KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — Punk-activist and graphic artist Fahmi Reza’s ‘Kasut Penghasut’ shoe design mocking former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has made it to the second round of the Vans Custom Culture Asia 2018 competition.

Fahmi stated in a tweet that Malaysia had submitted 10 designs to the #VansCustomCulture Asia Competition 2018.

"Only one of these 10 shoe designs will be selected to represent Malaysia and will compete with finalists from 10 other Asian countries in the final round. #KasutPenghasut,” he said.

He said each finalist needs to prepare their shoe design prototype.

"I need to draw and paint it properly onto Vans shoes. The round two competition will take place from August 15 to August 25 next month,” he said.

When a Twitter user asked Fahmi’s opinion whether Vans should create a limited release of his shoes, Fahmi answered that his design did not have a chance of winning.

"My design will not win. How can a design of an anti-corruption protest be selected as the winner of a contest? I can guarantee that,” he replied.

Vans Asia Custom Culture kicks off in April and is open to residents of China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.

The winning artist will receive a cash prize, as well as the opportunity to host their very own Global House of Vans workshop and have their winning design featured on Vans Authentic shoes to debut on shelves Asia-wide in 2018.

This year, Vans is bringing the Custom Culture competition to Asia for the first time, further expanding a platform to support artists around the world.

Vans Custom Culture was created to empower and inspire creative individuals to express themselves through art and design.

Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, based in Costa Mesa, California and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX and motocross teams.