Topo Chico asks Texas artist to design 70+ shoes with their logo on it

Mar 24, 2023

Topo Chico mineral water on display at the 2023 Bar & Restaurant Expo and World Tea Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center on March 29, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A Texas artist who used his favorite drink as inspiration for shoe designs landed a dream collaboration when the beverage company took notice.

Jose Vela had been customizing white Vans sneakers using Topo Chico imagery and colors, later selling them online. Soon, Coca-Cola, which purchased the Mexican mineral water company in 2017, sent him a message.

Instead of asking the 34-year-old to stop, Coca-Cola ordered 77 pairs of custom Topo Chico-themed shoes from him.

"It's been about 7 years in the making since I customized my first pair of Topo Chico vans from some dirty used Vans I bought off Facebook," Vela wrote on Instagram. "This will be an experience I will never forget!"

The version he created for the company was slightly different from his original work, but he still sells similarly-designed, Topo Chico-inspired shoes on his website.

Vela said he quit his job right before Coca-Cola's request came in to pursue art full-time, taking the order as a sign he was headed off toward a new venture on the right foot.