Gabrielle Union Is Giving Women What They Want: Sneakers
Gabrielle Union knows women can be sneakerheads too. And according to friend Faith Rein Haslem, the pair will be opening up a store dedicated to females who love fancy — yet comfortable — footwear. “Gabrielle Union and I are working on a women’s shoe store,” the fellow Miami Heat basketball wife told The Coveteur. “It’s in the very early works, but we’re definitely taking steps in planning. Baby steps, but that’s definitely the goal.”
Haslem explained that the project’s going to be for the serious shoe fan but with a fashion angle. “It’s not necessarily about having Jordan’s per se, it’s going to be more the fashion-y thing. I think nice sneakers are a mainstay at this point.” The store, which is tentatively titled Borrowed From The Boys will have its first outpost in Miami, Fla.
Strolling through life like… damn I tripped… hair toss, laugh and keep it pushing ????????????????
A video posted by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) on Apr 12, 2016 at 1:09pm PDT
The new endeavor seems to come at a smart time just as the women’s sneaker market is ramping up. Footwear and apparel company Puma bet big on women this year signing big contracts with the likes of Rihanna and Kylie Jenner (the latter came with the protestations of Kanye West) to expand that segment. So far, it’s paid off. For the first half of 2016 the company reported that sales rose 10 percent.
CEO Bjorn Gulden pointed specifically to the women’s market for a component of that rise. “We now see that our women initiatives with products and marketing around Rihanna and Kylie Jenner are working very well,” he said in a statement. The company went further, partnering with the New York City Ballet for their off-stage active wear and influencers like YesJulz who ascribe to a certain “cozy gal” style that has become more popular with the rise of athleisure.
A photo posted by xoxofaithhaslem (@xoxofaithhaslem) on Aug 8, 2016 at 11:05am PDT
While that trend has become the fashion world’s favorite buzzword over the past few years, it reached new heights in 2016. Just this summer, the Miss Universe Organization dropped their swimsuit competition in favor of an athleisure component for the Miss Teen USA pageant. So while some institutions like the Cannes Film Festival hold out on their preference for women in heels, increasingly it seems like sneakers are the way to go.
And now Gabrielle Union’s here to help out!
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