From Japan With Love

I am lucky enough to know people who consider my project even when on holidays. My classmate recently returned to Japan over the mid semester break and took some photos of some amazing bubblegum coloured sneakers, in what I can only imagine is one of numerous sneaker stores in Japan. Seeing pictures like these, even if the sneakers themselves don’t appeal to me, really make me envy places like Japan and Hong Kong.

It just seems like in comparison that our market is tiny, at least in Melbourne anyway. There are ranges of colour ways for vans silhouettes that I didn’t even realise existed and from what I have seen these are for women only too, imagine the rest!
Despite the numerous colour-ways that I have never seen they still conform to that notion that girls want pale, shiny, and often pink shoes. In some cases they put all stereotypes into one shoe, making them shiny, pastel and featuring pink. Even if these are the shoes I advocate against there is apparently a larger range of choice overseas in comparison to what I have seen in the sneaker stores here.










There is simply more variety, but the problem still remains the same. These shoes have been labelled as women’s sneakers rather than sneakers to be worn by both sexes. Even outside of western culture the stereotypes remain, there is a limited scope for women in sneaker culture when it comes to choice. It is confining and designs appear far more repeated when the colour palette the designers have to choose from are pastel, silver, white or various shades of pink.
It is no surprise then when particular women who are sneaker enthusiasts will tread on the dark side and explore what colours the boys get to choose from. It is there that you can see the designers have far more range and freedom and can be a little more experimental.

Ideally I would like for the labels to be removed completely but that is impossible, instead a compromise should be reached. A compromise that allows the same decisions and considerations taken when designing male sneakers to be made on the female sneakers, rather than repeating the tried and true stereotypes that have been pushed on our culture. Women should not feel judged when eyeing the mens designs, and the marketing departments of these brands shouldn’t push so hard to make this distinction between gender so large.

Nike 6.0

Nike 6.0 has released it’s first female dedicated pack of sneakers and apparel. Nike 6.0 is dedicated to extreme sports, such as surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding and until now hasn’t had any shoes designed specifically for women. They must have noticed a demand to prompt this upcoming release and I have to say I am intrigued. Having seen previews around the internet the pack looks quite promising.

The sneakers themselves are quite restrained in terms of design and very atypical of what is common for female oriented sneakers. Rather than using classic silhouettes like the air max or the air force one they have taken less renowned shoes and designed them without using patterns and colours that aren’t pink or floral.

Currently the only kicks to have been previewed are: hi dunks, low dunks, balsa mid, isis and braata. The pair of dunks are primarily black with blue and red highlights with a quilted texture, a design quite out of the norm for Nike when it comes to the ladies. There aren’t many female released shoes by Nike that I could see myself purchasing but the ones released for this range have peaked my interest. Especially the Balsa Mid’s that look like a high top version of the Toki mid with some modifications, they are restrained enough in design to suit most outfits but have their own share of quirks that make them unique.







This pack appears to be a step outside of the box for Nike in regards to how it usually designs for women. There is a severe lack of pink and silver and only a couple of times does a floral arrangement appear and in such a way that it isn’t overtly feminine either. The pack bursts with red, cream and grey, which is a subdued palette but works well in the context of who the pack is intended for.




This specific release by Nike 6.0 is aimed at ‘progressive female action sports stars’ like: Ellery Hollingsworth (snowboarder), Monyca Byrne-Wickey (surfer) and Carissa Moore (surfer). Girls like these don’t want girly girl kicks they want something that is on par with the boys, at least that is the implication I am gaining from this 6.0 release.



Helena Christensen has signed on as photographer of this pack, the reason I bring this up is because recently a friend showed me an ad campaign she did for Reebok. Helena appears compeltely nude except a pair of Reebok trainers, this approach to advertising for sfemale sneakers has been popular and used by many other brands. This tactic intends to liberate women but instead only panders to male viewing pleasure, but it isn’t the approach taken by Helena for the ‘progressive’ women in the Nike 6.0 pack. Perhaps she has realised that it is demeaning to photograph women nude for the sole purpose of selling sneakers, considering men aren’t doing the same to sell theirs.

