Phil Robinson, aka Filfury, is a British artist who has managed to turn sneakers into masterpieces. He repurposes the lace, stitching, leather, and logos to form birds, bats, skulls, and insects.

Robson describes his work as “a battle of pop culture vs nature”, and is heavily influenced by his 90s childhood, hip hop, UK garage, and an addiction to sneakers and sportswear.

He began his work digitally, putting the pieces together using Photoshop and creating large prints onto canvas. Since he’s moved on to actually sculpt his designs out of real shoes, bringing his imagined structures to life.

“I get inspired by the form of the shoe and enjoy the idea of repurposing some of my favourite objects,” explains Robson.

“I think about what the shoe reminds me of. I start with the question, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if…’ I then look for reference pictures of the new object online. I take photographs of the shoe from several angles then jump into digitally painting the pieces together. And now, I’m creating my sculptures with no Macs involved.”

Robson’s work has been exhibited internationally, and he has worked with sneaker brands like Nike and Adidas to create collaborative image work for campaigns and shoe designs. He has amassed a cult following in outlets of sneaker culture, and has tapped creatively into one of the most lucrative industries in the world.

Eagles, butterflies, beetles, skulls and human hearts are just a few of the things that British artist Phil Robson, aka “Filfury” has shaped using sneaker parts. The self-described 90s child defines his work as a “a battle of pop culture vs nature”, turning his obsession with sneakers, hip hop culture, and our own over-consumption of mass products into an unlikely source material.