The process of creating a custom kick begins with the customer deciding what they want in a custom shoe. Very often this custom design will be a matter of mimicking a design worn by a popular music artist or actor, and such requests were actually where the custom kicks market began. Other customizations of brand name shoes may be to add colors or patterns that are not seen out of the box. Plaids and stripes are particularly popular, as are bright contrasting colors worked over the body and the accents of the shoes. Custom designs for shoes are a good way to either dress up what would usually be a fairly tame pair of sneakers, or to help make them more casual for every day wear. Some collectors even have pairs of custom kicks that match particular outfits or personal patterns.

Similar to the addition of color and pattern is the use of various types of fabrics in a customization. Some use only leathers much like the original shoes; others may incorporate bits of fur, glitter, silk or rhinestone stick on. Currently there are many real world stores that sell customized brand names and offer additional custom kick designs, prices ranging from $70 upwards, averaging out a bit over $100, more for more complex design and rush requests. In order to combat these prohibitive prices online websites such as urbanhotlist.com have appeared, offering discounted prices on these shoes as well as other popular brand names. These online shops can often take orders well in advance and have a faster turn around time than many brick and mortar stores.