When it comes to streetwear, the scene is typically a boy's game – but it doesn’t have to be. In a male-dominated market there are hundreds of girls that are working hard behind the scenes to facilitate change, and it’s been great to see so many brands popping up with women at their helm.

Fighting for recognition in a men’s market has never been an easy feat though, and we have to shout out the girls that were advocating for equality way back in the day, so that brands like Aries, AMBUSH and Sporty & Rich could run. These women played a pivotal role in shaping the scene and breaking down barriers, creating space for some of our favourite brands and designers to be able to flex their creativity today.

The brands we know as streetwear now wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for brands like Triple Five Soul, which was started by Camella Ehlke and later worn by Aailyah, Lauren Hill and TLC. Iconic 90s designs and Y2K fashion wouldn’t be anywhere near as big if Kimora Lee Simmon’s BabyPhat hadn’t been there to lead the way in the first place, and women’s streetwear wouldn’t have been catapulted so far into the limelight if Leah McSweeney’s Married to the Mob (MTTM) hadn’t initiated collaborations with KAWS, or been threatened with a lawsuit from Supreme. Lanie Alabanza-Barcena, of HLZBLZ also rejected the “shrink and pink” formula seen so often on women’s styles and created the line as the antitheses, full of grungy styles and bold graphics that caught Jay-Z and Beyonce’s attention.

But these are just a few of the incredible women and female run brands in the scene, and we wanted to shine a spotlight on just a few of our faves. So, here you have it, here are the women-run streetwear brands The Sole Supplier’ team are loving right now.

A pioneering lady within the sneaker and streetwear scene, Melody Eshani originally had her sights set on a law career before creating the eponymous brand we know and love today. Having swapped studying for sneakers, she moved to China to oversee production of her own sneakers. She later started the Melody Ehsani apparel and jewellery brand, which is built on 90s nostalgia and messages of female empowerment, and is inspired by street culture, activism and community building. Having established the brand in 2007, she joined forces with Nike in 2019 to design a sneaker with Jordan Brand, named “Fearless.”

“Melody Ehsani is one of those inspirational females who makes you feel like you can achieve anything,” says our senior social media and content manager, Kelly. “Her collabs with Nike have acted as a tangible centrepiece for the increasing opportunities that women are increasingly being exposed to, and part of in the industry. Alike so many other female business owners in the sneaker and streetwear scene, she proves that you can be a woman and still kill it in business, whilst being a style icon.”

Ehsani is also creative director for Foot Locker Women’s. She works with the retailer to create four collections a year, and also works with Foot Locker’s influencers and athletes to consistently drive the culture forward.

“Aries is one of those brands that’s really leaned into that ballsy, no fcks given aesthetic, that although looks completely different, kind of reminds me of the attitude behind MTTM,” says content writer, Georgie. “I once worked on a shoot with Sofia (Prantera), and when she told me I looked like an Aries girl, it was the biggest compliment in the world.”

Aries swaps MTTM’s box-logo-inspired graphics for their own take on graphic-heavy styles – their designer for these happens to be Fergus Purcell, who designed Palace’s legendary Tri-Ferg. Tie-dye, slogans and their Temple logo also feature regularly. As well as sweats and t-shirts, the brand also have a number of denim styles, and Prantera has previously stated that her inspiration comes mostly from menswear brands, such as Stone Island and Patagonia. Aries’ clothing focuses on conveying a mood more so than a gender. In her brand manifesto, Prantera speaks of how she struggled to “reconcile her love for fashion, beautifully made and cut clothes and sartorial experiment with her love for street-wear and trash culture in general.” The aim of Aries, she says was to encompass all these elements.

Without joining in on the fashion week circuits, Aries has still managed to build up a cult fanbase through its unapologetic messaging and impressive collaboration strategy. The brand have teamed up with New Balance, Stüssy and Suicoke on various occasions, and most recently joined forces with LA-based Cannabis brand Pure Beauty – one barrier at a time, gals!

Polish designer Natalie Maczek is the woman behind streetwear brand MISBHV, and interestingly, was also a former law student. Maczek started the brand as a side project, making t-shirts for her friends to wear in the club before the brand exploded into something much bigger. The brand held their first show at NYFW in 2017, showcasing styles that played on nostalgic factors, clubbing and raving.