This being said I have no real qualms with the Nike 6.0 pack, the designs are appealing and refreshing. They could easily pass for male sneakers and I am sure there will be many men clambering for a pair. The photography is well done and reminiscent of the photography used by Ripcurl and Volcom, despite my concerns about Helena Christensen. These are designs that should appear more throughout Nike’s future releases dedicated to women. Elegant designs that are feminine without flaunting it and that needs to be taken into consideration in the future.

The one thing I do have to question though is why these designs are only being used for the upcoming Nike 6.0 release? Why couldn’t this have just been a general release, rather than one intended specifically for those who surf and snowboard? Aren’t these sneakers that could be enjoyed by all women, and even more so by the women who usually purchase the male designs? Nike is releasing a pack that is positive for women and not limiting them to the confines of stereotypes, but it is only being marketed towards certain types of women and that is limiting. My suggestion is that Nike should broaden the spectrum for this release and open it up to all of Nike rather than just 6.0, or alternatively design a new fall collection for women that doesn’t feature flowers and quilts.

Not so equal

Sneaker culture and hip hop culture are synonymously linked and have been since the conception of sneaker culture. With this link also comes the problems that hip hop culture encounters with gender equality or the lack thereof.

Hip hop music has and continues to be largely popularised by men. The majority of popular hip hop artists are men who sing about women and often in a demeaning manner. Snoop Dogg is one artist who frequently refers to women as though they are sexual objects, these referrals and the derogatory nature of a lot of hip hop music towards women means they only have a small role to play in the culture. Women dress in skimpy outfits and play into the role that the men have created for them rather than trying to break out of it.

Even in the cases where women become hip hop artists themselves they still fit into these narrow stereotypes of women in hip hop culture. Missy Elliott for instance is one of the few women in hip hop to rise to mainstream popularity, despite her strong presence in the genre she still succumbs to the rigid outlines of how a woman in hip hop should dress and behave. In many of her video clips she employs slim women to dance behind her in a seductive manner, something many of her male counterparts use in their video clips. While Missy Elliott’s music at times is in favour of empowering women her image is not. When she first started she did not fit the stereotypical body image of women in the music scene, and dressed like men however she soon conformed to the slim image of women she was surrounded by and began to dress in outfits similar to her backup dancers.



In contrast to Missy Elliott is Lady Sovereign, who rather than wearing next to nothing prefers baggy clothes, those similar to what her male counterparts often wear. She opts for sneakers over heals and jeans over miniskirts and while it may seem like this is a positive role model for women in both hip hop culture and sneaker culture it is still only a narrow scope for women to conform to within these cultures.



Within sneaker culture it is assumed by the big brands like Nike and Adidas that women want sneakers that are glittery, pastel in colour and employ some use of pattern. The women who wear these sneakers also prefer tight clothes, skirts and are there to please men. Like hip hop culture there is an opposite spectrum to this stereotypical girly girl image and that is to become one of the boys.



When I went to a sneaker swap meet held by Sneaker Freaker magazine I was hoping to meet some interesting women but instead was face by the reality of the culture. I entered the swap meet and was immediately hit by the loud bass of hip hop music and naturally the percentage of patrons attending were male, this wasn’t something I was unaware of and there were girls manning their own stalls. As I was looking around and taking pictures of some interesting sneakers I happened upon a girls stall, she had an interesting mix of kicks, both typically feminine and masculine. The girl herself who was in charge of this stall wore extremely baggy clothes, a flat lipped hat turned to the side and had some ‘bling’ on. The other stall I found that was run by women was the exact opposite, there were heels up for sale as well as a few pairs of pink pastel Nike’s, the girl in charge was a girly girl in comparison to the first girl.

