Haider Ali, one of Pakistan’s most famous truck art masters, has recently discovered a new and lucrative niche – sneakers painted in traditional, bright motifs.
Truck art is an iconic part of Pakistani culture. For decades, it has been used to turn simple means of locomotion into driveable works of art to be looked at and admired. Now, this traditional art style is branching out to other mediums, the latest of which is sneakers. Haider Ali, a Pakistani truck art specialist was one of the first to jump on the truck-art-sneakers bandwagon, after getting an order for a custom pair and seeing his outrageous price being accepted by the client.
Photo: Haider Ali
“A client came to see me from the United States, asking me to paint shoes,” Ali recently told AFP. “I gave him an exorbitant price to discourage him, but he said okay. So I decided to do it.”
Photo: Haider Ali
Haider Ali started doing truck art sneakers in January of this year, and he has so far made eight pairs, each of which sold for an eye-watering $400. That may seem like a lot of money for a simple pair of sneakers, but each is hand-painted according to the wishes of the customer, a laborious process that can take up to four days.
Photo: Haider Ali
While the vibrantly-colored shoes may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Haider’s truck art sneakers have been getting a lot of attention on social media ever since photos of them went viral. People have been asking where they can get their hands on a pair, so I suspect the truck art master will soon find himself inundated with requests.
Photo: Haider Ali
For more of Haider Ali’s colorful truck art, keep an eye on his Instagram.
