When did you realize you loved sneakers?
When my cousin got a pair of high-top Filas form Delaware, when ever he took them off I would rush and put them on my feet and walk around looking like a clown but they were hot to me and I wanted a pair sooooooo bad…

Can you remember the first pair you were crazy about?
Awww man, they were a pair of Puma Clyde’s black with the white puma sign I got them from Montgomery Wards in the 8th grade right before we had our first piano recital at school, I wore them to the recital and almost every single day after that.

Do you think it’s different being a FEMALE sneaker fiend? What are the challenges?
Sure it’s different.  I mean people look at females as being all girly and wearing all the dressy clothing and stuff not wearing sneakers, but you can still be sexy, classy, and sophisticated in a pair of crispy new kicks.  It’s all about style and being you. Expressing yourself in whatever way you feel… Letting society know that not only can boys rock kicks and look good, but us girls can rock the same exact shoe and look even better in it, at the same time still remaining the elegant female that we are.

Do (or did) you have role models—other FSF’s or athletes who wore your favorite kicks?
A lot of athletes and other famous people have wore some of my favorite kicks, but none of them are role models to me.  The one and only role model I had/have (my mother) was not a sneaker head.  (lol).
   
How did where you grew up impact your sneaker style?
I grew up in the country and shoes were not a big thing down there, I hated wearing my new shoes cause of all the dirt and rocks, I messed up a whole lot of shoes back home. When I moved to Dallas that’s when shoes really became a part of my everyday outfit. Everybody on the block and in the neighborhood knew when somebody got a new pair, and I wanted to make sure I was among those who sported a new pair almost every week.

Back then it wasn’t all about the label just rather the fact you had a new pair and they were tight, that’s why I sport almost every label from Reebok to Converse to Nike to Puma to Adidas, you name it I love them.  My sneaker collection is like a big old melting pot with a little bit of this and a little bit of that in it, Jordan, Nike, Chucks, basketball shoes, a few casual pairs, some running. My collection is my baby, it’s me.

What do you do if a good sneaker has something bad happen to it?
When I was younger--nothing, but now I go crazy over the littlest things like if me and my best friend Julia are in the store, and she accidentally runs over my shoe with the basket or steps on them I stop dead in my tracks look at her like she crazy for about 10 seconds bend down and make sure my babies are ok. If I see a scuff or some dirt I put a little bit of spit on my fingers and rub away. Advice: It’s always good to carry a small thing of anti-bacterial hand sanitizer in your pocket/purse or whatever.

How do you pick out a shoe? How do you rock a pair?
I always drag Julia along with me, and she hates it ‘cause I can stay in a shoe store well over 30 minutes just looking.  She’ll be like “don’t you want to ask someone for some help?” and my response is always “I’m not done looking yet.”  When I rock a shoe it’s usually with a new shirt that I got.  For every shoe I buy, I try and buy at least one shirt or two if I’m feeling crazy (‘cause money doesn’t grow on trees around my way!