Following the Nike Air Max Day celebrations at the end of March, The Sole Supplier had the honour of sitting down with Giulia Zed to chat all-things sneakers! The co-founder of Sneaker Sisterhood , an ever-growing platform that champions female footwear fans within the industry, she's also recognised as one of the 30 under 30 Leaders in Sport!
So, if you have a minute or two, get a coffee or tea, sit back, relax, and check out our interview with Giulia Zed herself! This is a must-read for all sneakerheads, especially if you're a Nike fan!
What was your first ever Air Max silhouette? My first AM silhouette was the Air Max 97 . Back home in Italy if you didn’t have a pair of “Silvers” you really weren’t too hot on trends, so I remember making my mum buy me a pair even though they were quite expensive and she hated the look of them! We didn’t have school uniform and I wore them to the ground!
It feels like the voices of women in the sneaker industry have been louder than ever over the last year, why do you think that is? I think it is a mix of things. I think women are claiming their spaces and making their voices heard. More women are entering the space, and more women are taking a stand, no longer taking no for an answer. I also think that strength comes in numbers, so women communicating, supporting each other, and working in unison, has really started to make an impact.
I think we still have an incredibly long way to go, behind the scenes and also in more visible spaces, whether it be social media, advertising or more, but what gives me pride and hope every day, is the fact that I am surrounded by incredibly talented female artists, athletes, musicians, and overall creatives, which means hopefully, the only way is up, as they claim space and showcase their abilities globally.
To us, Air Max Day is a celebration of culture, unity and sportswear history. What does Air Max Day mean to you? Air Max Day definitely took a different spin this year due to COVID, but in previous years for me it was a chance to see some of my closest friends, celebrate sneaker culture and come together in the name of what we love.
How would you describe Air Max Day to someone who knows nothing about trainers? Air Max Day is the culmination of Air Max Month. The day that the original Air Max 1 was released back in 1987, and now a chance for sneakerheads worldwide to celebrate a silhouette that marked sneaker history, and changed what we were used to seeing on foot. A celebration of hip-hop culture, design, technology and of course, Tinker Hatfield, the mind behind the design we all love!
What’s your holy grail pair of Air Maxs? I am a sucker for really clean and easy colour blocking, so it would have to be a pair of the Patta x Nike Air Max 1 "Chlorophylls" . Not a pair I see very often but that shade of green really hits and you can’t go wrong with the AM1 silhouette.
Who would be your dream Air Max collaborator? There are so many artists and athletes I would like to see work on an Air Max, but as I have taken more interest in Japanese culture and art, I would love to see Kojima Nahoko work on a shoe. Her art focuses on “kirigami” (think origami but you also cut the paper), and it has a beautiful, architectural aesthetic to it, which I think would be very interesting on a shoe which was born from those architectural roots.
For a lot of women in the industry, sneakers act as a form of self-expression; if you could be a sneaker, what sneaker would you be and why? I would be an Air Jordan 15 – a marmite shoe, just like me haha. I love the inspiration it takes from fighter jets and I think it was a very gutsy, unapologetic design back then!
Are there any pairs landing this year you’ve got your heart set on? I have my eyes on the A Ma Maniére x Air Jordan 3s (the story is incredible and I love all the material they have put out so far. Female story telling at its finest). I also have my eyes on the Patta x AM1 Monarch in what seems to be an orange CW. If the mock ups are anything like what will release then I am sold!
What’s the most painful L you’ve ever taken on a pair of sneaks? The Air Jordan 1 "Shattered Backboard" – unfortunately they didn’t actually come in women’s sizing which was the main reason for the L, but then I also didn’t manage to get the Satin Women’s iteration! Still a big “need” on my list.
