Foot Locker launches Afro Kickz-Vans collab

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 25, 2021

A new Vans collaboration with London-based streetwear designer Aida Kiraya (aka Afro Kickz) is launching at Foot Locker as part of the retailer’s focus on female-led labels and as limited-run collabs continue to be key to the sneaker market.

The Vans x Afrokickz Old Skool collab takes inspiration from African and black culture, with Kiraya wanting to “create something that would change that narrative for future generations”.

The result is four different limited-edition sneakers that merge her love for this particular type of shoe “with her love for her culture”.

What’s interesting about this is that “consumers will get one of the four designs by surprise”. They simply pick their size and shop.

Linking with emerging names that ooze the cool factor is a key way to add interest to big-brand/retailer collabs at the moment and Afro Kickz qualifies on this front. Kiraya launched her sneaker customising brand in 2018 “with the aim to create sneakers that were inspired by traditional African imagery and modern black culture”.

The launch is part of Foot Locker’s Behind Her Label initiative. This is an international platform “designed to celebrate and elevate the long-time contributions of women in streetwear culture”. It comes from the gender gap that exists in streetwear design, a gap the retailer said it wants to close. The Behind Her Label platform “elevates and provides resources to emerging female streetwear designers”. 

Each collaborator will create an exclusive product collection which will be sold in one chosen Foot Locker store in their home city, and on the Foot Locker EU webstore.