basketball shoes on the shelves when Michael Jordan was popular.

For the competition, Mr Ong painted safari prints on a pair of Nike Air Force 1s - and won.

There was no prize, but his passion went on to earn him his monthly pay cheque.

He customised shoes for sneaker boutiques Atmos and Chapter in Tokyo, Japan, garnering a league of fans.

He has since become established enough to go solo.

The Temasek Polytechnic multimedia diploma holder said his label SBTG is about deconstructing an original factory-produced shoe to make it different and spunky.

Photo/ MARK ONG

Working out of his new Arab Street office, he uses plain Nike sneakers that he buys cheap from local stores. He paints, scrapes, sticks accessories, and attaches the SBTG label on his shoes.

The result is a reworked pair of camouflage-inspired sneakers, resold to streetwear fans.

A pair of sneakers that is part of a series goes for at least US$300 ($480). Individually-styled ones start at US$500.

Mr Ong said the prices are tagged to market demand.

A growing subculture of shoe collectors has meant more people are willing to pay for customised sneakers.

SOUGHT AFTER

Mr Ong declined to reveal his per-shoe profit.

Instead, he pointed out that he uses expensive, imported materials - special fabrics, leather and metal tags engraved with the SBTG logo - to justify the price of his shoes.

'Do the maths, people (in the know) will know (the profits I make),' he said.

Take for example, the $200 pair of jeans he bought to cut up for use on his sneakers.

Photo/ CHONG JUN LIANG

Cheaper jeans won't do because he said they don't have the authentic 'selvedge lining' found in premium-quality jeans woven by Japanese looms.

Lost?

The affable guru explained that this small woven edge, found on the inside wrap of jeans, was needed to add that finishing touch to his shoe, which he sold for US$800.

Overseas orders make up 90 per cent of his sales, said Mr Ong.

He also has his own apparel line, RoyaleFam, which is sold in the Ambush boutique in Singapore.

He works up to 16 hours a day and can take four to 24 hours to customise one shoe, excluding the time needed to source for materials.

Once, he produced a record 72 customised shoes in one month with the help of friends.

But Mr Ong's production rate is usually 'dependent on season and mood'.

He may work obsessively one month and decide to go on a break the next.

Such irregularity means 'no wife, no girlfriend' for Mr Ong.

In 20 years, this industrious entrepreneur wants to have an established fashion label.

And he said he may enter other industries, 'be it restaurants or hotels' to create 'ideal environments'.

For now, things are 'quite shiok' as he often travels to Tokyo to immerse himself in the culture and be inspired in the process.