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As a country associated with textile-based crafts and traditional heritage, India’s relevance in the sneaker industry might come as a shock to many.
According to a fashion report published by Vogue Business, India boasts of the second-largest footwear market after China, with a value of over $10 billion in 2019, set to grow to $15.5 billion by 2024. In the past decade or so, there have been a plethora of fashion and sneaker platforms opening up across the country. From hordes of people camping outside VegNonVeg for a pair of the prestigious Jordans to regular community-driven fashion events, India’s sneaker fever only seems to be going up.
Despite fast-paced developments and creative collaborations, the industry seems to have its own share of discrepancies when it comes to gender inclusivity. Whether it’s collaborations that miss the sizing chart or choosing male counterparts for campaigns, the sneaker industry has an obvious bias and it’s time to change that.
Setting aside the hype aspect of the streetwear subculture, there is also a devoted base of female sneakerheads working towards equating power positions in the male-dominated industry and breaking beyond the gatekeeping culture of who counts as a ‘sneakerhead’.
Enter Sneak-HER, an all women-led ‘Sole Event’ being hosted for the first time in the national capital by a stellar team of passion-driven sneaker whizzes.
What started off as a personal ambition to shift the industry’s bias manifested into a collective project led by Elina Banerjee, the founder of the Sneaker-HER platform. A lawyer and a sneaker enthusiast, Banerjee is well known for her strong voice and active advocacy against shifting the status quo in the sneaker community. Supported by a powerful team of creatives, content creators, and artists, the Sneak-HER team comprises Elina Banerjee, Suhana Sethi, Aahana Sharma, Natasha Thapa, and Raashi Borade. The team at Sneak-HER is made up of enthusiasts who are creative and bold and have been making ardent efforts to highlight the need for a gender-neutral sneaker community.
The All Sole Event, 2022 which is to be held on 22 May 2022 at Auro Kitchen & Bar, New Delhi intends to shine a spotlight on women-led brands, sneakerheads, resellers, and artists who would showcase their craft on the day of the event and garner the acknowledgement they deserve. Furthermore, the event would have several fun activities; female DJs playing tunes that everyone would shimmy to and much more. While the event showcases women-led brands and artists the larger agenda is to open the event to every individual on the spectrum to witness and experience the same. It has been said that true equality can’t come unless women/queer folks are first elevated to the same level. Therefore, with the All Sole Event 2022 the intention is to pivot to directly addressing the disparity and to push for a gender-neutral sneaker community. It certainly sounds like a cause well worth showing up for!
Get the tickets and event details here.
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