The First Lady of Married To The Mob released her Nike Dunk High last week and you can learn more about her inspiration and the story behind the shoe in her interview with Sneaker Freaker. Check out the interview here.
Dear Nike,
My name is Gabriella Davi-Khorasanee and I’m the co-founder and Executive Editor of M.I.S.S. and the founder of one of the leading women’s streetewear brands, Mama. I’ve designed sneakers, for consumers and athletes, and been featured on sneaker websites and magazines, from Sneaker Freaker to Kix And The City, and know a little bit about what women want when it comes to a pair of kicks. I am also an avid consumer of sneakers and of my over 100 pairs, I would say 90% are Nike. I love the brand, and some of your silhouettes, including the Cortez, Air Max 97 and Dunk High, are at the top of my all-time list. Unfortunately, I feel the need to write this letter because I am concerned that the direction of your designs and conceptions of the women’s market are fatally flawed. You are making some big mistakes in your design and I believe there are some misconceptions in Portland on what women want.
I think it was last year or the year before when I first heard about a “Zen” Air Max 97 - a “feminized” slimmer version of the Air Max 97 for women. I have since stopped buying women’s Air Max 97s and can only cross my fingers to find boy’s size 5 as my only option for the original Air Max 97 silhouette. I was disappointed yesterday when I learned on HighSnobiety that you were making a “slimmer” version of the Dunk High. It now looks like I’ll have to stop buying Nike Women’s Dunk Highs. I don’t know who told you that this was a good idea, but I fear that your focus group or tastemakers may be leading you astray. Here’s a little something about women that you should know: Women have many, many, options when it comes to footwear. Sneakers are only 1 of many options to choose from to achieve 1 of countless possible looks. We wear sneakers to be casual, sporty, and stylish. If we’re going for a more feminine look, we don’t wear sneakers. We wear ballet flats or stilettos or boots or any one of the dozens of different “ladies” shoes. Stop trying to make the sneaker something that it isn’t. It’s a sneaker, trainer, kick - whatever you can to call it - embrace what it is - and give your customers what they want.
Your loyal but extremely disappointed customer,
Gabriella A. Davi-Khorasanee
OMG! If you know me, you know I love the L.A. Gear. A while back we posted a sneak peak of the European Release of the L.A. Gear x Club Zonder Filter and Sneaker Freaker broke the story today with insane pictures of the Fireball, as well as an interview with the ladies of Club Zonder Filter that are reppin’ the L.A. Gear on the other side of the pond. For those of us stateside, we’ll have to count on friends in Europe to pick these up for us. Luckily, L.A. Gear is relaunching a new collection called L.A. Gear Retro. No word yet on when the stuff will release but the Retro collection will have a limited distribution at exclusive sneaker stores. I can’t wait for this!! L.A. Gear did an amazing job of capturing the California surf, sun and aerobics vibe back in the 1980s and I think it’s a perfect time to reintroduce the retros to a new generation of street wear ladies who I think can tryly appreciate them. We’ll keep you updated with news as we get it. For now, to fulfill your L.A. Gear needs, check out the Sneaker Freaker exclusive with Club Zonder Filter, Sneaker Freaker’s exclusive interview with moi on my vintage L.A. Gear collection (republished from Issue 12), and check out more nostalgic pictures and videos after the jump!
All images: Sneaker Freaker
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A few weeks back the M.I.S.S. Crew was in full effect to check out It’s Pop It’s Art hosted by iLL-Literacy, a Bay Area spoken word crew. There were four of us that made it out: Lexx, Michelle, Liz and myself. Here’s a peak into what Lexx and I wore - Michelle and Liz’s outfits coming up shortly!
If I remember correctly, I was having a pretty bad day and had to drag myself out of the apartment. Comfort is always key for me and I took it to new heights by going out in sweatpants. I know, I know, I am officially contributing to the pajamafication of the U.S.A. It’s not my fault that they are the best sweatpants EVA. Anyway, you heard it here first, Sweatpants Are The New Black.
