The Rise of Women in Sneaker and Streetwear Culture

I’ve been involved in sneaker/streetwear culture for over 8 years. I’ve been in love with the culture since my first encounter with it, and I’ve realized that I want to spend the rest of my life building and participating in it. After 8 years, I’m finally launching my streetwear label. I decided to start it because I believe that brands are no longer sharing culture. Aren’t paying attention to or praising their community as much as they should. Everything I do as a result of it will be to spread the culture, educate the community, and grow alongside it. However, this is not the topic of this post, so we will go to the issue of today.

During the time that I’ve been learning more about the culture and living in it, I’ve seen that women aren’t as highly regarded as they should be. Of course, this has evolved as I see more women pushing the culture ahead, but this was a problem years ago. Women were not given the attention they deserved by streetwear and sneaker culture. Today, I’ve wanted to present and make you aware of some women who are engaged in the culture and whose work has contributed to propelling the culture forward. If you are enthusiastic about and want to be more involved in this culture, you must get to know them and their works because they are actually changing and bringing the culture forward.

Before I introduce you to these ladies, I’d like to tell you a little bit about the history of streetwear and how women were eventually given the opportunity and attention to participate in the culture.

For decades, streetwear was an avenue of fashion that was more accessible to men, and women were unwittingly left out of the mix. Adidas, Nike, Puma, Converse, and other brands pushed solely male athletes and designers for collaborations. Women in streetwear were not mainstream since their ability to affect change was not recognized at the time. Even though women were not directly participating in the culture in the 1990s and 2000s, R&B artists like Aaliyah, Missy Elliot, Janet Jackson, and Erykah Bodu inspired streetwear with their chic and cool vibes.

Streetwear fashion styles reflected the world’s sociopolitical landscape. Female-led initiatives demanding equality and empowerment gained traction around the world, assisting women in cementing a dominant role in society. These initiatives resulted in the emergence of streetwear culture, with more female designers and influencers joining the pool of collaborators.

Nike was the first to encourage emerging female voices and challenge the sneaker status quo. On Air Max Day 2017, Nike introduced the Air Max Jewel, the second women-only Air Max model, as well as the Air VaporMax with a Cortez marketing led by well-known model and icon Bella Hadid and a Nike Women campaign led by Serena Williams, the GOAT of women tennis.

Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, collaborated with Vogue in 2018 to create the first drop exclusively in women’s sizes. The collection was inspired by Anna Wintour (an American writer who has been the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue since 1988) and included a pair of Air Jordan 1 High Zip AWOK and an Air Jordan 3 SE AWOK. AWOK is an abbreviation for “Anna Wintour Okay.”

Following in the footsteps of Nike, Rebook has collaborated with Gigi Hadid (Bella’s sister) to produce a full athleisure line that includes the Classic Leather Double and the Aztrek Double sneakers.

Olivia Kim, Vashtie, Melody Ehsani, and Aleali May represent a shifting tide. One of the sneakers, an Air Jordan 1 to be exact, that Aleali May released is currently selling for more than $1,000, demonstrating the industry’s desire and how well accepted the collaboration was. I’ll go into more detail regarding May later in the article.

Mercedes Dinham Grant established two private Instagram groups for female sneakerheads of color in early 2020, where “women share pictures of kicks, have discussions about the next purchases, and uplift each other even when speaking beyond shoes with topics such as racial injustice.” “They offer a super supportive and safe place — something of a necessity, because Black women, who are at the foundation of street and sneaker culture, are almost invisible” when it comes to receiving recognition in the industry,” she says.

Pam Pam London, which opened in 2015, is another effort for women in the sneaker/streetwear industry. The first sneaker store in the UK to concentrate on top-tier women’s sneakers and clothing. Co-founder Bethany Heggarty notices a growing trend in women’s interest in sneakers and involvement in the scene.

With this introduction to women and their connections to street and sneaker culture, it is now time to move on and present you with the ladies who are actively participating in the culture and helping it grow.