TSS’s resident club kid, Jess, says: “I think it’s really inspiring that Natalia launched this as a side-hustle whilst juggling a Law degree. Fast-forward just a couple of years, and MISBHV have their debut appearance at NYFW - to me, this summarises the immense passion and drive behind the brand. I love that the initial influence of the underground music scene is still evident in the MISBHV aesthetic and how that culture lives through the brand.”

Now whether you’re into your fashion, or you’re a Nike fan, you’ll have heard of AMBUSH. Run by Yoon Ahn and her husband, the Tokyo-based jewellers-turned-lifestyle-brand is a regular feature on the fashion week circuit, as well as being regular Nike collaborators – and Yoon’s incredible presence is to thank for that. She was also the first female to collaborate with the NBA, a fact our social media executive, Chloe, points out came around a whole 75 years after its inception.

“I love that AMBUSH’s collection with Nike and the NBA took pieces that were stereotypically male and reconstructed them for females, without us feeling like we were wearing something we shouldn’t be or that didn’t belong to us. ‘Shrinking and pinking’ was also avoided; always a win.”

But that’s not all. Yoon is also the jewellery designer at Dior Homme, working alongside legendary designer Kim Jones at the luxury fashion house. Her incredible presence within the fashion industry saw Vogue name her as one of the most influential forces in fashion, and that’s even without mentioning her gender. The girl really can do it all.

Daniëlle Cathari made waves when she collaborated with German sportswear giant adidas in 2018, and her designs dressed Kendall Jenner. But Kenny is far from the only fan Cathari has. Our content creator, Jez, was inspired by the woman herself when she went to a talk in London. “When she visited London to talk through her creative process for her first collection with adidas I was so inspired by her journey and her ability to focus on the elements of contrast and deconstruction within her designs,” Jez says. “The first piece that caught my eye was a pair of Adidas tracksuit bottoms - the 3 stripes remastered into 3 plaits, playing with new shapes and proportions to a classic original.”

As a student, Cathari’s final project featured reworked adidas tracksuits, a decision that was inspired by sustainability, but also because of her long-time affiliation with the brand having grown up a gymnast. The collection was shown at VFiles NYFW show. According to WWD, adidas collaborators were reaching out to the brand asking about the new talent, and the adidas legal team were wondering the same thing. Luckily, Cathari’s new found fame synced up well with Kendall’s ambassadorship announcement, and adidas decided that Cathari’s vision could be exactly what they needed to appeal to Kenny’s audience.

Cathari now designs for herself, utilising irregular-shaped panels and deconstructed silhouettes across joggers, knitwear and accessories. She recently collaborated on outdoor wear with Woolwich, where the collection included a puffer jacket, padded skirt and black and white panelled fleece.

It’s impossible to mention women in the sneaker scene without mentioning Emily Oberg, who started her lifestyle brand, Sporty & Rich after a stint at Complex and a brief period of being Creative Director of Womenswear at Kith. Although Oberg has come under fire for various things whilst at Sporty & Rich’s helm, no one can deny that the girl has definitely made moves in a male-dominated industry.

Sporty & Rich’s aesthetic is still focussed on vintage styles and silhouettes, albeit very different to some of the edgy takes on this list. Oberg’s passion for health and wellness shines through in the brand, championing self-care as a route to happiness and self-improvement.

Our digital marketing executive, Ana, has been a huge fan of Sporty & Rich from the get-go. “I think they’re very female-empowering as a brand,” she notes. Where most of the brands on this list have more of a specific, edgy aesthetic. “I love all their athleisure collections, as those tend to be more masculine, while fit perfectly and give a nice edge to any outfit. Plus, S&R always has that premium KITH touch as well.”

“Overall Emily is a Boss B living a California dream, I don’t think anything can beat that.”

As women within the streetwear scene, it’s been so great for us to get together as a team and speak about the girls that inspire us. There are so many women we have to thank for paving the way for us today, and our promise to you guys is that we’ll continue to do what we can to make the scene more equal for you too.

This list is by no means exhaustive, and we’d love to hear about the ladies that inspire you guys, so be sure to hit us up on Twitter to share your thoughts, and let us know if there’s anyone we should definitely have our eyes on right now!

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