Pairs of camouflage-painted sneakers and graffiti-painted skateboards are displayed in the office of Haobang Design, which looks like a small street culture museum and makes people stunned.
These colorful paintings full of personality are all from the hands of Liru Chen, the founder of Haobang Design. Li Ru, who grew up in Puli, worked in Taipei for a while before getting married. Later, after having a child, he decided to move back to Puli to set up the design studio Artpeace Graphic.
At first, Li Ru's main job was painting sneakers. "Because limited edition sneakers are very expensive, and I can draw, I tried to make them look cool." Li Ru carefully studied various pigments and found a way to perfectly paint sun-proof and waterproof sneakers. He started by painting his own shoes, and then helped his friends to paint. Later, one time, Li Ru wore his painted sneakers to accompany his wife Xing Fang to the Paper Cathedral Weekend Market. It happened that a well-known musician who was performing at the market saw the shoes Li Ru was wearing while strolling around the market. He thought they were very special and came up to ask about them out of curiosity. After learning that it was a work painted by Li Ru himself, the musician was very amazed and asked Li Ru to paint a pair for him. Not long after, musicians received Li Ru's painted sneakers and wore them out, which attracted media attention and began to report on them. Li Ru became famous overnight. Sneaker brands, hip-hop singers, and athletes began to seek cooperation with Li Ru to customize unique painted sneakers. Some companies also invited Li Ru to open sneaker painting workshops.
In 2016, Li Ru and Xing Fang founded Hao Bang Design. In addition to sneaker painting and event planning, they also began to undertake graphic design, mural painting and interior design work. They also tried their best to assist with the case in Puli. For example, he designed the Puli Food Bank's logo, designed the interior of the Puli Township Farmers' Association, and led the elderly at the Puli Long-term Care Center to experience spray painting graffiti.
As a native of Puli, Li Ru is very aware of the lack of local resources and cares deeply about the local area. For example, Li Ru once sent skateboards from the skateboard painting workshop to the primary schools in Guoxing and Yuchi. After arriving at the schools, Li Ru felt it would be a pity if the skateboards were not used, so he took the initiative to propose to the school to teach students how to skateboard. He taught for two years. Because the students were very interested in painted sneakers, Li Ru specifically proposed to the sneaker manufacturers to hold a sneaker painting workshop in the primary school. The sneaker manufacturers therefore sponsored the sneakers so that students could experience the fun of painted sneakers.
“I grew up in Puli, and the information I had access to was different from that of other urban residents, so I hope I can share what I’ve learned or my resources with people who like this industry or culture. I can’t say if it will bring any changes to the place, but I’ll see if there are any sparks,” Li Ru said.
This design spark full of creativity and warmth continues to light up every corner of Nantou.
