Hey hey ladies of the Sneaky Leak Podcast ! Thank you so much for chatting with us! Let’s hop right in! Please tell us a little about yourselves and where you’re from!
“We are the Sneaky Leak Podcast, 3 opinionated sneaker loving females named Elaina, Janelle and Henny. And even though we actually all come from different backgrounds we formed this trio in Los Angeles.”
Talk to us a little bit about the Sneaky Leak Podcast and how that came to be?
“Being that we’ve all been living in Los Angeles for some years it was bound to happen that we all ended up getting to know each other. We’re actually in a group chat with several women who are in the sneaker community, we were consistently discussing releases, opinions, ideas, and everything really sneaker and streetwear related. Eventually Henny said “we need to start a podcast” and so began the journey of Sneaky Leak Pod. It definitely took almost a year to fully come to fruition but here we are. We’ve put in a lot of work. One of the main driving forces behind the concept of the podcast was that there were little to no female sneaker podcasts on the market. We often talk about the sneaker community and blogs being male dominated and we were determined to take up space.”
The three of you have such great chemistry on the pod! What brought you guys together? Were you already friends?
“Yes, we were already friends. We had known each other for years at the time of the idea of a podcast. We kind of had been saying it for a while until the three of us took it serious and started laying the groundwork. It really came together organically that the three of us have such good chemistry on and off camera. Since we all have different styles and come from different backgrounds, what we think really adds to what we got. We love diversity and individuality over here.”
So for this question, we would love for you three to answer individually: When did your love for sneakers begin?
Henny: “ My love began when I was about 11/12 years old during summer school. I met a lot of kids who had sneakers I never had saw, one in particular being the Airmax plus TN air in the hyper blue CW. My life changed after seeing that shoe & I've been obsessed since.”
Elaina: “My love for sneakers began post high school. I grew up in a small town and had limited access to things during the 2000s. But I quickly got into buying sneakers there after and haven’t been able to stop since. But, if I had to pick a specific shoe that was the driving force, it would be the black cement Jordan 3.”
Janelle: “Growing up I’ve always been a tomboy.. but when I was in HS, and still trying to find my own personal style, my boyfriend at the time kind of introduced me to the collecting side of sneakers. After that I took it upon myself to dive deep into the history of sneakers and was all on the blog sites engulfing myself into the world of sneakers. And I’ve been in love ever since.”
Where did each of your journeys begin in the sneaker community and industry?
Henny: “ Community wise my journey started at a store called Oneness in Kentucky around 2010, it was my first time being able to go to a place where I met people who were also into sneakers & streetwear & the sub-cultures that surround it. Some of those people I met there still inspire me to this day. Industry wise I started at Finishline in 2012, & have worked for multiple places since including SNS, & Stashed as a buyer.”
Elaina: “My journey in the sneaker community actually started with my ex-boyfriend. I hate to say it haha but after I moved to L.A. , he really introduced me to a lot of people out here in the community, since he was well known. Eventually I made a name for myself and am grateful to be a part of something so special.”
Janelle: “As soon as I started getting into shoes, instagram was just becoming a thing and quickly I was able to find a great sneaker community through social media. I also credit the camp-out days to being a big part of forming a sense of community because you really got to chop it up and hang out with people who were all there for a common interest.”
When I was in HS, I also started my sneaker YouTube channel which also helped me solidify my name in the streets for being one of the few women in the game that was on YT.”
Your pod-aversary was last month ! Congratulations ladies! What has been your most memorable moment as a pod so far ?
“We are so excited to be celebrating our 1 year anniversary! It has been a crazy year and we have accomplished so much but still have so much more to do. The most memorable moment for us so far would have to be our Sheik x Sneaky Leak event. We actually got to model the holiday Women’s Jordan 11 Neapolitan campaign. In addition to Sheik throwing us this really cool party where we got to have a live audience for one of our episodes. So that was really exciting and special. And we can’t wait to see what is I’m store for us next year.”
What has been most empowering for you as a female-lead podcast in this male dominated industry?
“ All the support we have received from women (and men). Especially the women because it really proved our point of women’s voices often being lost or completely forgotten in the community. When it comes to releases not coming in a full size run or often stores not getting smaller sizes, which most women are in that range, it’s nice to know we’re not the only ones who feel some type of way. The sneaker industry is not just for boys anymore and women have been dominating! So the support means the world. Thanks out to guys! XOXO”
If someone you know is looking to start their sneaker collection, what are two staples that you ladies would recommend them to start off with ?
“Oh this is hard, for Elaina and Janelle we would definitely have to say a BC3 is mandatory. It’s both our favs and it’s honestly such a classic and can go with any outfit.”
“Henny would say the second staple is something that is timeless yet unique like the r4 Nike shox in the OG CWs.”
What are some things we can look forward to from Sneaky Leak Podcast in the future?
“Hopefully bigger guests, releasing merch, and throwing events to interact with our listeners and bring together the sneaker community. We did a lot in our first year but we just know there is a lot more to come.”
Before you go, we have to ask, what is your grail & why?
Henny: “Man this question is to hard to answer, lol.”
“Because it's always changing for me! But I'd love just get my hands on any kind of special samples that aren't going to be released, I wouldn't mind having the green F&F CPFM dunk though.”
Elaina: “Ah, I feel like my grail changes as my style evolves. But for a while now it’s been the CPFM Dunk for me, I love me a good ol SB. I really hope I can acquire my size one day, even though it won’t be cheap aha.”
Janelle: “So I feel like I sometimes I change my grail but the core shoe is always the DB 4s, because I loveddddd Superman and to see his logo on a shoe was so exciting for me. But it’s so hard to find a decent pair, for a decent price, with box & insoles ”
Be sure to tap in with @thesneakyleakpod on Instagram , Youtube , and Spotify for all things sneaker community, industry, culture, and everything in between!
Photo credit: Instagram
xoxo
-Jackie E.