Jezign is a new line of shoes innovated and designed by Jez Marston, a young entrepreneur who saw fit for a change in the world of sneakers. The dynamic footwear company is located in Washington DC, and has introduced us to the “Night Eagle,” the first line of sneakers featuring illumination technology, from his company, available at Finish Line.

Rapidly growing in popularity, Jezign’s have been spotted on celebrities like Paul Wall and Lloyd, and in various night night clubs across the country. TheEvilCollector got to catch up with Mr. Marston and get a more intimate look at the Jezigns and what makes them stand out amongst the rest.

TEC: Are you from the DC area?

Jez Marston: Yes.

TEC: The actual city or was it one of the surrounding areas like Northern Virginia?

JM: I’m actually from right outside DC in Silver Spring, MD.

TEC: Ok cool. I know that area. Looking at the actual shoes, I know people in that area like a lot of glitter and flashy paint on their clothing, so how did growing up in that area influence your sense of style?

JM: When I was growing up — pretty much — the style was to be kind of plain. It was kind of different from the shoe. People wore a lot of plain colors — a lot of black, a lot of white, but I wanted to do something different with the shoe…DC didn’t really influence me on the shoe. I’ve always thought illuminating footwear was an interesting concept but I had never seen it done to it’s full potential so really, the DC area didn’t really have any influence on me when I designed the shoe.

TEC: So basically, this is all you?

JM: Yeah.

TEC: How old are you?

JM: I’m in my mid 20s.

TEC: Being that you’re so young, when did you act on your idea to create these shoes?

JM: I first came up with the concept when I was a sophomore at Howard and one of my classmates was from CT – And I really wanted to know what a Northern cat thought of the idea and he gave me his blessing. He thought it was a cool idea. I didn’t act on it then, but a couple of years later, I started doing my own research to see if there was anything out there like this. After my research, I found out there wasn’t so I applied for the patent on this technology and thankfully, in February 2005, I got it. What’s different about my illuminated shoe versus other illuminated shoes is that my shoe operates off of a push-button on/off switch where as different light up shoes operate off of pressure and then the lights blink. With this shoe, the lights stay on continuously.

TEC: Is it battery operated?

JM: Yep. The battery is replaceable. The battery goes in the tongue and you just close the pouch and that’s it.

TEC: What was your major at Howard University?

JM: I started off in the school of architecture and engineering.

TEC: Ok cool. That makes sense. You said you started off as architecture and engineering so does that mean you changed your major?

JM: Yeah, I did change it to Legal Communication.

TEC: Ok. I was just fishing to see if it had anything to do with business or fashion [laughs]. So what’s the process? How do you get your shoe made?

JM: It’s been a long process. I had to do the research to find my own manufacturer. It took me all the way to China. I had to find retailers, I started off at Downtown Locker Room and found Finish Line. It’s been a long process but everything worked out well enough to get me to the point of where I am right now.

TEC: So right now are you only retailed in Downtown Locker Room and Finish Line?

JM: Correct. Right now the high top version is in Downtown Locker Room, but this lo cut style right here is about to launch in Finish Line in a couple of weeks.

TEC: Are you currently working on trying to get your creation in anymore stores?

JM: Definitely. I’m Definitely trying to get as many retailers as possible, especially retailers that can appreciate the beauty in this idea.

TEC: Would you say that you’re a sneakerhead in your own personal life and style? Or, shall I say sneaker aficionado, as I know some people don’t like the previous term?

JM: I wouldn’t call myself a sneakerhead, I’m just real creative. Since I was really young, I’ve been very creative. I remember when I was about 12, and my biggest goal was to dunk on a ten foot rim. Of course my legs weren’t strong enough to dunk, so I cut out the springs of my mattress and connected them to my sneakers in order to help me jump higher. So, ever since I was real young, I’ve always been creative. I have other ideas that have nothing to do with footwear or clothing.

TEC: Was basketball just a hobby growing up or did you play on actual teams?

JM: Yea. I played in High School.

TEC: I believe I saw a picture of Kool Herc rocking your Jezigns. Were my eyes playing tricks on me?

JM: No, he has a pair. A friend of mine was at the MAGIC show last year (in Las Vegas) and he had a pair of the shoes on and Kool Herc saw him and said, “Where did you get those?” and my friend told him that he had them right there and that they’re called Jezigns and Kool Herc said he would love a pair, so he got them on the spot.

TEC: Are there any other celebrities or well-known people who have seen them and are really feeling the design?

JM: Zab Judah has taken a liking to them, the singer Lloyd has taken a liking to them and he performs in them a lot; Paul Wall wore them in Brook Hogan’s “About Us” video and I heard Choppa from Making the Band has a pair.

TEC: Are they just in men’s right now?

JM: For right now, yes.

TEC: Do you have any plans to develop women’s?

JM: I definitely have some designs for women as far as a running shoe and also a casual shoe for women. That’s going to be coming out somewhere down the line.

TEC: Where do Jezigns fit in terms of the other shoes out there like Nike, Reebok, DC Shoes, etc?

JM: I see Jezigns as the shoe brand of the future, especially with this technology. A lot of brands are going back to older styles and calling them retro; going back to previous styles that have already come out, but I really want to take my brand to the future. It’s the 21st century. It think it’s time to start making shoes look futuristic.

TEC: Do you live in New York right now or are you still in Maryland?

JM: I still live in Maryland.

TEC: Has it taken off? Have you seen people wearing them? Is there any specific region that seems to really be feeling them?

JM: Oh yeah. I’m definitely getting a lot of calls from friends and family telling me that they spotted the shoes out and about so it’s definitely picking up in the DC area.

TEC: Cool. You’re not necessarily a sneakerhead, but I still want to ask you, in terms of the sneaker collector culture — it’s blowing up, so basically, in your own opinion, why do you think there’s a sudden spike in people who are sneaker fiends?

JM: I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Hip-Hop is really blowing up. I think when you think of Hip-Hop, you also think of baseball caps; you think of t-shirts; you think of sneakers — so I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Hip-Hop has blown up and become probably one of the most popular forms of music out there…and forms of fashion out there. So, that’s really what I attribute it to.

TEC: What’s the price range for these sneakers?

JM: The first launch at Finish Line is going to retail at $150.

TEC: Where do you see Jezigns in the next 5 years?

JM: I see it as one of the premiere brands. A lot of companies, when they first started out, never had technology as revolutionary as this one, so the fact that I’m coming into the game with technology as revolutionary as this means that I can definitely capitalize off the brand.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 6th, 2007 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.