SHOT BY: @STILLBYHELLY

Tell us about yourself.

“My name is Christina Hall, I’m 30, I’m originally from Jamaica but I grew up in the Bronx and I’m a visual merchandiser.”

How long have you been a sneaker lover?

“Probably since I was like 7, that’s when I got my first pair and those were the Taxi 12s. Ever since then it has been one long expensive road.”

Do you remember your introduction to the sneaker game?

“Yeah, the Taxi 12s were my first pair I got because my older brother got them. I wasn’t into sneakers and had like Barbie sneakers and light up sneakers but I wanted to be like my big brother so I got those and ever since then it was like love at first sight.”

What is your favorite pair of sneakers?

“Whatever pair I’m wearing at the moment. I can’t pick a favorite. That’s like the hardest question for me. So yeah, whatever pair I’m wearing at the moment is my favorite pair.”

What are you wearing now?

“My feminist t-shirt is from Missguided, my skirt is from Nasty Gal and I’m wearing the women’s exclusive Satin Backboard 1s.”

What is your favorite sneaker colorway?

“I’m gonna go with classic black and white because you cant go wrong with a black and white sneaker and it goes with everything.”

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

“Probably Adidas because I don’t see many women collaborating with them right now. Nike has women like Aleali May and Vashtie and I think Adidas needs to start doing the same thing with their company and start collaborating with more women.”

What do you think the sneaker game is missing?

“Accessibility. It’s way too hard to get sneakers for actual sneaker lovers nowadays so I think they need to figure out a way to get sneakers in the hands of people who actually want them versus re-sellers.”

To keep up with Christina and her crazy sneaker collection, follow her on Instagram @ItsMe___Tina!

SHOT BY: @STILLBYHELLY

Tell us about yourself.

“My name is Davina and I’m 27 years old. I’m from Queens but I’m originally from Florida and I’ve been living here for like 10 years. I’m in fashion; I do PR.”

How long have you been a sneaker lover?

“All my life! Truthfully, ever since I was younger. I just feel tougher, but style and comfort too. Looking cute and comfortable is key.”

Do you remember your introduction to the sneaker game?

“It was in the 9th grade and I had just moved from Florida to NY. Everyone in high school had fly kicks and I wanted a pair of Jordan’s so bad for the first day of school. I copped and fit right in. Since then I’ve known how important sneakers were to every fit.”

What is your favorite pair of sneakers?

“I love my 1s. I think that’s my most favorite pair of sneakers but I also love the Sacai x Nike collaboration. It’s top 5 right now.”

What are you wearing now?

“I’m wearing sunglasses that I stole from bae and I’m not sure where they’re from, my top is from Aritzia, the skirt is from ASOS I think and Off-White’s.”

What is your favorite sneaker colorway?

“The Bred’s red, black and white. They’re simple, classic and go with everything.”

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

“I would collaborate with Nike. They have so many different style and aesthetics, you have the creativity to do whatever you want and I think that’s awesome. You get to freely express yourself the way you want and I feel like I could do my best work with them.”

What do you think the sneaker game is missing?

“I think the sneaker game is missing inclusivity. As a female, I wear a smaller size in sneakers (5Y) and sometimes the most fire kicks come out in a size 7 for men and up. Which is really frustrating and isn’t fair for me because I feel limited. There are platforms that are starting to release more women’s size, but I feel like we are still far behind men. It would be dope if more brands would offer smaller sizing with exclusive drops rather than just mass produced styles.”

To keep up with Davina, follow her on Instagram @LoveDavina! Look out for dope outfit inspiration!

SHOT BY: @STILLBYHELLY

Tell us about yourself.

“I am Tiona Deniece and I am a singer-songwriter and a sneaker influencer. As far as age, I am not gonna disclose it because if I tell you, you wouldn’t believe me anyway! I am from New York, however I currently live in Atlanta.”

How long have you been a sneaker lover?

“I’ve been into sneakers since I was 12 years old and like I said I’m old, so that’s like a long, long time ago.”

Do you remember your introduction to the sneaker game?

“Absolutely! I was 16 and my parents were like we’re not buying you sneakers anymore so you have to get a job. So I got a job at Lady Footlocker because it just made sense. I spent all of my money buying sneakers on discount.”

What is your favorite pair of sneakers?

“My favorite sneakers I would have to say would be Air Max 97s. Those are my favorite because growing up I used to play basketball and I had big feet so I used to always complain about nobody wanting to talk to me because I got these big ol feet. My best friend told me to buy a pair of running sneakers and I bought a pair of Air Max 97s and I’ve never looked back since then.”

What are you wearing now?

“I have on my Dior shades, my blazer is from Express, my jeans are the Khloe Kardashian jeans, and my sneakers are custom Air Force 1 Mids that were done by my boy @yagidasensei.”

What is your favorite sneaker colorway?

“Anything bright! It doesn’t even matter. If it’s bright, I want it!”

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

“I would say Jordan Brand and I say that because I like shoes that tell a story and Jordan does such a great job of telling stories. Whether it’s about Jordan itself like special color ways or a special game, I love the story aspect. To me, it gives a further connection into the shoe, the collection, the person, the whole thing. So yeah I definitely want to do something with the Jordan Brand.”

What do you think the sneaker game is missing?

“I think it’s missing more thick chicks!”

To stay updated on Tiona’s music, her She Likes To Kick It series, #KOTD Friday’s and her partnership with WNBA Kicks, follow her on Instagram @Tiona_Deniece!

SHOT BY: @STILLBYHELLY

Tell us about yourself.

“I’m Janel Young, I’m 28, originally from Pittsburgh, PA and I’m a painter.”

How long have you been a sneaker lover?

“I’ve been wearing sneakers my whole life but I became a sneaker lover in sixth grade.”

Do you remember your introduction to the sneaker game?

“I remember in all of my pictures when I was really young, I always had kicks on and swishy sweatsuits with the matching colors. I think I really started taking the sneaker game seriously when my mom bought me these white and orange mid Air Force 1s. At first I hated them and thought they made my feet look too big. I think one day I just woke up and changed my mind, started rocking them and then they got really trendy. From there I just started collecting sneakers.”

What is your favorite pair of sneakers?

“That’s tough, but right now it would be my high top neon Prestos for the comfort, color and versatility. As my all-time favorite, I would go with the Nike Air Max Plus silhouette.”

What are you wearing now?

“I am wearing a bralette and I don’t know where it’s from, Jordan poolside shorts that I cuffed myself, socks from LA All-Star Weekend 2018, and my shoes are the women’s Air Jordan Black/Hot Punch 1s. I guess I should mention my Nike chain and that’s from GirlForcexo.”

What is your favorite sneaker colorway?

“I love a bright shoe! My favorite colorway for sneakers is anything with a neon flair, like the pair I’m wearing today. I’ve had a thing for neon green years before it was trending.”

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

“I’ve always been a Nike girl but I could easily see myself collaborating with Puma or Vans. I love the work that they do with visual artists like myself — especially women artists — and the creative culture and liberty that shows through their collabs.”

What do you think the sneaker game is missing?

“It’s missing the representation of black women. It’s also missing the dynamics of women in sneaker culture meaning we don’t just want pink, pastel or flowers. We like the hard sh*t, too.”

To check out some of Janel’s art, follow her personal Instagram @Janel.La.Bella and her art Instagram @JY.Originals!