Georgina James

Georgina James is Nike’s Vice President of Men’s Footwear. She studied footwear and fashion design at Cordwainers College of Art and Design, one of the most prestigious departments of the London College of Fashion. She has always been interested in sneaker design, therefore in 2018, as Swoosh’s Senior Creative Director of Women’s Footwear, she had a key role in one of Nike’s biggest female collections to date, the Nike 1 Reimagined Collection.

Fourteen of the brand’s female employees were tasked with developing an entirely new collection of reworked and reimagined Air Force 1s and Air Jordan 1s. As a result, ten overhauls of two classic Nike models were initially made and manufactured for males but are now designed and created for women.

Nike 1 Reimagined broke down barriers between female sneaker design and modern style. Each shoe was both shocking and inspirational. Women loved them.

Vashtie Kola

She is one of my favorite women who have ever been involved in and created street and sneaker culture. Vashtie Kola is a New York-based filmmaker, director, designer, artist, and creative consultant. She is also the first female to work with the Jordan brand to develop her own Jordans. While it may not seem like a huge issue today when a woman collaborates with a sportswear business, this was nearly unheard of during the start of the last decade.

Vashtie alternated between Jordan, Converse, New Balance, and Adidas daily during a time when women wearing footwear was deemed unusual. Vashtie has finally created a name for herself in the business after designing multiple pairs of sneakers, receiving numerous credits in music videos, and posing with an Air Jordan 3 cake on her birthday. She happened to run into her friend Astor Chambers, who had recently started a new gig at Jordan at the time. This meeting resulted in the creation of Vashtie’s first pair of sneakers. Vashtie and Nike released the 20th anniversary Air Jordan 2 in late 2010. It was a game-changer moment.

Aleali May

The lady with the most iconic pair of sneakers, yet few realize that they were designed by a woman. Aleali May has had a major impact on the fashion world since her first collaboration with Jordan and continues to do so now. She is only the second woman to work with the Jordan brand, radically changing female shoe design and collaboration.

In late 2017, Aleali launched one of the most legendary pairs of sneakers, the Air Jordan 1 Shadow. She collaborated with Jordan Brand again a year later for the introduction of the Jordan 1 Retro High Aleali May Court Lux, followed by the Jordan 6 Retro Aleali May in 2020. All three pairs were sold almost instantly and are now among the most sought-after sneakers.

The Air Jordan 1 Shadow is unique in that it was designed by a woman and marketed as such, although it is a unisex sneaker. Women were frequently placed in a separate category, far isolated from the rest of the sneaker world. But the Shadow wasn’t simply a women’s shoe, and that’s what made it so significant.

Tiffany Beers

Tiffany Beers is a name that you should remember from this article. Beers worked as Swoosh’s Senior Innovator and Designer in Beaverton, Oregon for 13 years, although she is no longer with the brand. Her notable initiatives included the Nike Mag, Nike HyperAdapt 1.0, and Kanye West’s debut Yeezy.

So, what’s the big thing about her? Can you recall how you felt when the self-lacing HyperAdapt 1.0 was released, the frenzy that surrounded it, and the expensive price tag that accompanied it? It was all Beers’ responsibility. She was instrumental in creating Back to the Future II-inspired shoes and transforming them into functional sneakers that athletes could wear.

Beers sat at the forefront of one of the most difficult and hyped aspects of sneaker creation over the previous decades, spending years working in Nike’s Innovation Kitchen and releasing unimaginable sneakers.

Chitose Abe

She is the leader of Japan’s future generation of designers, and she has established herself as the pioneer of trendy streetwear with a feminine edge that is worn by both men and women. She began her career as a pattern cutter at Commes de Garcons before moving on to work with Junya Watanabe’s design team. All of her experience working for CDG enabled her to begin a small home-run label where she could unleash her creativity and create limited edition pieces in her unique style. The label is known as sacai.

sacai has collaborated with brands such as Beats Electronics, The North Face, and, most notably, Nike over the years. Abe made her mark on the shoe world with the Swoosh. sacai’s first collaboration with NikeLab was released in the spring of 2015 and was a huge success.

