Rocky Top Customs — a business from a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, student — specializes in crafting unique, hand-painted custom shoes. Addison Yelton, a sophomore from Johnson City, Tennessee, founded the business while pursuing a B.A. in art and competing as a goalkeeper for the Lady Vol’s soccer team. Yelton started painting as a child and she channeled that love for art into Rocky Top Customs.
The idea for the business began in middle school when a friend asked Yelton to paint a custom pair. Since then, she has hand-painted around 50 different custom shoes. What sets her apart from other shoe designers is the input and collaboration clients enjoy, ensuring the end product is exactly what they envision.
As a college athlete herself, Yelton finds special meaning designing and creating custom shoes or cleats for other athletes. “For the athletes, they like having special symbols or messages on their shoes when they’re out on the field because it helps them stay rooted when they’re playing,” she shares.
Yelton joyfully compares seeing her shoes in public to seeing other works of art in a gallery. She believes Rocky Top Customs has given her art and talent more of a purpose, as she recalls “it’s more about connecting with other people and just growing as a person.”
About the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, housed in the Haslam College of Business, is the front door to entrepreneurship at UT, connecting entrepreneurs and innovators at every stage with the resources, networks and expertise needed to solve real challenges. By cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset across campus, connecting entrepreneurs with resources and mentorship they need to grow and collaborating with the UT and regional ecosystem, the Anderson Center is developing an entrepreneurial culture where Volunteers are empowered to identify unmet needs and take bold action to create value through new ventures.
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CONTACT:
Brennan Hullett, brennan@utk.edu
