SOLE SISTERS : HENNY

The sneaker industry has made major strides in increased women representation in the past decade. There’s a rise of women in creative positions and they’re taking the community in the right direction. We’ve gotten over the “shrink it and pink it” era and have seen improvements in sizing and color ways.

We now have a seat at the table that is diverse, but it isn’t fully inclusive yet. Instead of our influences and experiences being told, it’s usually focused on the collection and accomplishments. In shining a light on our stories, it could change the way women enter and move in the community.

We sat down with 4 women to highlight a woman’s point of view - from the sneaker journey to our community and influences. Our second feature is Henny.

The Origin Story:

Henny has been in the sneaker game since NikeTalk. Growing up in Kentucky, she explains how crucial it was at the time, saying “Everybody who was into sneakers would go there, especially for people who didn't live in big cities.”

“The first pair I remember wanting were a pair of Nike Air Max plus OG hyper blue. I was all about Airmaxes and Jordans and when SB’s hit, I was hooked.”

When asked about how she got started, she explained that fashion, streetwear, and vintage played a big part in her journey. Ever evolving styles and trends ultimately bridged the gap between her and the different subcultures in the sneaker community which got her even more involved. Flea markets are her bread and butter—where she finds unique pieces and some vintage sneaker finds as well.

Women in the Industry

“People on the outside looking in think it’s from money or it’s because of a blue check and it dont work like that. This game does not favor anyone because of how many followers you have- unless you're contributing to the culture.” Employment opportunities for women are scarce in a hypercritical community. Henny opens up about how she managed to get her foot in the door.

“You just have to pay attention to what’s happening in the community—I didn't have a plug in like that out here in Los Angeles, so I paid attention to what’s going on in the local community and what new stores are going to open. That’s how I am able to work at SNS. I think with everything that happened during quarantine, now, more than ever we know that we have a voice. Now it’s about how we utilize it and how consistent we are. I see so many women bringing up conversations daily...

You don’t want to give us a seat at the table? Okay, we’ll start doing our own thing and make our own imprint. Now people want to pay attention because we’re doing it well. In this culture, we’re making more of an imprint than men right now from how we dress to the things we’re talking about. We’re moving different, and putting our own spin on to this culture and contributing more than anyone else. The whole script has changed”.

The Struggles

Even with strategies in place to hold women-only raffles for women exclusive shoes—, it’s still not enough to create a level playing field. Henny reminisces her experience trying to get the satin shattered backboards in 2018.

“One of the raffles for the satin shattered backboards was at a big name retailer and they wanted the girls to line up for a female only raffle. In order to enter the raffle, the first 14 girls who made a three point shot the first time would have the chance to purchase the shoe at retail...

Now where have you ever seen anyone do a rule like that with a man for any man's release? Never. It's stupid things like that that makes you feel excluded or makes you feel like you're not good enough to be here.

I went to another raffle and was the first person in line. Resellers and their moms started lining up behind me and it was looking rough. I ended up being the only person not getting the shoe. I went off on IG. About 2 hours later a local sneaker boutique reached out and said they’ve seen everything that happened that day. They said “that was messed up” and reserved me a pair.”

The Community:

“Personal relationships when it comes to sneakers is very important but I don't think that it's going to be a thing in the future. It's not like it was like, you know, 5 to 10 years ago, [relationships were made] because you were hanging out in the store and you met somebody...

It's not going to be ever what it was because now it's about money. The community will always be there if you’re willing to look for it. Friendships don't compromise you know, and all that is now is transactional.”

Photography and Interview by Ramona Matias