Gabriella’s Outfit:
Eyeglasses: Chanel, sunglass frames with clear prescription lenses, GDK
T-Shirt: Sneaker Freakette, courtesy of Sneaker Freaker
Sweatpants: Maharishi Deadstock, The Darkside Initiative
Kicks: Adidas Pro Mama, courtesy of GDK
Seen before: Keednim Leather Jacket & Grey Scale Cheetah Print Scarf & FL Tote Bag
Lexx’s Outfit:
Earrings: Hand-painted on Wood, The Goods!
Jacket: Mahogany Motorcycle Jacket, Obey
Vintage Peacock Purse: J. Renee Couture Collection, thrifted
Cigarette Jean: BDG, Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Black Leather Flats, Urban Outfitters
Check out all the pics after the jump!
Girls, girls, girls! Now you have your own little home on the Sneaker Freaker prairie… the SNKR Freakette zone in the Forum is a haven for news on sneakers, events, opinions and more! Post photos of your collection, check out new releases for women, have your questions answered and read up on the latest apparel news. You might even win yo-self some special shizz that SF organised just for the ladies….
Our favorite sneaker freaks from down unda have devoted their site to the ladies this week on Sneaker Freaker. There are a host of new sneakers reviewed that will be dropping in the coming months plus interviews with Erin Magee from Made Me, Yasi from Cultist, Jee-Nice from Anattitude and Valdmir from Kendo LA along with a host of newsflashes from Hayley Mei, Dame Deco, Hellz Bellz, Roxy Cottontail, George Terrific and much much more. Someone’s listening to the ladies! And, while your on Sneaker Freaker don’t forget to check out the Sneaker Freakette forum.
M.I.S.S. Crew/Mama’s own Gabriella Davi-Khorasanee was recently featured in the latest copy of Sneaker Freaker in a piece about vintage kicks. Check out her collection of LA Gears - many sourced for her by The Goods! and Rock-It-Retro.
And, to get a glimpse into upcoming collections, check out a feature The Label Lab just published which includes sneaky peak photos, write-up and video interview. View it all here.
Sneaker Freaker magazine just launched a new forum just for the ladies called Sneaker Freakette. This is a great place to meet other ladies who take their kicks seriously and want to be in the know. Maybe you just want to post your collection and see other ladies’ collections. Or, maybe you just want to know what other ladies’ think about upcoming releases. Whatever the topic, Sneaker Freakette is a great place to get a dialog going about shoes, shoes, shoes!
Nike and SHOWstudio have teamed up to create an art exhibit and competition around the theme “Art of Football” and have invited 11 artists to create new work around the theme. The Art of Football pieces will be displayed in June during Art Basel, the prestigious international art exhibition that takes place in Basel, Switzerland. The artists chosen include, among others: Gareth Pugh, Alice Hawkins, Solve Sundsbo and Rebecca and Mike. Nike and SHOWstudio have opened up the game to the public, allowing anyone to submit artwork inspired by the game of Football. The eleven best entrants will be judged and have the chance to display their work alongside the other artists selected for the project. If that were not enough of an honor, the winning entrant will also have their work immortalized on a limited edition set of Nike Dunks. Visit the site for more info on how to enter and may the best artist win!
Here’s the final Women Making History series round-up! All 27 ladies ladies in one post. If all these ladies ever got together in one room, heads would explode, our minds would be so blown!
Thanks to everyone who read these features on the daily, posted about the series in their blogs, everyone who left lovely comments…you’re all appreciated!
Here’s a recap of the last 4 features, March 29th-31st:
• Saturday, March 24- M.A.F.I.A of Sneaker Freaker
• Sunday, March 25 - Linda of Burton/Lovemade
• Sunday, March 26 - Tammy of Lovemade
• Monday, March 31 - Gabriella & Liz, Founders of M.I.S.S. Crew
The ladies of weeks one, two, three and 4—after the jump!
