Remember the $1,000 sneakers by local designer Jon Buscemi that the Business Journal wrote about a few weeks ago? Well, how about this: You could buy 25 pairs of those Italian-made kicks for the price of a single pair of Converse sneakers made by local cobbler Raul Ojeda.

Ojeda teamed up with artist Nate Lowman to craft 21 pairs of custom high-tops, which retail for a whopping $25,000 at Hollywood boutique Just One Eye. Don’t think of them as shoes, though; they’re works of art made from pieces of original Lowman paintings and Italian calf leather, sewn onto a classic Converse outsole.

Ojeda, who owns Mid-City custom shoe shop Don Ville and repair shop Willie’s Shoe Service, said it was a complicated project: He first had to buy and dissect a pair of Chuck Taylors, use those pieces to create a custom pair and send that to Converse parent Nike Inc. for approval of the concept and quality.

He then worked with Lowman to cut two canvases into pieces for the 21 pairs and set to work stitching them together. The shoes went on sale last year, and a few are still available. (Don’t all jump up at once.)

Ojeda, who makes high-end custom shoes for wealthy customers and movie studios, acknowledged that these are remarkably pricey – by far the most expensive shoes he’s made.

“Right now, I’m making boots for an executive in San Francisco – they’re all alligator,” he said, “and they’re only $15,000.”

– James Rufus Koren