The conversation began casually as it always does when Curtis Booth asks a player if he wants his cleats more than what comes in a box from Nike, Adidas, or UnderArmour.
Kenny Osuwah is assistant equipment manager at the Atlanta FalconsHe reaches out. Booth may hear from the player. Booth may then reach out to the player on his own as they build a relationship. This is how Booth got the idea to be what Falcons rookie tight ended. Kyle PittsAt the Pro Bowl on Sunday, he was standing on his toes (3 p.m. ET, ESPNThese shoes are not your typical pair of shoes.
You’ll notice that Pitts’ size 15s were created by a 30-year old who was working in a converted sunroom turned office at his Lithonia, Georgia home with Jaxson, his 2-year-old goldendoodle.
It was pure chance that Booth ended up as the Falcons’ main shoe artist.
He noticed that the Falcons’ Instagram team had posted about players from their area codes. He saw a familiar face in one player who had mentioned the 252 He googled him and found a photo he had taken with a friend.
The friend? The sister of an ex-Atlanta receiver Justin Hardy. He reached out. Booth offered to help him with his cleats. Booth would love to work alongside Hardy if they liked his work. Hardy was a good example. The message was widely spread.
Booth now makes it a key part of his $250 per pair deal. Booth has been responsible for the footwear in the Falcons’ My Cause, My Cleats campaign. Every pair of cleats that has been running back has been Booth’s. Cordarrelle PattersonThese people were involved in the campaign for a new contract and raising awareness about infant death.
Booth worked first with Pitts on a pair Florida Gators cleats. The theme was simple for Booth. Booth explained that Pitts gave up the brainstorming and told Booth to just do what he wanted. So he did.
Pitts’ rookie year was among the most successful at his position, even though it may not feel like it due to one touchdown. He’s also the first tight end rookie to surpass 1,000 yards (1 026) in 60 years. His 68 receptions rank third among all time behind Keith Jackson or Jeremy Shockey. Since Shockey, he’s the rookie tight end to make it to the Pro Bowl. It was 2002.
He established the Falcons’ rookie receiving yards record. Julio Jones, the team’s single season receiving yards by an end-to-end record, surpassing Tony Gonzalez.
Pitts stated that “it was an okay start.” I feel there is more to do, improve upon. “I think it’s just the beginning.”
These steps were what Booth was focusing on when he designed Pitts’ shoes. His first-season success was so important that he wanted Pitts’ feet to be a reminder of it.
“He’s second.” [rookie]Booth stated, “It was the most tight-end defense ever to achieve the 1,000 yard milestone. So I know that I’m going put that on there.” “And maybe some stats and Falcons logos. While brainstorming, you might make one cleat look totally different from the other.
“But rookies, definitely.”
Booth was brainstorming two weeks ago. This was the first step in the creative painted journey, from concept to creation. The player only saw it when he got the shoes, just before he flew to Las Vegas.
It’s not as easy as just painting a shoe. Booth spends hours on each pair of shoes.
Booth has simplified the process over three years and one himself, using what he calls YouTube University. This is how a psychology major from North Carolina Central, who wanted to be a forensic psychologist, ended up doing this. When he was bored at college and scrolling through Instagram, he went to WalMart to paint a pair Jordan 1s pink.
He wore them to school. The color was chosen because he didn’t know much about custom shoes at the time. He looked almost like a pink-spotted cow. However, classmates were still curious. It was many years before he made it his full-time occupation, before he joined the Falcons as their cleat designer.
In Pitts’ case, brainstorming sessions were the first step. Booth created a mockup of his Jordan 5 silhouette using six panels.
There he plays with different font sizes and font styles to get an idea of which ideas would work best and how much space might be needed for them to come to life.
Booth stated, “I often go on Instagram a lot to post my mockups, and people vote on which one is the best.” “A lot of the time I’ll do it to make sure that we’re on a similar page. I’ll have a clear idea of what I want, so I’ll create a new mockup and post it to see if others are seeing the same thing.
“That’s a great help. It’s almost like getting a second opinion. I would definitely do that. Otherwise, I think in my head, “Ahh, should this or that?”
Booth has learned through experience how to edit who can view the mockups within his stories. He often blocks his clients to keep the surprise from being spoilt. Booth has learned that screenshots can sometimes leak, which is a danger of social media.
After the design is done, the real work begins. Every shoe must be prepared. Booth begins by taped the soles of the cleats. They cannot be painted. Next, Booth uses acetone to clean each shoe. This will stop the paint from running or sliding off the shoe.
Booth explained, “The purpose for that is because it’s to open up. I suggest to open up the pores.” “To give paint something to stick to.”
Booth can now begin painting after the initial gloss is gone. Booth will add adhesion promoter (a glue substance) to the shoe to give it another chance to stick to the shoes. If he is creating a more detailed design such as a logo, cartoon character, or stenciled text — like Pitts’ shoe — he will print stencils and place them while the shoe remains fully white.
He’ll then apply a layer of paint, usually white or grey depending on the colors used for the shoe’s design. The paint will dry. Next, he will begin to paint in the stencils and details. Once he is done, he will go back and touch up any paint that may have got into other areas of the shoe.
Booth stated, “I do my outline last because it makes the design pop.” “Pretty much, that is the most important step in preparation. Because football players are very rough on shoes, that’s why this is so important. They run, jump, slide and tackle and the worst thing that can happen is that the paint gets ruined.
“And artists don’t want this to happen. That tells you that your quality of work isn’t there.”
Booth takes great care with each pair. After he finishes painting, Booth seals it again. This is the same as what he removed from the original shoe. He uses a scratch-resistant sealing compound to protect his work against the harsh realities of football. Depending on the look he is going for, he will use either a matte or glossy sealer.
From brainstorming to completion, it takes an average of eight to ten hours to complete a shoe. Patterson did some of his work in 15 hours. He took 20 hours to make Pitts’ shoe.
Booth stated that he wanted to “perfect that design” on the Pro Bowl. Booth stated, “And I want him really to stand out at Pro Bowl.”
Pitts is not the first to try out new ideas during his rookie season. Booth started to feel a connection with him after he asked for a change from the Florida Gators cleats he wore early in the season.
He also had a second thing — he had every game, but it didn’t always get attention: the design on his hands.
One of the questions they asked Pitts when he signed with Jordan Brand — his cleats — was if he would like to design any other products. Pitts expressed an interest in creating a special pair of gloves for himself.
He was able to see that each of his games this year had a different meaning, even though it looked the same.
Pitts explained that “with the eight in central, that was just one design.” It was a bullseye to me until I saw it in person and had a look at the colors. It was really cool. It didn’t mean anything to me.”
It was a good season. Pitts was Matt RyanAfter the team traded Julio Jones from Tennessee,’s top target for the 2021 season was’s. Calvin RidleyOn Halloween, I left the team to address personal issues.
The option to draft a rookie was made the top choice. Ryan was able to look over the gloves over and over again.
Pitts liked the design when he saw it. But he didn’t expect it to be noticed because “they’re just gloves.” They’re more than that. They are a part of the reason he keeps them safe after games.
Pitts stated that he keeps them in his bag. As of December, he wasn’t sure if he would do anything with them. But, because they are Jordan brand, Pitts knows they have value. They are also valuable because they are his and were part a historic first season in Atlanta.
Pitts will be able to create custom designs while he is at the Pro Bowl.