There seems to be only two ways you can go in sneaker culture if you are a woman, you either become one of the boys or you adopt what can be referred to as ho chic. Baggy clothes, or ridiculously tight borderline non-existant. There is no happy medium, and if there is you end up feeling out of place. The men have it easy, the culture is far more welcoming to them as it has been since the culture started. It is culturally acceptable for men to wear sneakers outside of sports activities but for women to do the same is seen as something out of the norm.
While it may not be like the Victorian era; women in corset’s and hoop skirts, today there is still a great deal of sexism surrounding women in western society. Heads may not turn any longer when a woman chooses to play a sport such as football or don a pair of sneakers outside of the tennis court but there is still a level of uncertainty by men and women when a woman shows an enthusiasm in the world of sneakers, especially if that woman prefers the designs intended for men.

If you are a women who adores sneakers it is expected of you to go one of two ways. Ways already predetermined by hip hop culture and carried over into sneaker culture. You can either be one of the boys or opt to remain a girly girl who rocks a pair of pink air max’s. There is a sense of alienation if you don’t want to be either and even more so if you are not into hip hop music. Even with many more women in sneaker culture coming forward and creating more avenues for other like-minded women to admit their fondness of sneakers, they aren’t addressing the real problems with the culture. Women may be popping up and making stores and sneakers for women that don’t follow the stereotypes of femininity but in doing so they immediately become masculine. Men are still dictating the culture and how women are perceived within it, the mentality of pink is for girls and blue is for boys is still dominant in sneaker culture.

Interview with Tabatha

Over the past few months I have undertaken several interviews with women who I think play pivotal roles within Sneaker Culture. Married to the Mob being one of them, I was fortunate enough to have a chat with the lovely Tabatha who is in charge of the blogs at Married to the Mob. Married to the Mob if you don't know collaborate with popular brands to make fresh and exciting sneakers especially for the ladies, as well as a range of apparel.

