A talented sculptor gets her kicks out of turning pairs of TRAINERS into incredible works of art - which she sells on to celebrities.<br /><br />Melicka Ghafouri, 21, can spend up to 400 hours at a time turning Nike and Adidas footwear into intricate pieces of art from her studio at home. <br /><br />She has transformed sneakers into anything from ambulances, apartment blocks, human skulls and amazing sculptures that seemingly float in the air.<br /><br />Melicka began by learning how to customise trainers before teaching herself sculpting techniques during lockdown which led to her exhibiting in Paris. <br /><br />Her creations have since racked up more than 40 million views on TikTok and Instagram - gaining her a legion of followers, including celebrity fans.<br /><br />Melicka has since had orders from the likes of US rapper Yeat and English singer YungBlud as well as brands such as Disney for her unique pieces. <br /><br />Melicka, of Coventry, said: “I started out customising sneakers, the typical customs you see, and it was around 2021 when I started exploring sculptures. <br /><br />"I wanted to do something more, I envisioned I could take this hobby full time. <br /><br />"I don't really enjoy shopping or picking out clothes, so I was thinking about how to make commercial products into art work.<br /><br />“When I was 16 I saw a picture of custom Futurama Air Force sneakers, I liked the idea of having something I love on my clothing. <br /><br />“When I got older I realised more people have custom clothing and I had more time to figure things out and learn the proper way to do it. <br /><br />"I just liked the idea of people wearing my art - I thought 'maybe I can work hard and make it a living'<br /><br />“I’ve since done probably a couple of hundred custom shoes and around 10 to 15 sculptures as they take a very long time.<br /><br />"The fact I get to make art for people who really love it and have such great conversations with people who wear my work is really nice."<br /><br />One of her most detailed pieces is a Nike Airforce 1 trainer model of an ambulance, named 'Airforce 111', with flashing lights, moving wheels and tiny side mirrors<br /><br />Melicka, who now works as a sculptor full-time, says her favourite is the sneaker skull she made for rapper Yeat, who is known for his unconventional fashion sense.<br /><br />She also turned a trainer into a apartment block for London brand Notwoways, which was founded by YouTube star Callum McGinley, aka Callux.<br /><br />It features a swimming pool, a 'zen' garden with plants and stairs to each floor inside the Notwoways shoe box.<br /><br />Melicka says she can spend anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months to complete her detailed designs.<br /><br />She added: “It’s hard to average it, but the range would be between 10 days to several months sometimes. The higher end is probably 300 to 400 hours.<br /><br />"Trying to figure out something with no instruction manual is hard. There’s a lot of trial and error. I’m a perfectionist. I have to look at what shoe best fits the shape.<br /><br />“Yeat asked me to do a sneaker skull. At the moment that's my favourite. Most of them are either commission pieces or just ones that I've made for myself. <br /><br />“I’ve worked with Disney a couple times. It was for a movie called Elementals. The director wore them on the red carpet. I also did some for Star Wars: Ahsoka.<br /><br />“You do get a small couple of sneaker heads on social media who say I aim ruining perfectly good pairs of trainers. But that's fine, the majority of feedback is positive."
