Strange on Purpose
By Izzy Lugo
Strange on PurposeMar 03, 2020
Sarmad Marzuq of New Balance
From architect school to pumping gas. Sarmad Marzuq left a promising career that didn't fit his view on how he saw his life. Little did he know that he'd be designing shoes for KITH, ALD, and other New Balance collaborators a year from pumping gas. Committed to sharing his journey with young creatives, Sarmad jumps on the show to talk about his journey, creative block and other hot topic items in the space.
Follow Sarmad here: https://www.instagram.com/sarmadmarzuq/
How your past influences your future with Ricardo Emmanuel 🇩🇴
Today we're joined by Ricardo Emmanuel, a DJ, Photographer, Videographer, and more. He gives us insight into his creative endeavors including a project with Sean Wotherspoon at Coachella with Adidas. He's worked with brands such as Nike/Jordan, Footlocker, Merit, Usher, Instagram/meta, Adidas, Reebok, Calvin Klein!
Check him out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rickydirects/
Chloe Mann & Aundre Gray of Reebok
In the 200th episode of the Strange on Purpose Podcast, Chloe Mann and Aundre Gray of Reebok join us to talk about the latest Human Rights Now capsule from Reebok. The Human Rights Now! collection is a long-term product platform designed to fuel the brand’s mission to inspire human rights and human movement.
The Human Rights Now! platform is just one of the Reebok’s pillars to execute its commitment to stand united against racism through creating a more inclusive environment but also contributing to and promoting Black and LatinX communities.
Alison Mariella Désir of Running While Black
Running saved Alison Mariella Désir’s life. At rock bottom and searching for
meaning and structure, Désir started marathon training, finding that it vastly
improved both her physical and mental health. Yet as she became involved in the
community and learned its history, she realized that the sport was largely built
with white people in mind. To help make running more inclusive and welcoming
to people of color, Désir founded Harlem Run, an NYC-based running movement,
and Run 4 All Women, which has raised over $150,000 for Planned Parenthood
and $270,000 for Black Voters Matter.
Désir is currently co-chair of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition, a Run Happy Advocate for Brooks Running,
and an Athlete Advisor for Oiselle. A graduate of Columbia University for her bachelor’s and two master’s degrees,
including a master’s of education in counseling psychology, Alison has been published in Outside Magazine,
contributed the foreword for Running is My Therapy by Scott Douglas, and founded the Meaning Thru Movement
Tour, a speaking series featuring mental health experts and fitness professionals. Running While Black is her first
book. Alison Mariella Désir currently lives with her son, Kouri Henri, and partner, Amir Muhammad Figueroa,
outside of Seattle.
Andrea Campos of @dreasdoodles
Andrea Campos is a proud first-generation Latinx illustrator & photographer based in sunny California that specializes in creating expressive, upbeat work. Andrea joins us today to talk about how COVID started her journey in illustration and her new book with Jimmy Fallon and JLo!
Gabrielle Serrano aka Queen Leo
Queen Leo took the sneaker world by storm in 2019 with her Air Max 98 "La Mezcla." Today she's a jack of all trades. She's a designer, photographer, nurse practitioner, daughter and more. In this episode, Serrano opens up about imposter syndrome, being raised in an immigrant household and what she's doing to give back to the people of El Salvador.
David Filar of Endstate
Dubbed as the "Nicest footwear designer you'll ever meet" David Filar jumps on the show to talk about his creative journey, commitment to the underground creatives and how the immigrant mentality fuels his everyday. He has had the opportunity to design two products with Yvon Chouinard the founder of Patagonia! PSA : This episode was prerecorded. David has since made the move to work with another former SOP guest in Stephanie Howard of Endstate!
A Conversation With Puma Hoops
Today's episode features the latin members of the Puma Hoops design team, Jacob Garcia, Kirby Nunez and Roberto Agrait as they talk about landing their respective roles and what it's like to work in a startup within a generational business.
