Davidsonville Designer Debuts Shoes From New Lifestyle Brand

DAVIDSONVILLE, MD — A University of Maryland student from Davidsonville has created his own sneaker and is releasing it to the public at a limited 500 pairs.

You may remember reading about Joe Carson, 22, last year on Patch when he competed in the 2017 Pensole World Sneaker Championship.

Carson placed in the Top 8 out of hundreds of aspiring designers competing for their chance to have their shoe design manufactured and sold at Foot Lockers around the world.

Although Carson didn't win, he manufactured his own pair of sneakers with help from a manufacturing team in Portugal and created the brand Bacara.

"After the competition, I didn’t want my journey to stop there. I wanted to take my experience and my ideas to the next level. I had a goal, and with my very motivative mindset I decided to follow through with that vision," Carson told Patch. "I knew that I had created something totally different. Something that isn’t currently sitting on shelves. I knew that if I was going to take that next big step, now was the time to do it."

Carson worked for the past eight months to develop his own lifestyle brand, all while being a full-time college student.

"Bacara is a lifestyle footwear brand that is all about aesthetics. We step out with style. Our brand is passionate about designing creative lifestyle silhouettes that allow people to express their style in a new way and disrupt the norm. We focus on quality craftsmanship, innovative silhouettes, and exaggerated style," Carson said.

Five hundred pairs of the brand's first lifestyle shoes, called The Blade, are available to the public to pre-order on April 21. The shoes cost $175.

This is the first time that the Bacara Blade will be available to the public. The release will be limited to only 500 pairs total and you must pre-order to secure your pair, Carson said. The Blade is available in two different colorways, the “Shark” and the “Shadow”.

Carson considers The Blade a "new-age loafer."

The shoe was inspired by a 3M respirator painting mask, which was the first piece of equipment Carson purchased when he first started his first company CarsonCustomKicks back in high school.

"Constantly wearing the mask while painting, I noticed the unique construction of the mask and its interesting aesthetic," Carson said. "The unique strap system on the mask is what inspired the innovative lacing system that became the hero of my Bacara Blade footwear design."

Want to know more about the behind the scenes work? Check out the entire Bacara Blade design process here.

SEE RELATED:

• Davidsonville Designer Advances To Top 8 In Pensole World Sneaker Championship
• Davidsonville Designer In Top 16 Aiming To Land Foot Locker Deal
• Davidsonville Designer Is One Step Closer To Selling Shoes In Foot Lockers Worldwide
• Davidsonville Designer Vies To Sell Shoes In Foot Lockers Worldwide

Carson founded and established CarsonCustomKicks when he was a senior at South River High School in Edgewater. More and more students at his high school asked him to customize their own shoes, and that's when Carson launched his business.

Since then, Carson has created custom shoes for his friends, family and even famous artists like the Oakland, Ca. rapper G-Eazy.

Along with running his new lifestyle brand, Carson is studying Graphic Design at the University of Maryland. He will graduate in May with a Bachelor's Degree. He has had impressive stints at Pensole Footwear Design Academy and Under Armour.

"At Bacara, we are building a creative and refined aesthetic. Our brand is working to become a well known competitor in the lifestyle footwear market," Carson told Patch. "As for me, I am constantly pushing myself to the next level. I am eager to learn all that I can, so that I can be the best designer I can be. I can’t predict the future, but I can tell you that this is just the beginning."

Check out Carson's new lifestyle brand, Bacara, here. The Blade will be available to preorder on Saturday, April 21. Release is limited to 500 pairs total.

Keep up with Carson's creations on his Instagram and website.

Photos via Joe Carson