Long-time friends Nick Cohen (a resident DJ at Southside) and Seth Campbell might one day get their very own word in the Oxford English Dictionary -- "shoewlery." It's like frenemy, but instead of enemies going incognito as friends, they've disguised shoes as jewelry, and the conceit works fabulously. Upper Echelon Shoes is the name of their unisex brand, and the shoes they make aren't just up the echelon -- they top it. Think signature sneakers with chunky 18-karat gold, silver, or gunmetal chains for laces; think Diddy wearing them to the BET awards; think an ad campaign featuring eight Amazonian bombshells wearing nothing but their undies and your shoes. Business, for these boys, is booming. And if they could have anyone in the world sport their kicks, who would it be? "The famous person that we would want wearing our shoes most is also be the person we believe would wear it best: Kate Moss," they say. Check the Midas-touched shoes after the jump.

Nick Cohen, DJ and owner of Upper Echelon Shoes, punches the club clock, DJs sans shirt for the downtown celebs, and builds his upscale sneaker brand -- all to avoid those dreaded fluorescent office lights.

How was Los Angeles?
Really good. We Just did press and celebrity seating and met with stylists and editors [for Upper Echelon Shoes].

You’re the resident DJ Thursday nights at Southside. Other than Southside, what other spots do you like to hit up?
Because I have spent so many hours in nightclubs, if I am going out, I am going out. I like 1Oak, Tuesdays especially. I’ll go in and do a small guest [DJing] set. Just with a couple of friends, I’ll do something there. The music is always pretty good. And then Beatrice Inn. I logged many hours in the Beatrice Inn, smoke in my eyes.