Tomboy 013: Christina (If I Can't Wear Sneakers)
Christina is the founder and admin of If I Can’t Wear Sneakers, a girls-only private Instagram page that posts sneaker news and drop updates. IICWS does the crucial work of democratizing sneaker drops and cultivating a safe space for curiosity, completely free from mansplaining and gatekeeping. I had the privilege of profiling Christina and IICWS in 2021; since then, her platform’s following has more than doubled, and she has blossomed into an authoritative voice within the industry’s journey towards gender equality. Luckily, Christina had a few minutes to speak on what she’s up to.
Name: Christina
Age: 31
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Where are you from, and where are you now?
I am from the DMV area and am currently based in Baltimore, MD.
What is your first memory with streetwear?
My first memory of streetwear had to be watching my Mom and Aunt wear the dopest outfits in the ‘90s. The cool graphic tees, the oversized baseball jersey from 40 Acres and a Mule by Spike Lee, bike shorts, sunglasses with the classic brown or red lipstick, and sneakers. Think Queen Latifah in “Living Single.” I fondly remember my Mom wearing a white “1995 Million Man March” crewneck that I still have to this day.
If you had to compress your personal style into one outfit, what would it be?
A dope jacket (I love outerwear especially jean jackets and trench coats), an epic graphic tee, my gold necklaces and earrings, cargo pants or a pleated skirt, and of course sneakers to pull it all together.
Favorite femme-designed sneaker of all time: Melody Ehsani x Womens Air Jordan 1 Mid 'Fearless' (of course) with the Cactus Plant Flea Market x Air VaporMax as a close second.
Tell me a bit about IICWS — what sparked you to create the page, and how does it feel watching your community grow?
I made “If I Can't Wear SNKRS'' as a way of paying it forward, after receiving an opportunity from Melody Ehsani and her team to purchase her Jordan OG’s that dropped in 2020. She canceled her in-store release because of COVID concerns, so she and her team were trying to think of alternative ways of releasing these shoes without bots interfering. I had struck up a conversation with another girl on Twitter about how much we loved Melody Ehsani. That evening, ME’s Team announced an Instagram raffle. I tweeted the girl I had spoken to earlier, kept her up to date on release information, and told her good luck. I went to sleep and woke up to a DM from the ME team. They saw the conversation, and gave us both the opportunity to cop her OGs. That’s when I knew I had to keep up the good karma.
I started “If I Can't Wear SNKRS” in March 2020 and I decided to keep the IG page private to serve as a safe space for women. I wanted to create an atmosphere where women can learn about sneakers and streetwear, feel comfortable enough to voice their opinions, as well as highlight all women regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, experience, religion, and body types. I wanted to create a welcoming and positive community that I noticed was lacking on Instagram. I feel so grateful to watch my community grow organically. It's surreal.
What’s your biggest goal for IICWS right now? What’s been your greatest milestone so far?
My biggest goal for IICWS is to keep it growing and hopefully bring more contributors into the platform. Since starting my graduate program in Fall 2021, it has been so hard to post as consistently as I once did. Another goal I have for IICWS is to bring to the attention of more women the opportunities there are within the Sports Product Industry. That’s part of the reason why I have shared my grad school journey within my Sports Product Management Program. I feel like people think about that industry and automatically think they have to be the next Tinker Hatfield and that is not the case. There are so many opportunities within the industry, and to be quite frank, there needs to be more women in the industry. Especially women of color.
My greatest milestone so far is being highlighted in the dual sided book "The First Pair+ | The Next Pair'' by Christyna Pourhabib in collaboration with Nike. Being considered as one of the women who are creating the future of sneaker and streetwear culture is something I'm so grateful for such an amazing opportunity. Also, being featured in Hypebae was super dope.
When do you feel the most empowered?
I feel the most empowered when I motivate women to step outside their comfort zone when exploring streetwear and sneakers. Don't ever be afraid to take risks!
What (most) needs to change about the current streetwear landscape, to make it more inclusive?
The current landscape needs to become more size-inclusive (men's and women’s apparel lines) along with showing diverse representation with those brands (in-store and online). I want to see different races, ages, body types, sexual orientations, religions as well as representation from communities with different disabilities. Also, I want to see more brands embrace gender neutral designs. We have seen more of this in recent years but we need to keep it going.
What woman in streetwear/sneaker history would you like to see get her flowers?
Teyana Taylor — and I am so happy she is finally getting those flowers she deserves.
Keep up with Christina on Instagram here, and follow If I Can’t Wear Sneakers here.