#SneakerheadProject: Nya

SHOT BY: @STILLBYHELLY

Tell us about yourself.

“My name is Nya, I’m 27 and I’m from New York. I was born in Brooklyn then I moved to the Bronx and I am an elementary school teacher right now.”

How long have you been a sneaker lover?

“I’ve loved sneakers my whole life. I remember my first pair of J’s my pops got me when I was 9 years old. After that it was just like you shouldn’t have done that man.”

Do you remember your introduction to the sneaker game?

“Yup! I was 9 years old, it was 2001 and my pops used to work in Staten Island. This was before the game got wild crazy so he came home with both the Cherry Low 11s and the UNC joints. My gym uniform was red so I couldn’t wait to go to school. I was too excited!”

What is your favorite pair of sneakers?

“My favorite pair that I have in my house right now would be my Taxi 12s. It’s so clean!”

What are you wearing now?

“I have on this Nas shirt, these track pants from Forever 21 and I guess they call these Panda 1s.”

What is your favorite sneaker colorway?

“My fave colorway is probably just the classic Bred 11s or Bred 1s so anything red, black and white. I feel like you could style those with almost anything.”

If you could collaborate with any sneaker brand, who would you collaborate with and why?

“Brand? Nike. Why? Because I feel like I have an unlimited amount of options as far as materials, colorways and sneaker models. I feel like everyday they come out with something new and the options are limitless.”

What do you think the sneaker game is missing?

“Quantity and I think that now since they are trying to incorporate women, I think they’re missing black women. I think they’re just missing a space for us to get our own stuff. If you’re making a colorway for us, I shouldn’t be the last option. It shouldn’t be harder for me to get it versus dudes that don’t even wear my size.”

Want to keep up with Nya? Follow her on Instagram @_WakeUpInTokyo and check out her YouTube channel here!