Jairus Morris of SUPLMNT
Jairus Morris is on a mission to educate the urban community on the importance of water. As a kid, Jairus knew friends that would play basketball for hours and and look to soda or juice to hydrate themselves. After becoming an adult, he found himself looking for a reusable water bottle but none of them spoke to him and that's when he realized that the reusable water bottle space only spoke to a select few. Through SUPLMNT, Jairus is showing that everyone deserves a seat at the table and educates the next generation on the importance of clean water.
John Clayton of Footlocker
I met John Clayton a few months ago and the first thing I thought to myself was, "This guy is just giving out free game." After talking, I realized why. A child from Philly that just wants to see people that look like him win, John jumps on the show to talk about his journey and what he really wants his legacy to be.
Simran Kaleka of Made for the W
In late 2018, entertainment attorney Simran Kaleka came on board the Made For The W roster to help push the brand forward. With her knowledge and expertise in the industry, the brand hasn't looked back. In this episode, Simran talks about her passions and what we can do to become better advocates for women everywhere.
Javier Rodriguez of El Puerto
Launching your own thing is tough enough but when you add in a pandemic–the stakes get higher. Two weeks before the covid-19 pandemic put the island of Puerto Rico into a state of flux, Javi launched his first location in Condado, Puerto Rico. Meaning for it to just be a pop-up, Javi wanted to make sure everything went according to plan but what came next proves that entrepreneurs like Javi had to quickly adapt to the ever-changing landscape of the world–or see their hard work be driven into the ground.
Jeff Cole of Ikonick & Metarelics
The visual artist known only as @Cole on Instagram has made a name for himself with his artwork, but it’s the team behind his Ikonick brand that truly elevates his craft. In this episode, Jeff talks about what the team has up their sleeve with their new project, Metarelics.
Roberto Agrait of Puma
A member of the all latin design team at Puma Hoops, Roberto Agrait is living his childhood dream. Since he could remember, he wanted to get into sportswear design and when basketball brought him to Lasell University in Massachusetts, his dream was just getting started. In this episode, Roberto talks about how he deals with creative block, working with athletes like LaMelo Ball and Boogie Cousins and sooo much more.
Nicolle Nicosia-Polanco of Adidas
How many stories have you heard of a retail team member at Adidas rising through the ranks and landing a job at the corporate HQ? Enter Nicolle Nicosia-Polanco, a Dominican that refuses to hear "you can't do that."
A recent DACA recipient, Nicolle's story is one of the most inspiring stories ever featured on Strange on Purpose.
Liz Beecroft of Mentl.Sesh
Psychotherapist, mental health advocate, and lady hooper with a soft spot for sneakers, Liz Beecroft is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist whose main mission is to educate and raise awareness on mental health. Liz joins us to talk about her journey, her day to day creative process and the importance of Mental health in creative careers.
Meline Katchi of Studio Mesmel & IVY PARK
Sam Smyser-De Leon of Nike
Samantha Smyser- De Leon is a Puerto Rican visual artist from Humboldt Park, Chicago. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Columbia College Chicago with a minor in Arts Business. She works primarily at Nike as a Footwear Color Designer, at the global design level but also works as an independent installation artist, fabricator, graphic designer and illustrator, with a focus on set-design installations for special events, concerts, and video production.
Nikko Locander aka Ali Six
Ali Six is a multi medium artist born and raised in Humboldt Park Chicago. Since he was a child he ventured with his imagination to create cartoons, and in high school painting the streets of Chicago. After realizing there was more to art than just graffiti he combined what he learned through spray paint and his love of cartoons to create Richie the Raccoon. Ali Six uses Richie to liven up the streets of Chicago and around the world with murals.
Camila Diaz, Associate Manager, Global Markets Acceleration at Reebok
Camila Diaz finally joins the show to talk about the journey of landing her new role at Reebok, Puerto Rican creatives, the island, Anuel AA and sooo much more.
