Conversations amongst creators, innovators, entrepreneurs and more in the footwear and fashion business. Join me and my guest on this journey as we give you a peak behind the curtain into this extremely fascinating and sometimes crazy business.
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Duane Lawrence
Ep. 001
On this episode Duane Lawrence and I take a deep dive into the creation process of the Converse Dwayne Wade 1 and discuss some of the stories around this shoe and how the perfect storm of Brand, Athlete and Design collided to produce one of the dopest hoop shoes of the 2000’s.
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Jason Mayden
Ep. 002
Growing up on the south-side of Chicago with dreams of being Luscious Fox and support from a loving family to overcoming his own metal and physical challenges Jason Mayden has had quite the journey to get to were he is today. In his words he fell in love with the process and not the outcome. We invite you to experience Jason’s journey through his words on episode 002
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Daniel Bailey
Ep. 003
Born in Cyprus, Greece to a military family Daniel Bailey has been exposed to many different cultures has he bounced around Europe to eventually finding himself in the center of the world...New York City. Join us as we take a deep dive into Daniels journey from basketball prospect to independent footwear designer and entrepreneur.
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Jose Bautista
Ep. 004
As an undersized baseball player growing up in the Dominican Republic, Jose Bautista was on nobody’s radar to becoming the next baseball star. With drive and determination as his fuel along with support from a loving family, Bautista was able to turn his dream into a reality by making it to “The Show”. Join us for episode 004 of The Kicks Factory podcast to learn about Jose’s journey to baseballs biggest stage and why such a successful professional athlete would want to take a stab at starting their own footwear brand.
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Aki Choklat Ep. 005
Born in a small town in Finland Aki Choklat grew up with dreams of becoming the next fashion design icon. Aki’s journey into footwear was not easy and took hardwork, commitment and an endless pursuit to fulfill his passion. Now a seasoned designer and entrepreneur Aki has started and sold his own brands as well as collaborated and consulted for others around the world. Today Aki is the chair of the fashion accessories design department at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI.
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Dwayne Edwards Ep. 006
Dwayne edwards grew up in Inglewood California in the 1970’s at a time when black communities thrived and you could feel the love from neighbor to neighbor. With the crack epidemic reaping havoc in the late 70’s, and bad influences always around the corner, Dwayne refused to be limited to the cards he was dealt and believed there could be another path. Using his pencil to expression himself artistically Dwaynes commitment to his craft kept him out of trouble but also allowed his community to have his back and do the same. Life is journey not a destination and Dwayne’s story is a real time example of that. Join us on episode 006 to experience Dwayne’s journey through the peaks and valleys of the shoe business to starting his own school...the Pensole Academy.
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Nicoline Van Enter Ep. 007
Nicoline is an Educator, Founder, and Innovator amongst many things in the footwear industry and continues to lead the way for the future of footwear in so many ways. Growing up in Holland and spending most her life in Amsterdam, Nicoline Van Enter had dreams of being many things as all children do. Little did she know that those dreams would literally take her around the world due to these things we wear on our feet called shoes.
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Quintin Williams Ep. 008
Quintin Williams takes us on a journey from athlete to footwear designer and how he created his own path to success by starting Q4 Sports, an independent performance footwear brand currently worn by NBA players around the league. Coming from a small town in Georgia, Quintin Williams was raised on old school values. Through hard-work, commitment, determination and good timing that outlet revealed itself into the form of sneakers.
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Peterson Stoop
Ep. 009
Jelske Peterson and Jarah Stoop have been attached at the hip since the first day they met. Jelske from Holland and Jarah from New Zealand were both on paths that would merge although being from completely different sides of the world. Meeting while attending a shoe making course in Holland they instantly recognized an synergy and became fast friends. After exploring separate paths for a period of time they came back together in 2016 to form Peterson + Stoop. HandMade in Holland, Peterson + Stoop deconstructs vintage sneakers and rebuilds them with natural materials into beautiful one of kind pieces of art.
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