How did Married to the Mob start? Like was it one person who just started it or was it a whole group?
Mob, like most things, started as a simple idea. Leah – creator – was hanging out drinking on her stoop one day with her girls and the concept just crossed her mind. She was friends with a lot of the guys who were already in the business, making clothes for dudes, and she knew that there was nothing out there in the same genre for women. Without wasting any time, she had samples made, and long story short, here we are now, in an office on the 66th floor of the empire state building with racks and racks of clothes to show for it! Not bad for a simple idea...
Have the members of Married to the Mob and you yourself always been into sneakers?
I think it’s safe to say that we’re all sneaker lovers, even if some of us may have moved on to ‘big girl’ shoes now. We’re really just a bunch of city kids for the most part, we grew up being fully submerged in the streetwear culture, before it was even ‘street wear’, so yeah, we’re into them!
How did you guys get approached to start doing collaborations? Or was it Married to the Mob who did the approaching? Was it something that you had always planned on doing or was it more you were given the opportunity so you took it?
As far as collaborations go, I think it’s something that now happens naturally with brands operating within a similar niche. Each brand is doing well on it’s own and then they may turn to one another and think “we’d make cute babies”. You could look at it like any relationship, you have to build it up, butter one another up if you will, and you both have to have a respect for one another so that you can combine your ideas well. I wouldn’t say that any one person is doing more approaching, it’s a mutual thing. But certain opportunities are rare too, so yeah, when they’re there, snatch them.
Are there any brands you'd love to collaborate with that you haven't? Like is there a dream shoe that you guys just want to go to town on?
God, in terms of collaborations, there are so many we’d love to get into! I mean if we could, we’d work with all our biggest influences – Chanel, Sonia Rykiel, Stella McCartney! - but alas, it doesn’t always work that way. We’ll just have to wait and see. And as far as a dream shoe goes...I’m really not sure. Speaking on behalf of myself, it’d be awesome if we could do something that wasn’t a sneaker, perhaps just a straight heel? But then maybe we wouldn’t get the same dope effect of combining unlikely styles, the way we can with sneakers.
Do you think that females who are into kicks get stereotyped within the culture? For instance some people I know associate sneakers with sport and to wear them casually as a girl is seen as unfeminine, do you think a lot of people see it that way?
I don’t think that people necessarily associate a chick wearing sneakers to being a tomboy anymore, because the options for females have come a LONG way. There’s girls now that spend just as much money on sneakers as they do their nails and hair, and can even have iller collections than dudes. She may get called a sneakerhead or a hipster or something, but I actually think sneakers on a chick is a turn on for a lot of men nowadays. They love to see us invading their shit!
A lot of the brands will offer female alternatives to the male designs, I mean I’ve seen plenty of pink and pastel nike air max 90s going around in places like footlocker, even though a lot of sneaker heads prefer to buy the designs for men. Why is it do you think they aren’t paying attention to this?
why aren’t people/females picking up on the pastel versions you mean? That’s the unfortunate thing, whenever Nike or whoever makes a sneaker release for women, it comes in all these fruity girl colors – what, we can’t run the dark shit like the boys? Just because it’s pink, doesn’t make us want it more. The whole point is the close the division between male and female, not make it larger by stereotyping the sneakers available to us. Sometimes you can’t even cheat and get a smaller size, because mens releases won’t produce under a size 8! I hate that shit...
Married to the Mob often try to (In my opinion) collaborate with shoes that have quite strong and sometimes dominant male personalities, like for example the pro mama, that shoe is great I think because you’ve turned a masculine basketball shoe into something uniquely feminine just with some nice subtle touches. What is the message you try to send with your collaborations in regards to women sneaker fiends around the world?
I agree, I think that when we collaborate, we like to tread on territory familiar to the males. We like scaring boys! When designing sneaker collaborations, first we focus on what we like and what we would wear, because that’s the best way to get an idea of what your customer will like. Then of course, we incorporate the MOB attitude. We want girls to see them and say “holy shit, finally, a dope ass sneaker for girls”, and then we want boys to see them and say “damn, those would look dope on my girl”. Win win! But genders aside, we just want it to be aesthetically pleasing to everyone, we don’t like to lean to much to one demographic or age group, because the MOB demographic is a wide one.
I really hate when a shoe doesn't come in my size, do you think that with the rise in number of girls who love kicks there needs to be more said to the designers? Maybe suggest to them releasing some of the guys colourways in smaller sizes? 
I think it’d be great to get designers and sneaker brands making smaller sizes in mens shoes, so that women can get in on it. Some sneakers simply shouldn’t have gender separation when they release.
What are your thoughts on the current wave of simple shoes that are coming out? There was that wave of retro revival recently, and it's still around but at least here in Melbourne everything has been stripped back to canvas and vulcanised soles, do you think that the designers have run out of ideas?
Designers ran out of ideas a long, long time ago! Now they’re all just borrowing existing ones and hopefully expanding on them to make them original and unique again, but so many cant. I know what kinds of shoes you’re talking about, theyre everywhere here too, very big within the hipster fixed gear bike crowd. Definitely not my thing.
Within Married to the Mob do each of you have your own favourite brands that you collect or do you just go for whatever looks awesome? On that note are some of you collectors that have entire rooms dedicated to sneakers?
Well all of us at MOB have different tastes, which is good during the creative process, because you’re getting a good range of opinions. In terms of sneakers though, I’d say that overall we’re Nike girls here. I definitely am, I don’t really wear other brands, maybe a nice Adidas gazelle? I don’t know that any of us are collectors on an apartment space-reducing sense, but we all know people who do, for sure!
If there was any shoe you could design on or mash up with another shoe, what would it be?
Well once again, this is coming from me and I cant really speak for the other girls, but I’ve always wanted to do a Nike AF1! That’s what we were originally leaning towards when the company started and we were first thinking about dream collabs. It just makes sense, we’re NYC girls and that’s definitely a NY shoe too.
What has Married to the Mob got in store for the future? If you are allowed to divulge that information that is, anything completely jaw dropping?
As for MTTM’s future, who knows! We’re going to keep doing our thing and spreading the Married to the Mob attitude everywhere we can, we have projects lined up that I have to keep hush hush, but otherwise we just go with the flow and wait to see where vibes lead us. Stay tuned...
This is probably something I should have asked first up, please describe what it is Married to the Mob do?
I’m officially our blog writer (mobliving.com) and “PR girl”, I deal with our ‘preferred’ customers when they come through to the showroom and need to get hooked up, but I’d say that I’m an all around go-to girl here. I’ve known leah and been with the company pretty much since the beginning, so I have a good sense of how things operate.
Thanks for giving me some of your time to let me interview, it’s been a great experience.