Anthony from Sneaker Ether
Sneaker Ether is more than a hype project, it is a multi-dimensional apparel and digital brand for the sneaker community. The brand combines elements of cryptocurrency, gaming, and sneaker culture to create one of a kind non fungible tokens (NFT's), and apparel for this universe.
https://twitter.com/SneakerEther
sneakerether.com
MAWdoods
In this episode, Izzy interviews MAWdoods. A Green Bay, WI native that creates pieces of art that are originally hand drawn on a Nike shoebox using the Swoosh as part of his #ShoeBoxSeries. MAWdoods talks to us on the inspiration behind his work, the creative process behind it and what's in the near future for him.
Check him out on instagram:
Shake James of Black Market, Clicks, J.A.Y. Academy and Sneex
In this episode, Izzy chats with the LEGENDARY Shake James about owning a store, some of his influences and sooo much more.
Follow Shake:
Christian Figueroa of See.Fig
When his parents wanted to narrow him into a path he wouldn't be happy with, Christian Figueroa started a long journey of following his dreams and when an opportunity came to pitch himself to the team at KITH, he didn't let it pass him up. Christian jumps on the pod today to talk about his entrepreneurial journey, breaking into the industry and sooo much more!
Sam Hart of Complex
A Jersey boy through and through, meet Sam Hart, Style Director, Brand Partnerships at @complex
A dad of 2, San has been a consumer, creative, student and more of the culture for most of his life. He’s an avid sneaker collector and terrible NY sports team fan.
Noel Bronson of Bronson & Bronson
Noel Bronson is a creative based in The Bronx, NY who lives by the motto that he thinks he created, but is no longer sure “Always Tired, Never Bored”. His fear of boredom has pushed him to work with various brands on various things. Titles don’t mean much to him, but he firmly believes Net 30s should be paid within 30 days.
Leland Grossman of kyx.world
@leland11 jumps on the pod to talk about all things @kyx.world and his experience working with brands like American Express, Nike, Chipotle, Sprite, H&M, and Allbirds.
Mateen Zar of Social Studies Brand
Mateen Zar of @socialstudiesbrand joins us to talk about founding his brand, entrepreneurship and what to expect next for the up and coming brand.
Jackie Munroe of ASICS
In this episode, we talk with Jackie Munroe. The color and materials designer chats with us about her design process, favorite projects and how to break into the industry as a young designer.
Arwa al Banawi
In this episode, I'm joined by Arwa al Banawi ( @arwaalbanawi ). She's a Founder, Designer and Creative Director from Saudi Arabia. Arwa talks about her journey as a designer, failure and we leave some time to talk about her recent collaboration with Adidas Originals on the Forum ADV.
Byron Stewart of Foot Locker
I'm joined with Byron Stewart (@byronste_if ) of Foot Locker this week to talk about his journey from Amazon to Foot Locker. The marathon includes starting a blog with his brother, working at places like MTV, Highsnobiety, Jimmy Jazz and so much more.
Austin LaBoda of HatClub
Austin has a decade in the hat biz under his belt working with brands such as @47 and @neweracap
Austin joins us this season to talk about his journey, the hype around fitters and sooo much more.
Hannah Moore of Reebok
After spending 10 years in the agency space, Hannah wanted to her next move to be with a brand.
Hannah joins us this season to talk about her journey, what’s new at Reebok and what the future has in store for her.
Carmina Rodriguez-Ruiz of Adidas
In the long awaited season opener, Carmina ( @carmisabella ) joins me on a conversation about her journey, generational hesitations and finding yourself in life.
Jess Dalton of Dr. Martens
Jess Dalton of @drmartensofficial joins us for a conversation on rejection, being you and sooo much more.
Gerardo Ortiz of Malditogedo
In today's episode Gerardo Ortiz aka Malditogedo jumps on to talk about his upbringing, being a creative, and how the next generation of creatives can pave a path of their own.
Mbiyimoh, Darren and Tony of Tradeblock
Mbiyimoh ( @redbeemsandmics ), Darren ( @thedarrensmith ) and Tony ( @tony.malveaux ) of Tradeblock ( @tradeblock.us ) jump on the show to talk about the founding story of Tradeblock, raising as black entrepreneurs and new features coming to the app.
