Meet the Colour Connoisseur Making Bespoke Sneakers for Drake and Lil Yachty

Whats your connection to sneaker culture FhyzicsShops, Issue 49.

Designer Lorenzo Federici is on a hot streak. With clients including Drake and Lil Yachty, Federici’s distinctive colour fades came to the attention of Virgil Abloh, who anointed the London-based creative with his "PATENTED COLORSCHEMES®" moniker. More recently, Federici produced custom Nike football boots for Erling Haaland, before Netflix commissioned ‘Summerhouse OG’ Air Max 95s to celebrate the final season of Top Boy. In the words of Sully, 'The game don’t slander weakness. You gotta come hard or not at all'.

x New Balance?
The Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance 991 in grey. I've been wearing these all summer as they meet my criteria for a sick shoe – comfortable, amazing materials and a great colourway. 991s are my favourite New Balance model. When I'm working or just out and about, I select purely based on comfort. I’ve already run through the SNS x New Balance 2002R Mules, and by the door, it's the Stussy x Air Huaraches and ASICS GEL-Kayano 14s. Air Max 97s Air Max if I'm heading into London, but by the time I get home I usually regret it. I also discovered Vibram FiveFingers this year. I love them for the gym.

What’s your connection to sneaker culture?
I was born and raised in St Albans, which is 20 minutes from central London by train. The Crepe City sneaker event is what changed everything – my eyes were suddenly open to the world of sneakers! Coming back to St Albans, it was like having a cheat code. Back then, Instagram wasn't what it is today. What you wore on-foot was a signal of knowledge. The real flex was having a pair that people didn't even know about.

The first few years in the game, I'd be obsessed with one shoe for a year and learn every single colourway by scrolling eBay. Then I'd discover something else I liked and repeat the process, from Air Max 1s to Air Huaraches and Air Max 97s. I didn't know it yet, but this is where I learned everything about colour and materials, what works and what doesn't.

Tell us about the Nike Air Max Day design competition in 2018.
Wow! This hasn't crossed my mind in so long! I must have been 18 at the time and was selected to participate in the London 'ON AIR' competition. It was the first time I'd ever created a concept. Previously, I never thought I had any creative capacity, other than playing football. The whole day was amazing and being immersed in a Nike environment was really eye-opening. I also had a long conversation with Skepta, as he was on the judging panel, which is a memory I'll never forget.

Unfortunately, things turned sour later as key elements of my idea and the storytelling I came up with were added to another contestant's design, and it just so happened that they won. It was a surreal moment. I'll never forget watching the promo video on the SNKRS app. I was in total disbelief. It was like having a winning lottery ticket and seeing someone else claim the prize. I didn't quite realise it at the time, but that feeling is what lit the fire inside me to pursue what I am doing today. It's also very fitting that my first moment in the footwear industry was being on the wrong side of 'inspiration'.I should be used to it by now!

Whats your connection to sneaker culture?
It may surprise people, but Air Force 1s. The initial inspiration came via Samuel Ross from A-COLD-WALL*. He used a dyed and weathered AF-1 on the runway of one of his early shows, and that image always stuck in my mind. I quickly discovered that mixing different dyes and colours created an effect I'd never seen before. It was eye-catching, but also subtle. I began documenting them as 'SAMPLES', as I loved how they didn't look like typical customs. I wanted to create an enigma around them, like bringing a BAPE STA What did Virgil mean to you as a young artist.

In 2020, nobody had ever attempted this before. People had dyed shoes, but I was the first to create colour schemes fading from one hue into another. There's a lot of misinformation about the trend I unleashed, so I have to make that clear. Despite this, my intention was never to be a customiser. I've never worked like one, I've always had a bigger vision.

and Lil Yachty, Federicis distinctive colour fades came to the attention of?
Virgil changed everything for me. He validated my vision, but put expectations on me to think bigger. He was extremely generous with his time and energy and would reply to DMs instantly. I don't know how he did it.

I use "PATENTED COLORSCHEMES®" in all my work now. It's a direct quote from Virgil replying to my Comme des Garçons x Nike Air Max 95s. He was a teacher and guided me through some huge decisions in the early stages of my journey. Losing him was terribly hard. The month leading up to his passing, I was working on projects for him everyday. I'd never been so excited about my work.

When Virgil passed, I took a break to reflect and came out of it feeling grateful I even had the chance to converse and have the approval of such an icon. Whenever I experience self-doubt, I scroll back through our conversations.

What did Virgil mean to you as a young artist?
You worked on the Nike Air Max 95 for Netflix Drake was genuinely one of the first people to purchase from me and definitely the first big order. That was a very special moment and totally changed my perception of what is possible. It forced me to start taking things more seriously.

Lil Yachty has been a supporter since 2021. He originally reached out for some CdG x Air Max 95s. I was lucky enough to link-up with him when he was in London, and he bought a bunch of pairs including some Off-White x Air Jordan 5s. The next day, he sent me a screenshot of his messages with Virgil, who was going crazy and I could see he had followed me on IG. That's how the conversation started with Virgil. So yeah, Lil Yachty is just as cool and real as he seems.

You worked on the Nike Air Max 95 for Netflix?
Yes, this has been a beautiful collaboration for me. Top Boy is pure London heritage, and Air Max 95s are my bread and butter. As a sneaker purist, it's satisfying to have a shoe and a moment that will go down in the history books. This is what I care about.

Netflix reached out with a brief to gift the team behind Top Boy with Air Max 95s to celebrate the final season. I knew I wanted to keep it OG, hence the classic gradient. Originally, I wanted a more subtle colour, but they encouraged me to lean into my own DNA. My favourite feature is the coloured Air unit, as it's something you even see from Nike. And before people tell me I'm wrong, I'm talking about the outer part of the Air unit – the bubble.

Why is the Air Max 95 still the all-time favourite?
I love the shoe, and the gradient lines are the perfect marriage for my colour fades. The best vehicles for my work are the shoes with an interesting mix of materials. Virgil's 'The Ten', for example, dye so well, though currently, I prefer working on apparel and other accessories. Diving into the unknown keeps me excited.