January 19, 2023
This Black Woman Founder of Popular Sneaker Store Partners with Nike on New AF1 Sneaker
She’s a sneakerhead with a vision.
Jennifer Ford, a Houston native and owner of sneaker store Premium Goods, has confirmed a new collaboration with longtime supporter Nike on a new Air Force 1. According to Vogue, the design was created by Ford, who was inspired by items in her own closet.
The sneaker design features quilted sides and a beaded iteration of the signature Nike swoosh.
“There’s this artistic part of me that I never get the time to use or develop,” Ford said, recalling her desire to craft such a project. “I knew I was fully capable, but now seeing this creation I made, I know I can do it. It’s every sneaker owner’s dream.”
The collection features two sets of black and beige AF1s that Ford named after her daughter Sophia and her niece Bella. The sneakers are complemented with laces that are held by a metal rose, which Ford used to represent a generational family name.
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The collaboration highlights the accents on the shoes as a love letter to the Black women who continue to inspire Ford’s success with her craft.
“For me, it’s important, because if I’m the only one, people have to see me,” Ford said.
Reportedly, Ford became the first and only Black woman founder of a sneaker retail store in the country when she opened Premium Goods.
Home to some of the hottest kicks in Houston, Ford’s decision to open the location for Premium Goods came as an extension of her friend’s original store in Brooklyn.
Confident that the shoes would be a hit in the area, Ford opened its doors to the community in 2004.
“It’s about being with other people who enjoy the same thing as me and [building] a community,” Ford said.
The Premium Goods x Nike AF1 collection is available to shop on January 20 at Premium Goods.