Sneaker heads, I have a question for you: have you ever been out and a pair of sneakers on someone else’s feet catches your eyes? Now being a self respecting sneaker head you do your best to hold your composure and not show fascination with their kicks, God forbid you do the dreaded double take!! Now, once you’ve realized it’s safe to peep the sneakers for a good 10 seconds you peak up to your surprise to see a female rocking these kicks! You’ve just run into a Female Sneaker Fiend! You’ve heard the cliché “Anything you can do I can do better”? Well the FSF are here to let us know, it’s not about competition with males but more about recognition and the all important love for the kicks! Check it out as we catch up with founder Lori Lobenstine to find out more about the female movement in the sneaker game.

Scheme: Explain to us the concept behind Female Sneaker Fiend, what prompted you start it up?

Lori: I‘ve been a Female Sneaker Fiend all of my life but I really got the idea about 2 years ago when somebody gave me Bobbito Garcia’s book “Where Did You Get Those?” which is a great book. As I was looking through this book I realized there wasn’t one female represented in it. So I started thinking that this was weird because I know we are out there. The author said he couldn’t find any FSF out there, so it was a problem I was solving. I decided that a website was a great way to band us together and make it easier for the sneaker community to reach and recognize us.

Scheme: What’s been the most rewarding aspect of starting FSF?

Lori: It is absolutely just forming the community and receiving the feedback and participation because there are thousands of us out there. Guys have a sneaker community already existed around them. Many guys may only know 1 female around them that is really into kicks like them and likewise females may only know 1 -2 other fiends. When we start discovering more just like us it’s an emotional moment in a good way and that is very gratifying because you start to feel that you are part of an entire movement.

Scheme: With that being said, how quickly did the website take off?

Lori: It moved pretty quickly due to word of mouth and exposure from doing writing for Sneaker Freaker and other sites. We also got exposure from being at events like Sneaker Pimps and international sneaker battles. There are a lot of Female Sneaker Fiends already connected to the online community so once we started to connect the dots the awareness really started to take off.

Scheme: I’d have to say that I myself am a sneaker fiend. I found that during a certain period of my life I just couldn’t stop buying sneakers and it was at this point I realized that I was a fiend. When did you know that you were hooked on the sneaker culture?

Lori: For me it started when I was like 5 or 6. I was always attracted to sneakers because I have always been into sports and when I was little-sneakers to me were a way of conveying that I was a serious athlete. I didn’t start playing ball until like middle school but even in elementary I wore hi-tops because to me that meant I was even more serious about sports. I’ve always been into sneakers and knowing what sneakers said what to which people.

Scheme: So what is your sneaker collection like these days?

Lori: Right now I have about 70 pairs. I’ve never been a collector; I’m more about wearing the sneakers and loving the sneakers. I’m certainly not the type of sneaker fiend that buys sneakers in sizes I can’t wear just to have them. To me the best part about enjoying the sneaker is being able to rock them. I’m not into the ultra exclusive kicks that get hyped up; I’m more into finding that sneaker that speaks to me. I do like to find some kicks that you probably didn’t notice out there until I got it. I’m from Boston and Boston is definitely an Adidas town and I am an Adidas head and really into more of a basketball type shoe or even something like the Puma Clydes which has a lot of connections to the hip hop culture.

Scheme: Hearing that you’re an Adidas head, what do you think about the whole A.D.I. Color collection?

Lori: In some ways I think it failed and in some ways it succeeded. In terms of myself I’m very predictable, I picked up the all white A.D.I color hi-top basketball show that seemed so clean and pretty to me but others may see it as boring.

“I have nothing against pink as a color but when you go into a sneaker store and every sneaker in the female section has some type of pink in it, I think that is just played and boring.”

Scheme: Okay, time to put you on the spot a little. What are your top 5 kicks of all time?

Lori: Tough one let me think for a minute. I can’t do all time but I can let you know what I like right now. I like the Puma Bodes; I think they are real fun. I also like the Adidas Forums with the beautiful material from Japan in the “Materials of the World” series. I’m also keeping and eye on the Nike Urban and metro women’s lines because I think they’re doing cool things with their Zoom Blazers and Vandal Lo’s.

Scheme: What would you say are your top three least favorite kicks?

Lori: Okay, that’s a bit easier. Let go with the old Shaq with Reebok that looked like a Zebra, I thought those were just horrible. Just about any sneaker that equates pink to females. I have nothing against pink as a color but when you go into a sneaker store and every sneaker in the female section has some type of pink in it, I think that is just played and boring. Lastly, I would have to say all of the AF1 rejects that different companies put out.

Scheme: What would you say is the current status of the sneaker industry and the sneaker game?

Lori: I think the sneaker game is in a really interesting spot right now. In some ways the industry has begun to cross to different markets; I mean I’ve been interviewed for “Christian Science Monitor” and “The Chronicle” on NBC which is really interesting because these are really mainstream types of media and places the sneaker game as a whole really hasn’t been. At the really top level of sneaker fanatics, we have hit a pinnacle especially for the males. The sneaker companies have never before given us so much attention and tailored things to us. Getting those limited edition releases is special and we may think we’ll get them forever but we won’t so this is a very special time.

“To me RUN DMC and Adidas made sense and was natural and authentic but now S.Carters or 50 Cent isn’t authentic to me; it’s like “You never wore Reebok’s until they gave you a deal, I don’t believe you”. I believe Missy and Adidas but not 50 and Reeboks.”

Scheme: Are there any worries in your mind of a decline?

Lori: Well from a marketing perspective people are really worried about the fall that will happen, kind of like the housing market. Personally I’m not afraid of the fall; I really see it as an opportunity to get back to the core people that are in it just for the love. I’m not going to miss the people who have money and just want to buy the sneakers that many can’t afford. I think the women’s game will actually continue to grow in the future but I think the male fiends and the culture itself will always survive. It’s comparable to Hip Hop, it’s big business right now and a lot of people love that success but then you have your purist that just want it to go back to the way it was and be able to have fun with it.

