Brian Miller Exemplifies the Age of Obama With Sole Plus

He shares his vision for Sole Plus and how the budding venture got hooked up with Converse. –dewayne rogers and archel bernard

For more information, log on to www.soleplus.org.

What is Sole Plus?
Sole Plus is a company that designs shoes with high school kids, and then donates them to homeless shelters and children’s shelters. It is a competition whose aim is to create a unique fusion of artistic expression and social activism for young artists and designers.”

How did the vision for Sole Plus come to you?
Two years ago, I was laid off from my dream job, and at that moment of adversity, I knew I had to turn the energy into doing something good for other people. Through the love of art, youth, and philanthropy, we established Sole Plus. We also want to get rid of people saying they’re ex-artists, and allow youth to see art as a viable career.

Talk about the shoe design competition and what it can offer a high school artist.
We’ve gotten an enormous response from the community, because the shoe design competition is more than art for art’s sake. The Sole Plus competition allows the artist to creatively leave his or her own footprint, as the artist creates as well as sends a message of social change.

How did you hook up with Converse?
Converse is a timeless, classic shoe. It’s a canvas that people have been painting on for decades, so it seemed right to pursue Converse for Sole Plus. I went to them several times with this project before they finally responded and teamed up with me. Sneakers are so important to us [minorities] in our community. You may have on just a basic t-shirt and basic jeans, but you’re going to make sure your shoes are right, no matter your income. It’s individuality, and Converse helps us spread that underlying message of Sole Plus.