Introducing ‘More than a Sneakerhead’ a bimonthly series in collaboration with Women In Sneakers. More than a Sneakerhead is a concept developed by WIS founder Steph HT debunking the limitations and stigmas applied to women in the industry. Running throughout the year, this project highlights some of the new faces within the community, all sharing a love of footwear! 

Kicking off the series, we have Jasmin Sehrati, illustrator & designer, creating artwork to uplift and inspire! We sat down with Jasmin to get her thoughts on sneaker culture. 

Jasmine : “Over the last few years, we’ve seen more women-led platforms and collaborations. Showing that there has been a shift in the male dominated scene. There are more conversations with women in the industry. I think for me personally, a stand-out signifier of change was when I designed a sneaker with adidas, which was the first of its kind to have been worked on by a woman. Collaborating with them demonstrated to me that they were taking the first steps to level the playing field for women. In my opinion, When it comes to releases, I don’t want brands to put us in a box! Why do we have to have women exclusives? Simply having men’s and women’s exclusive footwear creates a gendered barrier that adds to the stereotypes applied to women that are interested in footwear.

When I look ahead and try to visualise the future of footwear from my perspective – it’s investing in real people and the community. We are already seeing collaborations with women from different backgrounds and cultures. What’s exciting for me is seeing the smaller, independent brands thrive. Brands like Corteiz are a great example, their recent collaboration with Nike was a huge success showcasing how culture can really influence the scene but also goes to show how far you can come, and that there’s a space for you. 

I take inspiration from the likes of MIA, Melody Eshani and Yoon Ambush, they each come from minority backgrounds dominating the industry, killing it, and have paved the way for other females. As a Sikh Punjabi woman, you don’t usually see a lot of brown women in this space or in creative spaces in general. So it’s essential to show up because you need to show the younger generations what’s possible. 

That being said, I think it’s important to bring home the fact that I am more than a sneakerhead. I’m an illustrator, designer and artist creating legendary work but not only that I’m a brown woman making my mark on the industry. WE OUT HERE!”