THE DRIVING FORCE: VASHTIE KOLA IS THE FIRST LADY OF FOOTWEAR
(SPONSORED STORY)
Like many future designers, Vashtie Kola has always been tuned in to what people are wearing. As a child in 1990s New York, she spent weekends people-watching, surrounded by the swirl of traffic noise and music emanating from car radios as young kids played in the streets and teens strolled by in the latest fashions. With a front-row seat for the rise of sneaker culture, she quickly became enamored with the street-style staple.
Just as every journey starts with one step, Kola’s started with one pair of shoes: Reebok Classic Nylons, which her parents reluctantly purchased during a back-to-school shopping excursion after much convincing from her older siblings. As the daughter of working-class Trinidadian immigrants, her wardrobe primarily consisted of hand-me-downs, making new shoes all the more valuable to Kola. The Reeboks were a far cry from the flashy kicks that populate store shelves today, but the future design maven treated them like gold, recognizing the right footwear’s power to elevate any outfit into an unforgettable street style moment.
“Growing up in the hood, you don't have access to much. You don't have the ability to buy a flashy car or a fancy house. So [sneakers] were a way to really represent yourself and take ownership of your style. It was a way to empower yourself,” the multi-hyphenate explains.
With her first pair of sneakers in hand, the budding creative set her sights on expanding her collection. Switching hang-outs with friends for an after-school job at the mall, she nabbed green Puma Suedes. Next came a pair of Nike Air Pegasus shoes. Finally, after quite some time of saving, she finally attained the holy grail: Jordans. For the young Kola—and most other sneakerheads of her generation—they were the pinnacle of cool. While Kola’s shoe game seemed maxed out, the glory of earning her very own pair would be surpassed when she became the first woman to design an Air Jordan colorway in 2010. “For that opportunity to have happened to a person like me was a symbol that this is possible for everyone,” she reflects.
While the landmark collaboration with Nike might have magnified her presence in the creative community, Kola was far from an unknown. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts in the early ‘00s, she wasted no time making a name for herself as one of Downtown’s prominent tastemakers. Her resume contains an enviable stack of gigs, from directing music videos for music’s brightest stars to serving as a creative advisor to modern-day visionaries. She also set the standard of rocking sneakers with designer dresses in elevated environments, blending streetwear and high fashion at a time when it was considered a faux pas. Kola’s inimitable edge almost single-handedly changed the tide.
“I remember not being allowed into certain upscale nightclubs because I was wearing sneakers. Fast forward to 2024, and it's the norm,” she recalls. “Fashion magazines that never spoke about sneakers are like, ‘Here’s how to wear an Air Force One,’” she adds with a laugh.
Despite her myriad other ventures, sneaker culture has remained a through line for Kola. In 2015, she designed a collection for Puma that paid homage to B-Boy culture and the Riot grrrl movement of the ‘80s and ‘90s—another full circle moment for the prolific creative.
As a multi-talented creative with an unrivaled appreciation for all things sneakers, it feels like kismet for Kola to help contextualize the all-new 2025 Nissan KICKS. She learned the fundamentals of design while working on cars with her father, an auto mechanic—but never did she imagine that the two art forms that have shaped her being would culminate decades later for a collaboration with automaker Nissan.
The streamlined vehicle owes a debt of inspiration to sneaker culture, as its sleek silver body, red-topped roof, and agile shape evoke the swift style of classic footwear. Kola’s early exposure to the inner workings of car culture uniquely poised to appreciate the parallels between the Japanese automaker’s KICKS and actual kicks.
“They're both vehicles in one way or another. It's how we move from point A to point B,” she notes, adding, “The approach of designing a sneaker and a car are similar in many ways".
Her words ring true. Whether in a walkable city or wide open country roads, we spend most of our lives on the move—and sneakers and cars are what get us there. While function is important, style deserves equal priority for a vehicle to be the total package. The Nissan KICKS embodies the best of both worlds. Like a quality shoe, care is taken to make sure the interior and body are comfortable and durable through the automaker’s dedicated craftsmanship. At the same time, the protective exterior strikes the perfect balance between elegant simplicity and standout style.
For Kola, the inspired vehicle is a promising sign that sneakers are no passing trend, but a lasting element of our culture.
“I hope that sneaker culture becomes, like, ‘No, this is a staple, and this is every day, and this is part of my life.’ I hope that it remains an important piece of personal style, and continues to maintain its presence and its importance.”
