A Love Letter to My Trainers - R29 x Puma

This piece was originally published by Refinery29

Trainers are my own symbol of empowerment.

I fell in love with them in London. During hurried days, Tube delays, long days shopping and walks without stopping. They became an essential part of my city life and I stepped towards my dream career, sneakers first.

I met Sharmadean Reid MBE for the first time in my trainers. I had asked to interview her for my university project, but she turned the tables and offered me a job on the spot. Later on in my career, a pair of trainers was the first gift she ever got me. They were men’s, lilac, suede and as soft as anything. I wore them home that day.

At the Women’s March, I stood for girls all across the world in my trainers. They carried me across the city, protesting against the inequality that plagues us all. And they still carry me, day-to-day in my work across London, as I continue to champion girls and platform their stories.

We’ve called time on being restricted, uncomfortable and ‘proper’. This is no longer a boys’ club; we’re redefining what it looks like to be a successful woman. It’s that uptown/downtown balance; where freedom meets fashion. We’re claiming trainers as our own.

And does this love story have a happy ending? Of course. Because I know that there’ll be hundreds more future female CEOs, feet up at their desks, staring at a brand new pair of trainers that make them feel like they can take on the world. One step at a time.