From starting in the retail stores of Chicago to pushing into the world of fashion through styling and modelling, LA’s own Aleali May has broken into the world of sneakers in an applaudable manner with her unique yet celebratory ’90s style. The Aleali aesthetic of mixing high fashion with sneakers has connected her with both an unsung generation of fashion forward women and to an equally appreciative male sneakerhead. She released her first sneaker — a corduroy, satin, chenille blend Air Jordan 1 during October of 2017 — then another titled the ‘Court Luxe’ with a bold multicolour upper that celebrates the 2000s era of basketball, hip-hop, fashion and skateboarding. They say third time’s a charm, and they certainly wouldn’t be wrong in reference to the Jordan Brand X Aleali May movement, as the collaboration switches up silhouettes and brings us one of her favourites: an Air Jordan 6.
For years women’s sneakers have been largely missing the mark, leaving behind an unhappy and unheard consumer. I hear it in the community and through mutual female sneakerheads I cross paths with: due to a lack of listening and response, there are women on every continent with a genuine passion for sneakers who have grown irritated at the products we are often limited to. We’ll leave the subject of sizing alone this time, but the gripe that’s voiced the most regards the infamous industry ‘shrink n’ pink’ approach to women’s releases. Take a beloved silhouette, make it pink, purple, or pastel, dumb down the materials a little, and then voila, you have a great women’s sneaker. But now, there feels to be a change in the air and voices are slowly being heard, so I say all this because I sympathise and fall victim to this feeding of product and recognise that the women’s voice in the space mustn’t abate.
The emergence of Aleali May, a modern-day style messiah to some, comes as an answer to these concerns. Finally, someone with relatability and an upbringing around sneakers who knows what she likes and what other people like. Her style and in turn her eye lends itself to a gender-neutral audience, and so far that has resulted in both women and men buying into her collaborative projects. The formula of her relationship with the market speaks for itself, now having three Jordan brand releases in under two years.
So, why are we seeing this release of a pink Air Jordan 6? Is it not contradictory to the disappointments so often expressed by the ladies? Do women like pink again? Isn’t this just yet another ignorant attempt? Well, the pre-release buzz surrounding it has been consistent with past Jordan and Aleali projects, with stock selling out fast at the early retail drops. This may be because the personality and story attached to it actually has some thought behind it.
Aleali describes the hue of her latest release as a ‘Millenial Pink’, a trend she noticed emerge across the fashion world in predominantly men’s pieces, thus opening an idea that it could lend itself to a silhouette she describes as “a masculine shoe that has soft features”. Both colour and style being complementary and expressive of a modern generation that “wears what it wants”, again appealing to the androgynous aesthetic mentioned earlier. This exact shade of pink ends up being quite crucial as it lends itself alongside the historical Infrared midsole and falls into an area of versatility that girls and guys show signs of excitement to style and pull a fit off with.
Without such a connection and such thoughtful storytelling, specifically from a growing public figure who is so rooted and sure of her own aesthetic, I feel this release could have become another misfire in the ‘shrink it and pink it’ legacy. And maybe that’s what it is to you, maybe you’re not feeling this release at all, and you might be thinking “No, we don’t like pink again.”
But I can’t help but feel she’s made some people fall in love with pink again. Myself included.
