editorialinterviewsbuying Guidesselling guidespromotions
ABOUTSEARCHSHOPSubscribe
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Custom Sneaker Designer Disha Khatwani

Interviews

Gijs Verheijke
October 11, 2021

Disha Khatwani is a Branding Creative and sneaker customer living in Singapore. She takes inspiration from the things she loves, mostly food!

Hi Disha, could you share a-bit about how you got into sneakers?

Growing up, sneakers were always a source of comfort for me. I remember the distinct shift in mindset I had when I moved to New York. I began to see sneakers more than just comfortable footwear and as a piece of art to accentuate my outfits. 3 things I absolutely love are fitness, fashion and food and I see sneakers as a canvas to bring these worlds together.

What's your favorite pair of kicks?

I’d have to say my pair of Nike Air Max 1s “Just Do It” in Orange. These were designed to celebrate 30 years of Nike coining "Just Do It". Apparently the "Just Do It" graphics on this sneaker are inspired from Nike ads back in the day - how cool is that! The electric orange base and design details tap into my personal style and love for graphic design. 


What is your design philosophy?

Keep it simple. Be playful. And have fun, a lot of it!

What inspires you to design custom sneakers?

I am a big foodie and always planning my next meal. Eating breakfast and thinking about lunch, eating lunch and thinking about dinner. My love for all things food is reflected in my custom sneakers; all my designs are inspired by food and f&b brands I love. Shake Shack, Chipotle, McD you name it.

If you could have a massive billboard where everyone in the world would see it; what would you put on it? 

I’m a big believer in signs from the universe. Usually, when I’m driving by billboards, typically daydreaming or lost in thought - I look for signs around me that answer questions I have on my mind. Very often, I’ll look at a billboard and pick up on words and art and relate it back to something I’ve been thinking about or need an answer to. Cheesy I know, but it’s such a fun activity and leaves me smiling cheek to cheek. For that reason, I’d say a quote that can bring a smile to one’s face instantly, or feel like a guiding light to a question of sorts. 

Where can people find you on social media?

@dishakhatwani on Instagram

Gijs (pronounced “guys” with a “k”), is the Founder and CEO of Ox Street. Since falling in love with the Nike Air Max silhouette at age 10, he went down an all-too-familiar path of buying way too many shoes. An occasional DJ and low-key music historian, Gijs loves the many different aspects of how ‘culture’ manifests, often through some combination of music, fashion and location. Gijs is an ex- Private Equity investor and Rocket Internet alumnus, where he cut his teeth launching and scaling various marketplace platforms across Asia. Through hunting down a coveted pair of kicks while in Myanmar - he realised there was a gap in the sneaker ecosystem across South East Asia, a growing segment powered by the region’s ravenous growth in digital networks and an increasing wave of online commerce. Gijs alongside everyone at Ox Street, is excited for the future of streetwear in the region and we’ve only just begun.