CREATIVE CONSCIENCE + CUSTOMIZED CANVAS @ TOPSHOP NYC

Kelli Mercado (@kellifornialove) and Dominic Corry @domcorrr customizing chausseures at Topshop in Soho 

Soho's creative conscience flourishes as UK's fast fashion retailer Topshop teams up with Project C.A.N.V.A.S (CAN Visually Achieve Success). Popping up in the afternoons on Topshop's ground level from July 25th to August 8th, local creatives like Kelli Mercado and Dominic Corry customize CANVAS chaussures on the spot, free with shoe purchase. $5,000 from the proceeds of Project C.A.N.V.A.S at Topshop will fund creative programs at a fine arts high school in NYC via the Urban Arts Partnership.

 CANVAS shoes are unisex and come in loafer, high top, low top and slip on styles. The base may be blank or primary colors

Charitable creativity reaches a new horizon. Inspired by the idea of artistic empowerment, CANVAS seeks to raise self-esteem by providing blank canvases and encouraging customers to create DIY masterpieces. Per the CANVAS mission,"Life is like a canvas. It begins blank and everyday is another brushstroke. Make your life a masterpiece." All over the world, people are taking the opportunity to invest in the arts and show off their style--Have a look here. 

Some customized CANVAS shoes for men at the Soho store

For me, the appeal is in the use of graphic self expression on stylishly androgynous shoes as the medium of prime exposure in a never-ending public gallery.Personally, I fall in love with the folding high top and the slip on styles. Though more casual than many of the items in my closet, I find that--like Converse--the CANVAS silhouettes translate well across both sexes. Waivering between having an artist surprise me with a unique design or creating my own, I walk out undecided. I plan to return at some point to indulge my inner artist... suggestions appreciated! What would you do on your blank CANVAS?  

Asymmetry = AWESOME! [source]

For a guy? or a girl? Either!  [source]

What a neat idea! [source]