Artist of the Day: Kerin Rose

I met Kerin Rose at Sneaker Pimps NYC in 2006, when she amazed me by carrying one fabulous bedazzled Chuck Taylor in her bag. She’s now famous for her spectacular eyewear (a-morir.com), worn by the likes of Rihanna, Grace Jones and Lady Gaga. When I interviewed her for Girls Got Kicks, I had to ask if she’s still carrying magic kicks in her bag…

My bag is always filled with sparkly magic tricks! I’d love to work more with sneakers, but right now outside of eyewear, I do mainly face masks and head pieces. However, any and all of my clients that have seen the shoes lose their minds without fail. Very few singular items can literally drop a jaw the way a Converse covered in 3000 hand-applied Swarovski crystals can. 

Melbourne GGK Party February 2nd!

 

The Melbourne Girls Got Kicks exhibit opening night is coming up quick! If you're in the city of sneaker freakers, don't miss this big event at The Vic Bar on February 2nd. You can hear M.A.F.I.A spin, buy Girls Got Kicks or even a one-of-a-kind Cheech Sanchez portrait. Don't miss it! For more information on the event or to RSVP, click on the event facebook page. (You'll also see information on the killer after party and on how to pre-order books so you make sure you get your copy...)

In her first-ever solo show, Cheech Sanchez presents a series of photographic portraits of female sneaker enthusiasts taken exclusively for the recently released international sneaker book, Girls Got Kicks. The photo series has since developed into a unique snapshot of female street culture in Melbourne. Juxtapozing feminine curves against the graffiti-laden laneways and back streets of Fitzroy and St Kilda, the exhibition is set to throw a bright spotlight on an otherwise elusive group of uniquely Melbournian women.

The opening night - hosted by Melbourne’s very own sneaker queen, M.A.F.I.A. - also acts as the official Australian launch for the book Girls Got Kicks. The first ever photo documentary of badass female sneaker heads, Girls Got Kicks bursts with portraits and stories as rich and varied as their ever-growing sneaker collections.

The Blast features GGK

The Blast, a worldwide hip hop blog, recently interviewed GGK author Lori Lobenstine. Here's the intro by Lindsay Bess...

MY ADIDAS (are too tight…and why are they pink?)

Sup everyone!  I’m back for a second week in a row to wax poetic about a book I recently found out about:

GIRLS GOT KICKS by Lori Lobenstine

Basically, it’s a photo-documentary about ladies and their love for footwear - with no high heels in sight (love em, but this is NOT that kinda book).

This book is basically written for any female who has at one point in her life sworn by Nike or Adidas, has ever scrubbed her shoes with a toothbrush, cares about how they are laced (tied or untied?), preferred sneaks over heels at a jam and thought she looked better than everyone else...

HOW DID THE IDEA FOR THE BOOK COME ABOUT? 

LL:  “The idea for the book came about around the same time as the idea for the site…there seemed to be a lack of a real community for female sneaker heads.  The sites I came across were very male-dominated, with pics of naked girls surrounded by shoes or a hot girl holding a pair of Jordans in her teeth.  That is not us! I felt there needed to be a site dedicated to real female sneaker fiends, a space for us to come together and see each other and be recognized. What writing the book and creating the site did was connect and bring out thousands of women around the world who love kicks.

For full interview, click here.

Featured Reader: Angelina Mazzone

Girls Got Kicks regularly receives fan mail and requests to be in "the next book". Well, who knows if there will be a next book, but we do appreciate everyone's interest! When I told FSF reader Angelina Mazzone that she'd missed this round but she could send in a photo for the blog, I got this great shot: 

You can tell she loves her SBs! Keep the fan mail coming and be the next featured reader...

Artist of the Day: Loni Schick

Loni Schick, a tremendously talented young photographer from Toronto, pours her passion for sneakers, hip hop, skateboarding and travel into a wonderfully vibrant eye for photography. We were fortunate to have her contribute to Girls Got Kicks as a guest photographer in both Canada and Holland, as well as for our Married to the MOB and Martha Cooper features. She is currently Subeditor and a significant contributor to the awesome female street culture publication, C.O.P. Magazine and has recently joined RESPECT. Mag as an online photo contributor. Her photography has also been featured in Complex Magazine. Go Loni!

Karla Moy, aka Hustlegrl, of Toronto, as shot by Loni Schick for Girls Got Kicks

lonischick.com