Women's sneaker culture explored in new book
Ivy Park founder Beyoncé, Sacai creator Chitose Abe, Ambush creator Yoon Ahn, Foot Locker Creative Director Melody Ehsani, June Ambrose, Creative Director of Puma Women's Basketball, and tennis legend Serena Williams have all helped increase the visibility of women in the sneaker industry.
Arriving just in time for holiday giveaways, $95 "She Kicks" puts the spotlight on these women and more, showcasing the pioneering designers, executives, athletes, entrepreneurs and influencers who are changing the footwear game.
Written by former Hypebae editor Nav Gill and Dutch influencer and Sanne Poeze sneaker collector, the book was published by New York independent house Studio 96 and incorporates technology that can be scanned using an app to expand content, access gifts and store styles. Related Galleries
"There is such a rich history, so many beautiful images and beautiful stories, but there is no There wasn't one place where all of this existed," Gill said via video interview from his home in London. "So I guess in a very selfish way we wanted to create a book that we wanted to read.
The coffee table tome contains many photos and short sections on design and silhouette, collaborations, milestones, women-owned stores and looking to the future with sustainability and Web3, among other topics.
"She kicks"Brands didn't really start offering women's performance sneakers until after the enactment of the Title IX in 1972, which guaranteed equal access to sport in public schools. The book contains advertisements for the Lady Waffle, launched by Nike in 1977, and for the Lady Vans product line launched in 1984.
"The 1990s were really when sneaker design became more of a career path viable for women because the industry was booming,” said Gill, highlighting designer Stephanie Howard, who studied industrial design in college and joined New Balance as a designer in 1994, where one of his first projects was the NB 850.
Howard later held positions at Nike and Reebok, before co-founding sneaker brand NFT-meets -physical Endstate. "You see now that when you walk into design rooms, it still leans very heavily towards one gender, but there are definitely more women than there were when Stephanie Howard started," Gill said.
Sneaker fashion collaborations continue to be a growth engine and from the writers perspective, some of the most notable were designed by women. Chitose Abe is one.
Ivy Park founder Beyoncé, Sacai creator Chitose Abe, Ambush creator Yoon Ahn, Foot Locker Creative Director Melody Ehsani, June Ambrose, Creative Director of Puma Women's Basketball, and tennis legend Serena Williams have all helped increase the visibility of women in the sneaker industry.
Arriving just in time for holiday giveaways, $95 "She Kicks" puts the spotlight on these women and more, showcasing the pioneering designers, executives, athletes, entrepreneurs and influencers who are changing the footwear game.
Written by former Hypebae editor Nav Gill and Dutch influencer and Sanne Poeze sneaker collector, the book was published by New York independent house Studio 96 and incorporates technology that can be scanned using an app to expand content, access gifts and store styles. Related Galleries
"There is such a rich history, so many beautiful images and beautiful stories, but there is no There wasn't one place where all of this existed," Gill said via video interview from his home in London. "So I guess in a very selfish way we wanted to create a book that we wanted to read.
The coffee table tome contains many photos and short sections on design and silhouette, collaborations, milestones, women-owned stores and looking to the future with sustainability and Web3, among other topics.
"She kicks"Brands didn't really start offering women's performance sneakers until after the enactment of the Title IX in 1972, which guaranteed equal access to sport in public schools. The book contains advertisements for the Lady Waffle, launched by Nike in 1977, and for the Lady Vans product line launched in 1984.
"The 1990s were really when sneaker design became more of a career path viable for women because the industry was booming,” said Gill, highlighting designer Stephanie Howard, who studied industrial design in college and joined New Balance as a designer in 1994, where one of his first projects was the NB 850.
Howard later held positions at Nike and Reebok, before co-founding sneaker brand NFT-meets -physical Endstate. "You see now that when you walk into design rooms, it still leans very heavily towards one gender, but there are definitely more women than there were when Stephanie Howard started," Gill said.
Sneaker fashion collaborations continue to be a growth engine and from the writers perspective, some of the most notable were designed by women. Chitose Abe is one.
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