Heels.

For some time now I have been thinking about why it is women choose heels over sneakers, and that is when the whole notion of comfort comes into play. Personally I don't have any issue with women who wear heels, but what I don't really comprehend is why they would wear them when they cause so much physical damage. The upsides I guess are the illusion of height the offer and they can make legs look much sexier, but it seems that doesn't make the pain of wearing them worth it to be honest
Perhaps I am not really qualified to be talking on the subject matter as I myself have never even tried to cram my feet into heels, I am not particularly graceful as it is and can only see one outcome for myself if I ever wore them. Face first on the floor. It takes a certain level of practice to wear heels, friends of mine have said they need to wear heels more to get used to them. Is that really necessary? Surely flats would be the better choice, or in my case sneakers. I am trying to figure out why fashion creates these notions of being uncomfortable equates to being better looking. Stiletto heels to me can be associated with Chinese foot binding.

While the results of wearing heels may not be as severe as foot binding the similarities can be seen. Women on a daily basis in the 21st century will cram their feet into heels that are narrower at the toes, make you balance on what I can only describe as a stick. Some how they walk around in these most of the day and in some cases, run. As a result of wearing these heels the form of the foot begins to change. Basically the entire weight of the human body is placed in the heels of the foot, and when in high heels it is then placed on these sticks. Call my crazy but this sounds absurd to me. Medical professionals have noted that wearing heels puts undue stress on the joints of the knees, back and ankles. Not only that but they kind of deform your feet.
Bunions, a structural deformity of the bones between the foot and the big toe, in severe cases it can push all your toes on an angle and cause permanent breaks in the toes. So if I ever ventured into the world of high heels this is what I could expect. Fun times.

Okay I have discussed some of the health issues I have with heels, but now I want to discuss the aesthetic issues. I find that a lot of heels are simply boring. There really isn't a lot designers can do with them, considering the shape and form heels follow there is a limit as to how extravagant the design can be. You can apply pattern, maybe some decorative elements like buckles, or sequins and some feathers but that's really about it.

Sneakers on the other hand, you can have some fun with those designs. The silhouette of a sneaker will vary in detail but within the construction of the shoe itself you can play with various materials, then there are colour combinations, the actual design itself can in some cases become quite detailed. Look at the Air Jordan by Nike for example. The later versions of the shoe become a lot more involved where design is concerned, you have the various panels that join together to create the shoe, all of these blank canvasses for patterns or differing materials. The sole of the shoe can be fun as well, I'm wearing a pair of shoes right now with a fluro yellow sole, that's pretty cool.

I'm probably too biased on the subject but the design reasons alone make sneakers seem like the cooler option, and then there is the fact that many sneakers are designed with a basis in helping the feet. Basketball sneakers are meant to offer ankle and arch support so that the stress on the foot encountered during the sport is less detrimental. Running shoes give great support to the heel and the arch and in some cases the shoe evolves according to the foot.
However I think I know why all women aren't sneaker clad, and I think it comes down to that notion of femininity. High heels according to western culture are extremely feminine, they make the body seem sleeker and sexier and it is something that women and men have gotten so accustomed to that there is no alternative.
I think a big misconception when it comes to sneakers is that women simply don't think they have that same femininity about them. Even when they come in all pink and shiny colours they still don't rock a pair of Air Jordan's to a gala. The ideas of what is feminine is something that has been around for centuries and something which women still cling to. Yes there is a certain sense of femininity about heels, though I suppose that is because I am susceptible to the notions of what is female as well. However I firmly believe that sneakers aren't any more masculine than heels, they can be just as feminine and they don't have to be pink to do so.
I am not suggesting that I will be able to change peoples views of femininity, no that's impossible considering how deeply rooted it is in our culture. I really want to push peoples perceptions of femininity in regards to sneakers.

