KICKS & COMMUNITY
SNEAKER CULTURE REWRITTEN FROM THE SOLE UP
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ADIDAS PURPOSE
🌟 VIEW & DOWNLOAD THE COMMUNITY ARCHIVES ZINE HERE 🌟
Within modern consumerism, few items possess the same gravitational pull of sneakers. This multi-billion-dollar universe, built on hype and limited drops, has created its own global subculture. And from a commerce-driven perspective, sneakers are more than products for necessity—they’re powerful vehicles for community, identity and profound, positive change. The journeys of Eric “Shake” James, a retailer in Milwaukee, and Asia Swift, a footwear designer at adidas, peer into how passion—when tied to purpose—can change lives and the industry.
Though unique, each shares a common origin point within the foundational power of family and the early realization that a shoe is never just a shoe; it is a vessel for memories and a token of love that builds confidence. In a crowded, struggling Milwaukee household, a young Shake was living the lesson of survival and symbolism. Growing up with nine kids in a two-bedroom house, sneakers and music became escapes to a wider world of possibility. His path was shaped by a single, defiant act of self-identification. His mother, having saved up some money from her job, was determined to gift him a symbol of success: a pair of exclusive sneakers. “I want those,” he said without hesitation, pointing at a pair of adidas in the local store. “I always felt like adidas had so much culture—breakdancing, hip-hop, graffiti,” he says. And this cultural instinct became the core tenet of his life’s work.
For Asia Swift, now a Junior Footwear Designer, this understanding was woven into her childhood in Upstate New York. In her home, a sneaker was the “finishing bow tie on the look,” a philosophy absorbed from watching her parents meticulously craft their outfits. Weekly rituals at outlet malls with her father crafted a particular taste, planting a seed that would later define her career.
The transition from passionate consumer to purposeful professional required courage for both. For Swift, this meant abandoning a practical marketing degree. The pivot came when she discovered the adidas S.E.E.D program—an alternative educational experience for aspiring footwear industry professionals, without the means to attend design school. The process was a multi-task, multi-week elimination, and Swift emerged as one of six successful candidates in 2023. “We spent about the first year learning the ins and outs of footwear design,” she notes.
It was during this year that she found her calling as a Color and Materials designer, fully embracing the concept of “dressing up” a shoe. Working within the corporate structure, Asia saw how hype could sever the sacred connection between a person and a desired shoe.
This reality made her want to be “really good” at her job, ensuring her designs were deeply connected to their intended community. She recalls hawkeyeing the social media pages of partners’ followers, asking: “Would they wear this? Does this fit? Do I think they would vibe with it?” This empathetic process is her way of preserving authentic hype culture from the inside. Her impact is highlighted with her work on a forthcoming collaboration with Soleplay, a retailer in Atlanta renowned for their deep ties to community and commitment to cultivating space for youth engagement through gaming. Not being a “super gamey” person, she immersed herself in gaming culture to understand its parallels with sneaker culture.
She learned it was a safe space for the community, and worked to echo that feeling in her designs—responding to the insights from the retail staffers who helped shape the design. It turned out to be a full circle moment as she got to pass on what she had learnt to these young professionals now learning the process themselves, in a newer design program adidas launched for their community retailers called Business Track. Every color and material choice is a deliberate effort to tell a story where the wearer feels represented.
Shake found a position that went beyond retail. Armed with deep ties to the music world from touring with hip-hop legends, he approached adidas with a bold proposition to open a store. He envisioned his vast network lining up around the block. The reality was a humbling lesson in sneaker retail’s unglamorous side. A crucial mentor taught him to cut his losses on bad shoes. A trip to Paris Fashion Week revealed another hard truth about the need for diverse selection. In response, he built his own ecosystem, including his flagship Clicks [Kicks] Milwaukee, the elevated storefront SNEEX, and community hub JAY ACADEMY (in the original home of Black Market). Shake learned to adjust to the market and remain relevant through diverse channels.
The year 2020 became a crucial time for Shake in finding purpose in action. The political and racial tension, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, was a catalyst. He saw corporate pledges become “false promises” and a digital divide that left local kids without Wi-Fi or reliable meals. Shake built a study hall next to his Black Market retail space. He offered free Wi-Fi, free tutoring, free meals, and “Fade for Grades” haircuts. This organic outreach evolved into his formal nonprofit, J.A.Y. Academy, transforming his enterprise into a genuine community institution and forging a deeper partnership with adidas, which later fostered the Day One collection.
The sneaker was a physical manifesto, boasting the 414 area code of Milwaukee, and the launch event was a testament to Shake's genuine community connection, attended by the president of adidas and hip-hop legends who performed in a celebration of community.
The culmination of these journeys demonstrates that the highest achievement is not a sold-out product, but a strengthened community. Asia Swift and Eric “Shake” James are architects of a new narrative: they prove that sneaker culture's true power lies not in its ability to exclude, but in its potential to include. Asia’s advice—a reflection of her upbringing—is a gentle rebellion: “Just pick and wear whatever you like... If you see something and you feel connected to it, just wear that.” Shake’s plea is a directive to the industry: “Don't forget about community... Community matters.” Their stories form a powerful message of how sneakers can create positive change. The most valuable collaborations are between a purpose and a community, and the most profound impact sneakers can have is tied to the lives touched, the connections forged, and the communities empowered—one shoe at a time.
EXPLORE THE FULL DIGITAL COMMUNITY ARCHIVES ZINE ACROSS TRENCH.
This article has been produced in collaboration with adidas Purpose, Pitch Blend and TRENCH.
