EL CAP | ABOUT

Eric Lowry is the Michael Bay of the art world; he loves to blow shit up. A 23-year-young Detroit sneakerhead and skateboarder, Eric’s passion for art was fueled by his own frustration. He grew tired of the repeated, expected design language that had become the standard of mainstream sneaker brands and believed that people deserved something better. In 2007, with no formal training or art education, Eric grabbed a sketchbook and went to work. New, brighter, bolder; more custom, less basic.

Eric stopped at nothing to create something altogether different. Five years later, “El Cappy” is one of the most respected, recognizable, innovative and prolific sneaker customizers in the game. Coming off a banner year in 2011, El Cappy recently reached a personal milestone, his 100th customization of the Jordan 6 platform.

His custom sneakers can be found across the globe, with clients across the United States (sneakers currently in 40 states), Italy and Australia. Add in a growing list of corporate/commercial clients like Red Bull, O-I/Glass Is Life and Camel Cigarettes (RJ Reynolds Tobacco) as well as notable musicians and cultural influencer-types like DJ House Shoes, One Be Lo and Black Milk. His designs have been featured on the influential sneaker blogs such as Nick Kicks, Kicks on Fire, Sneaker Files and SneakerNews.com. He’s a pioneer of the New Detroit movement; passionate, energetic and optimistic about its reimagining its future, while proud and inspired by its past. The product of a working-class family and a working-class town, Eric has always been a “make-it-happen” type of person.

Today, El Cappy is a creator, customizer and designer of anything he can get his hands on. His current projects range from sneaker design, jewelry creation (Michigan Morning Wood collection), electronics customization (Beats by Dre, iPhone/iPad/iPod) and fashion/apparel design (El Cap), also working on collaborations with other brands.