Show me ya kicks

I think the great thing about sneakers is they can tell you a lot about a persons personality. I like to think that is true of my own sneakers. So I feel like showing you my sneakers, not all of them are in the greatest condition but I like to wear my sneakers even if it means they get beaten and battered along the way.

These are just the ones I have started accumulating over the past years, there are many more pairs to come. I'd really like to see other girls collections, so if I have any readers yet please post your own pictures.

A not so brief introduction

My love of sneakers has been around a long time. Only recently though has the passion been reignited to the point where I want to start my own collection. My feet have known no other soles than those of sneakers and maybe the occasional school shoe. I have seen photos of me as a toddler in miniature reeboks and I guess the obsession only intensified from there. I begged mum to buy me basketball shoes even though I didn't play basketball, I wore my older cousins sneakers that were entirely too big for me, because they had all the coolest shoes but I did not.

I have this great memory, I was in primary school and one of my classmates got a pair of Nike's, in hind sight they weren't anything particularly amazing but I was envious. This envy caused me to berate my poor mother into buying me a pair, she told me of the slave labour Nike employed but that didn't bother me. I was nine after all, what would I care. I just wanted some super cool shoes. Like any good parent she indulged my wants and bought me a pair, they were some ridiculous price, considering I would grow out of them after a matter of months but they made me so happy. I remember not being able to wait to wear them to sports then next time I had it, thinking that all the kids would be just as jealous of me as I was of my peer. However it didn't turn out like that, it was then I began to realise that not everyone loved footwear, specifically sneakers as much as I did.

There is this other great memory I have from when I was a kid, when mum came to pick my brother and I up from our aunts she had a shoe box with her. In the shoe box were what I still firmly believe were the most amazing sneakers I have ever seen. I don't remember the name but they were these black converse, that had this opal like goo in the toe cap that moved around every time you walked. Those shoes for me made up for the fact that I never had any L.A Gear sneakers, the ones with the lights in the heels. Those converse sneakers did catch the attention of my classmates, I was so cool. If I could find a pair of those shoes today I would buy them in a heart beat, even if they didn't fit, just for nostalgia purposes.

When high school rolled around I was far more interested in skateboarding, thus came the array of skate shoes I owned. Mum again pandered to my wants and bought me pairs of Globes, Gallas, Etnies, Vans, Emericas, any skate shoe I could get way with wearing as a school shoe I would. Although I couldn't skate, I don't have the coordination to do so without break something, I made sure I was up on all skate fashion. I wanted to be like the pro skaters and the only way I could do that without actually skating was wearing the same shoes they did. It never really bothered me that most of the people I wanted to imitate were males, but now because of this project I can see how a lot of girls with similar obsessions to my own were idolising masculine rather than feminine people.

Every pair of shoes I have owned and want to own are generally meant for men, this is something that recently has really made my head spin. I'm really beginning to look carefully at the shoes I buy, trying to figure out why I want those ones and not the sequin covered hot pink dunks over there. For me I am naturally drawn to the nicer designs, it's the aesthetics at first. It's got to be the right mix of colours, then the cool silhouette of the shoe, then comes wearing it. When I try on a pair of sneakers and agonise over how I look in them, do the shoes suit me and do I look cool. Yes even at twenty years of age I still desire to look cool. I'm not really sure that is something that ever goes away. I digress, a lot of what I love about sneakers aside from the aesthetics are the confidence they give me. If I am rocking a cool pair of shoes — even if no one is looking down at my feet — I feel good about myself.

I still from time to time worry that I am not feminine enough but a lot less than I used to, because now I understand that there are plenty of other women around the world who love shoes just as much, if not more than I do and I want to get to know them.

I want to know why it is they love sneakers, and see what they think of sneaker culture today. Sometimes I look at it critically and think that it's really a giant boys club, but when I don't over think it I realise it really doesn't matter if you are male or female because if you love sneakers you are already apart of the culture. Though despite this, I want to look at the designs, the marketing, the advertisements, really suss out what's going on there in regards to the portrayal of women. To me there is an untapped market that these brands really haven't dipped into yet, and that is the female sneaker obsessed market. It's about time they notice us.