Our ‘More Than a Sneakerhead’ series continues, as the journey to bring women to the forefront of the industry does too; meet Community Manager and Content Creator, Steph Poon.

We enjoyed taking the time to speak to Steph, firstly, about her thoughts on making waves as a woman, in a male-dominated industry: “there’s a lot more, um, like female empowerment within the sneaker community now, and we’re seeing that come through especially within recent collaborations.” But when it comes to levelling the playing field, brands need to “make smaller sizes for male shoes, or maybe even eradicate just gender overall. Let anyone wear any pair, it doesn’t really matter!”

When it comes to the future of the industry, Steph things disruption will be at the forefront… “There’s a lot of disruption currently in the sneaker community, with brands doing things that you would never really imagine before.

I would’ve to always say Jordan and Nike are the brands that remain exciting for me right now, but it’s actually the smaller businesses that are really doing things – the likes of Footpatrol, who are really giving the community a voice.”

And why is that? Well, because Steph knows exactly what she wants from the industry, and it’s representation… “representation is huge for me. Especially as someone who comes from an Asian minority background, because we are not actually seen that much throughout the community or throughout society itself. Whether this is down to a generational thing or not, I think the younger generations like me, are now actually trying to fight and trying to get our own voices.”

We asked Steph what it is she likes about collaborations in the sneaker industry…

“Even pairs like Nike’s Air Jordans are timeless; Serena Williams’ Off-White pair are quite an iconic one, especially on the Blazers. Then you’ve got Jordan x Aleali May with her like Jordan 1s, Jordan 6s and um, I’m lucky to have quite a few of those pairs.

For me, it’s not that it’s simply a collaboration, it’s the fact that there’s a natural story behind it and a reason, and they’re telling that story and using that voice as a platform.”

What makes Steph more than a sneakerhead? 

“I’m more than a sneaker head because I’m advocating for the Asian community because I never saw a role model growing up. But you know what? I decided to become it instead.”