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In the world of sneakers, women have often been overlooked and counted out in more ways than one. From the size-range struggle to not being recognized for their contributions, the push for female representation within the sneaker space remains strong and steady.

Major moves have been made by industry leaders like Vashtie, Yoon, Aleali May, Melody Ehsani, Chitose Abe, and even Rihanna, but with so many unrecognized female creatives and executives grinding behind the scenes, it’s obvious that there is still so much more talent to highlight, and upcoming careers to cultivate.

Thanks to platforms like Julia Lebossé‘s Sneakers by Women and even the new She Kicks sneaker bible by Nav Gill and Sanne Poeze, the Women’s wave is being documented and can no longer be ignored.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Nice Kicks highlights 10 leading ladies that are pushing the sneaker industry forward. Check out the list below.


@nicorodriguezpr

Nico Rodriguez

Color Designer at Jordan Brand

From the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, Nico Rodriguez has made a name for herself as a Color Designer at Jordan Brand, Nike, and Converse. As a proud Boricua, Rodriguez had the opportunity of a lifetime when she got to work on Nike’s 2022 Puerto Rico Collection. Some of her other personal highlights include the 2022 Nike Day of the Dead Collection and the J Balvin x Air Jordan projects.

@indaheart

Indah Nur

Material  Designer for Nike Kids

Life has come full circle for Indah Nur as the Footwear Materials Designer for Nike Kids grew up right down the street from a factory making Nike products in West Java, a province in Indonesia. The PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy alum has demonstrated her eye for design on works like the Nike Dunk Low GS “Copper Swoosh,” the Nike Dunk Low SE “Sun Club,” and the Nike Dunk Low “Patchwork.”

@jackattack611

Jacquelyn Munroe

SMU Footwear Color & Material Designer at ASICS America Corporation

Born and raised in the Boston area, it seems to be a deed of destiny that Jacquelyn Munroe would grow up to become a sneaker designer. As a current SMU Footwear Color & Material Designer at ASICS America, Munroe has worked on both sportstyle and performance footwear with standouts being the PLEASURES x ASICS GEL-LYTE III, ASICS GEL-LYTE III & GT-II “Academic Scholar Pack,” the Bodega x ASICS GEL-MC PLUS, and more.

Nya Lorraine
@nyalorraine_

Nya Lorraine 

SNKRS Host and Her Sole Co-Founder

You’re sure to have seen Nya Lorraine on SNKRS giving you all the details about the best upcoming Jordans. The Howard University alum also hosts the “In Forum Live” segment that highlights influential women within sneakers and streetwear. Outside of SNKRS, Lorraine regularly creates #ClawsAndKicks sneaker content and runs the Her Sole podcast with Mikayla Dominique.


@yennyhsieh

Yenny Hsieh

Global Collaborations & Energy Product Manager at New Balance

Although she’s new to the Global Collaborations & Energy Product Manager role at New Balance, Yenny Hsieh has put in hours of dedication to get to this point. Hsieh first got started at New Balance in 2017 as a technical designer and has been steadily been moving up since.  During her time at New Balance, she’s worked on projects like the Salehe Bembury x New Balance 574 “Yurt” Collection, the Jaden Smith x New Balance Vision Racer “Trippy Summer Pack,” and more.

Julie Valuskova
@julsvals

Julie Valuskova

Senior Footwear Designer at Aimé Leon Dore

Aimé Leon Dore has become a dominant force in the sneaker space and Julie Valuskova is the creative behind it all. In June of 2022, Valusoka was appointed to Senior Footwear Designer of Aimè Leon Dore, a first ever for the New York-based brand. Before joining ALD, Valusoka was at Yeezy, where she worked on the Knit Runner, after gaining experience at other gigs such as KEEN, On Running, and Cole Haan.

@___paulina

Paulina Lopez

Marketing Director at Foot Locker

As Marketing Director of Foot Locker, Paulina Lopez works alongside a team of powerful women including Creative Director and sneaker legend Melody Ehsani, as well as the newly appointed President and CEO, Mary Dillion. Lopez herself has an extensive marketing background and an impressive sneaker collection to go with it.

Esther Chu

Esther Chu

Design Director, Color & Materials at adidas Basketball

For Esther Chu, design wasn’t the obvious first choice as she got a BA in Psychology before attending FIDM to study Visual Communications. From there, she got her start in fashion as a visual merchandiser at Gap and then became a Footwear Design Intern at New Balance. With steady consistency, Chu landed a position at PUMA and is now on year 8 at adidas where she is the Design Director of Color & Materials for adidas basketball.

Brandis Russell
Brandis Russell

Brandis Russell

Vice President Global Footwear at Converse

In the world of sneakers, Brandis Russell is a certified veteran as the self-proclaimed dream warrior has worked within the industry since 2002. She started at adidas as a Visual Merchandiser and soon after took an executive role at Jordan Brand. Currently, she is the Vice President of Global Footwear at Converse, a role she’s had since 2018, following her nearly 12 year tenure at Nike.

Kassia Davis
Kassia Davis

Kassia Davis

Executive Chairwoman at PF Flyers

Growing up in the New Balance family, Kassia Davis dreamed of the day that she would be able to make a name for herself within the footwear industry. After graduating from Boston College, Davis went on to conquer a number of roles at New Balance, doing everything from sales to global merchandising. After 8 years with the Boston-based brand, Davis is now at PF Flyers as an Executive Chairwoman.


For more sneaker news and release dates, follow @NiceKicks on Instagram.

(Lead image featuring Jordan Brand Global Women’s Collective by Dana Scruggs)

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