Abe’s status in the sneaker world has risen dramatically in recent years. The “Blazer with the Dunk” line, which combined the Nike Blazer and Nike SB Dunk into one shoe, was introduced in 2018. There were double swooshes, laces, and tongues. She developed a new type of layering.

Chitose Abe was able to successfully bridge the gap between informal and formal, feminine and masculine. She’s one of a handful of women who have recreated various classic Nike styles, paving the path for future shoe collaborations — wacky, unusual, and awesome.

Sandrine Charles

Sandrine founded the Black in Fashion Council, which strives to connect and resource Black fashion professionals. Kith, Noah, Aime Leon Dore, and October’s Very Own were among her clients. Her endeavor is highly worth highlighting and following, and Black women, in my opinion, need greater recognition. At the end of the day, black culture played a significant part in shaping the future of the sneaker and streetwear cultures.

Jourdan Ash

Jourdan is a journalist and content producer. She first become interested in sneaker and streetwear culture as a child. Her mom used to dress, “Jourdan in Jordan” as she said in an interview. Ash is the founder of True to Us, a digital platform dedicated to elevating and normalizing black women as the pillars of streetwear and sneaker culture. She has previously worked for Complex, Married to the Mob, and Vashtie Kola.

Yoon Ahn

Yoon Ahn, better known as Yoon Ambush, is the co-founder of AMBUSH and the Men’s Jewelry Director at Dior. She handled the public relations for Billionaire Boys Club, a streetwear brand founded by Pharell Williams and NIGO, while working on AMBUSH with her husband, Verbal.

AMBUSH made its debut in 2008 and quickly achieved international acclaim thanks to the iconic AMBUSH “POW!” pendant. Ambush was an instant success after its official release. A Bathing Ape, NIGO, Maison Kitsune, sacai, and UNDERCOVER are among the influential street brands and designers with whom the label has collaborated. Influencers such as Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, KiD CuDi, and Big Sean are also known to be followers of the label.

Yoon’s Ambush recently worked with Nike, releasing a pair of Nike Dunk High.

Yoon’s name is worth mentioning on this list because of his innovation and the way he managed to put a new face to streetwear through AMBUSH.

Cynthia Lu

Cactus Plant Flea Market was founded by Cynthia. Cactus Plant Flea Market’s smiley-face tees and hoodies have transferred the world’s most important and productive musicians into another plane of style for the past seven years. “When I wear Cactus Plant, I feel like I have on antigravity,” says Pharrell, who had a hand in the brand’s creation. “I don’t feel like I am living within the matrix of the social norm.”

Cynthia Lu, the brand’s sphinx-like founder, has never given an interview since its inception seven years ago. And so the legend began: that she did it all from her small Brooklyn apartment; that your tees might arrive with your name lovingly sewn into the collar; and that when she met with Nike’s design team to work on the first CPFM sneaker, she stunned the room by dumping a duffel bag of prototypes she had already DIY’d onto the table.

Images of a new Nike and CPFM collaboration of a pair of Nike Dunks surfaced on the internet earlier this year. There is no release date or additional information on the pair.

Rihanna

Rihanna is a household name in the music industry, therefore her inclusion on my list was unavoidable. Aside from her numerous musical accomplishments, she also plays an essential role in the world of fashion, notably sneakers. Rihanna’s Fenty label collaborated with PUMA to create a sneaker collection in 2016. Every collection that has been released since then has had a strong emphasis on streetwear.

Rihanna has made significant contributions to the sneaker/streetwear industry. The Fenty x PUMA sneakers have also helped to raise PUMA’s reputation, which is a remarkable success given the ongoing rivalry from labels like Nike and Adidas.

This is only a small sample of the many women that have inspired and continue to influence the sneaker and streetwear culture. They were presented in a random sequence and picked based on my ideas on which ladies should people be aware of in this culture. Women have played and will continue to play, an essential role in sneaker and streetwear culture, in my opinion. Their stamp was required on both sneakers and apparel, and as you have read, their collaborations, projects, and creations have affected the culture in certain ways. I’m excited to see what they have in store for us, as well as which new designers and artists will emerge.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions! I will gladly answer them!
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