Scheme: I remember recently that VH1 had a segment between video’s where they went around and just asked people about their sneakers and one of the questions was “How do sneakers fit into Hip Hop”? What would your answer be to that?

Lori: To me sneakers have significance in a variety of communities which makes it interesting to me because I like to study the fiends themselves as much as I like to study the sneakers. I do feel that there is a significant overlap between sneakers and hip hop, it has been at times that sneakers were iconic in hip hop and at the same time certain artist have been iconic in the sneaker game so it has been a good relationship. When you bring in the female angle, when you have females fighting for respect and fighting for their piece, sneakers have often been a key component in that. It’s kind of like when I step on the basketball court, you know I’m serious because of the sneakers on my feet you know what I mean? Sneakers will always be a part of hip hop and vice versa but they by no means define each other. To me RUN DMC and Adidas made sense and was natural and authentic but now S.Carters or 50 Cent isn’t authentic to me; it’s like “You never wore Reebok’s until they gave you a deal, I don’t believe you”. I believe Missy and Adidas but not 50 and Reeboks.

Scheme: The funny thing is I remember a quote that Jay-Z gave a few years back, I can’t recall if it was on a radio show or magazine but I remember he said his marketing game and influence was so on point that he could talk things into existence. He said let me give you an example and spit the line “We rock Reeboks” and said that it was worth a lot of money and if he could easily make that a Nike rhyme if the price was right. Sure enough about 3 years after that took place they came out with the S. Carter line and I just had to sit back and grin when I saw the commercial.

Lori: That’s a perfect example. To me that type of consumerism dulls hip hop and it dulls the sneaker game. The AF1 used to have a very authentic feel to it but it has gotten out of hand with the copy cats of the AF1. On one side of it, it made some people step up their creativity because Bape came in and gave Nike a serious run for its’ money with the color patterns and Nike really had to come with some new color patterns. At the end of the day if I want and AF1 I’m going to get Nike. The Greedy part I get but the Genius part I have yet to see it (laughs).

Scheme: Are there any celebrity female sneaker fiends that we may not know about?

Lori: Well I’ve been trying to get to at Lady Sovereign who I haven’t met myself but a lot of the female sneaker heads I run with keep pointing me into her direction. There are a lot of female basketball players that are sneaker heads and it’s a shame that some of the companies don’t give them their own shoes like they do the males.

Scheme: What cities would you say have the most Female Sneaker Fiends?

Lori: Hands down I would have to say New York has the most Female Sneaker Fiends that I have come across but the great thing about the website is that it’s connected us with those in Singapore, Australia, Europe and all over. We’ve even had folks in Australia have lunch together because they found each other on Female Sneaker Fiend discussing kicks.

Scheme: How would you describe Female Sneaker Fiends on an international level?

Lori: The folks I know on the international scene are very hardcore heads. Most of the international folks are already involved in the online communities which in itself is a very narrow percentage. I think the international game has its own twist because a lot of companies do overseas only releases so they get their own flavor.

Scheme: What would be your ideal sneaker store?

Lori: Well I’m a youth worker, so I always wanted to do a store that also served as a youth program for girls. A place were girls and young women can come and learn about sneakers whether it’s designing them, picking out which one’s to buy, learning budget and dealing with major manufacturers or learning how to do marketing so that they can take this knowledge and move further into the sneaker industry. It wouldn’t be a female only store but the program itself would be for women.

Scheme: What age children do you work with?

Lori: Teenagers, I’ve been working with teens for 20 years ever since I was a teenager. I also coach a couple of teams as well.

Scheme: Now I know you like basketball a lot and coach a few teams, on the college and professional level what are your favorite teams?

Lori: Well for College it would have to be the Tennesse Lady Vols, they are my number 1 team and I have been a fan as long as I can remember. For the WNBA, I used to be a very big fan of the Comets but lately it’s been so hard to follow them because they don’t get the coverage they deserve that I don’t have 1 specific team right now. I do like the New York Liberty because they donate tickets to our youth program so that’s always a plus. As far as NBA, I find the game pretty boring. There is not enough defense, there are too many games creating many of games that don’t mean anything. Personally I think March Madness is kicking the NBA’s butt. I grew up as a Celtics fan but the NBA game has grown boring. Don’t get me wrong I still root for the Celtics but the NBA is boring.

Scheme: So back to sneakers a bit, who is throwing the best sneaker events these days?

Lori: The cool thing with sneaker shows is that each one has their own flavor and it depends on what you’re looking for. No one can touch Sneaker Pimps if you’re looking for some crazy sneakers that have become extreme and have become art. Then again DunkXchange is not extreme but it’s fun to come with your 4 boxes of sneakers and trade with people in the hallway and make really good connections and that’s really cool. The Sneaker competitions really bring out some great custom pieces so it depends on what your looking for. If you want a party and se sneaker art, go to Sneaker Pimps, if you want to buy some kicks then go to DunkXchange, if you’re looking for some crazy custom pieces then go to the competitions. Female Sneaker Fiends has done some unique events like female custom shows and events where we show people how to design and customize shoes.

Scheme: What is the Scheme for Female Sneaker Fiends for 2007?

Lori: Well we are turning two, the terrible two!!!!! Coming up we are revamping and revealing a totally new look for the website which can’t happen soon enough. We have a lot of collaborations that are taking place and we are branching out.

Do yourself a favor, check out www.femalesneakerfiend.com and open your eyes to the females in the game. You’ll learn something and connect with people who really know their stuff, it’s not about the gender ya’ll it’s about the love.