The Evolution of Black Women in the Footwear Industry

In the early 90s, black women being the face for major brands were far from an anomaly when it came to sports and streetwear fashion. Growing up during this time, I would rarely see a black woman be the face of a sports brand or even have her own signature shoe. At that time, women were rarely celebrated for their talents but rather critiqued on their femininity and overall demeanor.

The first moment I can remember is when WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes was the first woman in sports history to get her own signature sneaker back in 1996. I remember as a kid vaguely seeing her Nike commercials promoting her shoes as well as the newly established WNBA league. Despite what would become of the next six signature Swoopes sneakers, there was no momentum stemmed from it and many players after her lacked opportunities to get their own signature sneakers and endorsement deals from major brands.

Many of these cases relate to sports across the board when it comes to women. It is disheartening to know that so many great players and advocates for their sports have not had the same opportunities to have their own signature sneaker and be the face of major brands. However, this shift has been slowing changing over the past few years.

Many companies like Puma, Adidas, Reebok, New Balance, and Nike are rebranding themselves to make not only women athletes but other influential women be the face of their products. Whether it’s the Skylar Diggin’s Puma basketball shoe, Beyoncé’s Adidas Ivy Park, Aleali May’s Jordan collaboration, Natasha Cloud’s Converse endorsement, Serena Williams & Naomi Osaka’s endorsements, Ty Young’s Reebok endorsement, etc. there are great changes being made in the footwear industry to include women and more specifically Black Women.

The empowerment of black women in the footwear industry has been growing at a fast pace over the course of the last couple of years. Many young girls today have the opportunity to see these things come to fruition. They have the upmost confidence that they are capable of being trailblazers and/or top designers in the footwear industry.

This is a special moment for us black women. This is what we’ve longed for for a long time and it is only the beginning!