Bernadette Little of Adidas
Bernie ( @youcancallmebernie ) of Adidas jumps on the pod to talk about her journey from Baltimore to Portland, the creative process and the help she's offering to POC creatives about the sneaker industry.
Priscella Shum of Pyer Moss
Her first break in the industry was at Baby Phat in the early 2000s. Now she works at Pyer Moss. This is the story of Priscella Shum. The half Puerto Rican, half Chinese designer talks about her upbringing, creative influences, working with Madam VP and much more. Follow her journey on Instagram @priscella_styles
Marina Skye, Founder @ Setbyskye
From her time doing free work to creating at the @trapmusicmuseum, @setbyskye is self taught and gives creatives real advice on getting started. Skye gets real with us about family, building a business and so much more.
Jeremy Green of Calling All Creators
"pledges" these brands made last year.
Lance Troh of Own Kicks
Lance Troh jumps on the pod to talk with Izzy about his upbringing in Africa, goes into detail on launching his own sneaker authentication business ( @ownkicks ) and talks about how reselling sneakers has funded ownkicks since it's inception!
Carli Pacheco of Mofongo Kicks 🇵🇷
Carli ( @carlimofongo ) of @mofongokicks jumps on the pod to talk about his journey from Puerto Rico to New Jersey, the creative bumps along the way and the help he's giving to creatives on the island!
A conversation with Adidas–How to Get a Sneaker Brand’s Hiring Manager to Notice You
Izzy was joined by Nick Ziemer (Manager Digital Technology –Footwear, adidas), Bernadette Little (Designer on Global Brand Design, adidas), and Collin Lashway (University Recruiter, adidas). They talked about what it’s like to work at adidas and what the hiring process is like. They gave attendees an inside look at what hiring managers are looking for and what you can do to make yourself stand out as a candidate for the position you are interviewing for. Make sure to follow each one of their journey's @laxway27 , @nickziemer , @youcancallmebernie
Jeff Henderson, 15 year Nike Alum and Founder @ AndThem Creative & 99 Products
Jeff Henderson, who worked at Nike for almost 15 years, is the founder of @ninetynineproducts , @goodthin.gs and @andthemcreative . In this episode, Jeff covers the importance of mentorship, getting out of your box and, most importantly, showing your work. Follow Jeff's journey here: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreyalanhenderson/
David Gibson, Global Product Manager at New Balance Lifestyle
Not one to put himself in the spotlight, David Gibson steps up to the plate and educates Izzy on his journey – from an intern at the General Motors factory in Flint to a dream role at New Balance and all the stories in between. D1 athlete, driving across the mitten and sooo much more. You won't want to miss this one. Follow David on Instagram, @mvp.dg
Oscar Castillo, Founder of Modern Notoriety
From Chicago, Oscar Castillo has cemented himself as a go-to resource in sneakers & culture. His company Modern Notoriety has a community of over 750,000 passionate culture seekers. In this episode, Oscar chats with Izzy on his journey getting started in the industry, what made him start his own business, advice to creatives and most importantly, Oscar gives his no nonsense view on representation in sneakers (or lack thereof) Follow Oscar on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/oscar_castillo/?hl=en
Cesar Idrobo, Head Pattern & Sample Maker @ Yeezy
From Columbia to Gainesville to Savannah to Calabasas, Cesar Idrobo has had QUITE the journey. In this episode, Cesar chats with Izzy on his journey breaking and maintaining in the footwear industry, the importance of mentorship, advice to creatives and much more! Keep up with Cesar on Instagram & Linkedin
Lucy Crivelli, Community Manager at Aglet
In today's episode, Izzy chats with Lucy Crivelli, Community Manager @ Aglet & Founder of Tomorrow Isn't Promised. Lucy holds nothing back as she talks about her experience in the industry, representation and what's in her future. This episode highlights the immigrant journey, the generational expectation to follow a path and what happens when you don't. Follow Lucy on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lucycrivelli/