BJ Betts

I first met BJ Betts two years ago. Oddly enough, I’d come across his name through the niketalk and crooked tongues forums. Shoes he’d collaborated on came to the fore, and I did a little investigation. This wasn’t the usual way I learned about tattooists, but I felt connected to his work, and after finding out that he was based close to me in Wilmington, DE, I sought him out to work on a large-scale piece based on my master’s thesis.

Luckily for me, BJ was interested in the idea. Shared interest in tattooing and sneakers spurred several long and hearty discussions during visits to the shop. Things began to connect and we talked about projects we were both working on. Among BJ’s intriguing work was his involvement with Adidas.

This connection, forged through a friendship with C-Law, has led to two sneakers and a series of t-shirts for Adidas Skateboarding. The BJ Betts x Adidas Collection drops this month, and I thought it the perfect opportunity to share a conversation the two of us had soon after the opening of BJ’s new shop, Trademark Tattoo.

Given the nature of our previous chats, and the many overlapping subjects covered by our shared interests, we veered between tattooing and fashion. I wanted to learn a little more about growing in the tattoo trade, as well as what its like to work on sneaker projects as an outside artist.

The conversation took place in May 2008 at Trademark Tattoo. We spoke for about 2 hours.