Sneaker Feast Showcases New Styles, Brings People Together
Though the designs that filled the recent "Sneaker Feast," held in the South Loop last weekend, could often be deemed as elaborate, much of what fueled the event stemmed from basic needs and desires.
And though the event dealt a lot in brand-promotion and extension, talking with vendors at the Sneaker Feast would lead one to believe that the up-and-coming designers who populated the showcase had ambitions to help many more folks than themselves.
The meaning of ‘good’ was often embraced last Friday at Revel Motor Row on South Michigan Avenue. Taking place as the nearby Complexcon was just kicking off at McCormick Place and welcoming urban designers and celebrities from around the world, this event gave a chance for lesser-known and locally-based sneaker and apparel makers to showcase themselves as well.
Another primary focus of Sneaker Feast 2019, which was hosted by sneaker boutique Succezz, located just up the road by Michigan and Cermak, was to bring together many cultures, for some of the brands this meant empowering at-risk youth to bring positivity into communities through art and discussion and through public art projects and youth art programming.
One such brand -- The Simple Good -- works under the message that no matter where you go in the world, good means the same to all of us, and that belief is what connects us as human beings. Another brand, I Am Dad 365, pays homage to all of the dads out there that are making an impact in children’s lives.
Revel Motor Row remained lively throughout the afternoon with a DJ booth pumping music as cold beverages were available -- a must during one of the hottest days of 2019 -- as plenty people made themselves open to interact with as stunning artwork and jewelry were available for purchase along with plenty of sick kicks.
Gary Lewis, founder of I Am Dad 365, shared his story and his passion for his brand with WARR Media. Lewis recently made a notable appearance on ABC 7's Windy City Live where he did the same.
The Simple Good was born from travels made across the world by the brand's founder, Priya Shah. Shah captured each unique journey in photos that later took on a life of their own as the Simple Good Blog.
As the blog grew, many friends and supporters joined the conversation, sharing and amplifying these profound travel experiences and bringing experiences from their own travels, perpetuating the good they saw and giving it extended life. The blog went viral eventually and The Simple Good received submissions deliberating on the meaning of good from Spain, China, Brazil, Italy and beyond.
It was amazing to see this global reaction to goodness within ourselves and the connections being made all over the world. What they learned was that the world was waiting for a simple way connect to each other and that could likely come from their expansion of branding and ideas.
The Simple Good is on the up and up and is an organization that everyone should be paying attention to.