BEAUMONT, Texas — After Nelly was done performing to a huge crowd at Mardi Gras Southeast Texas, he met up with a local artist and entrepreneur, who had a special gift for him.
In honor of Nelly's popular song "Air Force Ones," 18-year-old Gabe Silva knew he had to take this opportunity to gift the rapper his own pair of customized sneakers while he was in town.
Silva, like many others, took on more hobbies in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Switching to online learning at West Brook High School freed up some of Silva's time.
He took the spare time to turn a passion into a business. As a result, GS Customs was born about a year ago. To the surprise of many, Silva's skills are all natural.
"I was always interested in art, but I never really took classes. I was always just good with steady with my hands. I look up a lot of stuff on YouTube if I need help like that. But most of the stuff, I'm just good with it, with my hands," he said.
Nelly is not the first high-profile figure Silva has made custom shoes for. He made a pair for Baltimore Ravens running back, Gus Edwards, and a pair for Michael Rainey, from the TV show 'Power'.
The longest time it's taken Silva to customize a pair of shoes was one week. They are called the "GOAT Edition" and feature Tom Brady and Lebron James on them.
Southeast Texas artist creates customized shoes, gifts pair to rapper Nelly
Silva takes orders via Facebook and Instagram and offers pick-up and even international shipping. He asks that people message him with inquiries.
MORE | GS Customs Facebook
MORE | GS Customs Instagram
Custom shoes and cleats aren't his only business. Silva is also a proud owner of his own clothing brand called "We Are Not The Same".
"God makes all of us different and everyone is not the same, so that's where I got that from," he said.
There's definitely more in store for Silva's future when it comes to his business. Right now, he's in barber college, but he's not limiting himself.
"There's more stuff that I want to do. I want to open up shops and different stores and stuff like that. That's in the making."
Silva is originally from Staten Island, and came to Beaumont when he was 10 years old after his father got a job in the area. He said his roots in New York and Texas have helped him in this business.
"I feel like a lot of people from New York like people in Texas, they have a different type of swag and different type of culture, and a lot of people like that," he said.
Silva credits and shouts out his parents, his two brothers and girlfriend for supporting him through his business ventures.