Artisan footwear to cure what ails you

Lots of parents pressure their kids to be doctors: it's a noble profession, and who wants to get a colonoscopy from a total stranger? Defying familial wishes to make your feet awesome instead: the dude behind Ateliers Arthur.

The Cameroonian behind Ateliers' slick kicks studied medicine for three years at his father's request, before defiantly dropping out and heading stateside to work in design for the likes of DVS, Lakai, and DC; he's just now dropping his first ever line of "grown up" sneaks, described as "part trend, part who I am", though unfortunately not part Will I Am, as dude's got some really nice skin. The shoes are divided up into two three-style categories, starting with the Artisan Collection, loosely based on shoes his church-going youth, like the pigskin suede "Monk" (w/ lamb leather wraparound Velcro closure) inspired by his minister grandfather, the sleek suede & calfskin leather "Padre" with an antibacterial insole, and the versatile leather hightop "Ourasi" named after a French racehorse...apparently sometimes church was skipped. The more contemporary Trainers Collection ranges from the basic, thicker lamb-leather "Optimus" with perforated sides, to the similarly Transformers-inspired "Prime" mids with buckled top, to the aviator-style "Tuskegee" hightops with three closures (laces, front buckled-flap, and inside ankle zipper) first sketched while watching a special on the Tuskegee Airmen on TBS -- informative, but not "very funny".

Despite their infancy, Ateliers has already started drawing up a super ambitious Spring release with as many as 11 new models -- all of which you'll want to play doctor with, no matter what your parents say.