The fact that particularly sought-after models in limited editions are often only dropped in men’s sizes is just one of many examples of how little the scene has women as a target group in mind. How it came about that the world of sneakers is “a man’s world” and how this could be changed is something that top-class industry insiders will be discussing at the second SNEAKERS&SPEAKERS TALK 2022 as part of the SHOES Düsseldorf, on Sunday, August 28th , from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the old boiler house on Areal Böhler.
Silke Bolms puts the “Silk” in Silk Relations. Together with Kerstin Geffert, she manages the successful PR agency, which, from Berlin, does public relations for brands such as Veja, Dr. Martens, Levi’s, Toms and Champion makes. At SNEAKERS&SPEAKERS she explains to us how women tick when it comes to sneakers and which shoe stories appeal to them.
As a passionate sneaker lover, the successful moderator manager Anke Lönne eventually had enough of the fact that the coolest models are usually only available from size 41. In order to close the gender sneaker gap, she and Saskia Willich opened a sneaker store for women only in downtown Cologne in 2016. At SNEAKERS&SPEAKERS she tells us about her experiences.
Realizing that they were perceived as an all-male brand and had lost their female demographic, Adidas launched Adidas x Stella McCartney, the first women-only sportswear line to be helmed by a luxury fashion designer. Stefan-Christoph Methner has accompanied the collection for several years. At SNEAKERS&SPEAKERS, the creative consultant tells us which considerations played a role.
Julia Schoierer is Germany’s most famous sneaker collector and reigning sneaker queen. On her Instagram account @sneakerqueen and her blog sneakerqueen.de she shares her knowledge with tens of thousands of followers and subscribers. The days when she was asked at sneaker trade shows if she was there for her collecting friend are long gone, but not forgotten. At SNEAKERS&SPEAKERS she explains to us why she still feels very comfortable in a male-dominated scene.
Henriette Wagener, aka Tornschuhjette, is the queen of custom sneakers. For all those who don’t want “off-the-shelf” shoes, she fulfills their individual dream of a unique sneaker. Whether hand-painted soles, tongues made of Hermès silk or shafts made of python leather – with her company SOLESclusive she makes it possible. She now equips hip-hop stars and cooperates with Nike and Adidas. She explains to us at SNEAKERS&SPEAKERS how this came about and why she doesn’t trust her own hype.
The discussion will be moderated by VJ legend Patrice Bouédibéla. With his eleven-year career at MTV Germany, he was the longest-serving moderator there. But even beyond MTV-Urban, Patrice is and will remain an ambassador for hip-hop and urban culture, who is also privately deeply rooted in the sneaker and streetwear scene.