Yohance Lacour is best known for using fine leathers to handcraft bespoke sneakers. He came of age in the 80s and 90s, obsessed with, but unable to afford the styles that today’s sneakerheads consider the holy grail.

In the late 2000s, he landed himself in prison… where he discovered leathercraft. Upon his release, he began merging that golden era aesthetic he grew up on, with exotic skins, and an unorthodox process, to create one-of-one artisanal luxury goods that speak to the Black experience.

His designs are now handcrafted in Portugal and sold online and in boutiques across the country. He continues to create leather art and prototype sneakers by hand at his Chicago studio.

Lacour’s work has been acquired by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and appeared at Art Basel in 2022.