SCENE & HEARD
Agency’s Guardian Storm features ecofriendly outsole and midsole materials.
Agency Footwear Debuts The purpose-driven startup teams with social justice organization. PROOF THAT GREAT MINDS think alike, Agency Footwear is partnering with like-minded The Gathering for Justice, a non-profit founded by Harry Belafonte and dedicated to racial equity and justice. All net proceeds of Agency’s inaugural sneaker collection will go the organization and a percentage of sales on future shoes. “The Gathering for Justice is the ideal partner for Agency because our missions for moving culture towards justice and equity complement each other,” says Mathew Drazic, founder and creative director. “Agency engages the community through product design that’s engineered with purpose and fully supports The Gathering’s efforts physically, philosophically, and monetarily.” The Guardian Storm (SRP: $195) is a mid-top sneaker with interchangeable, purpose-based “Fix the Future” iconography. It also includes a plantbased D-Vine rubber outsole, a breathable upper with a lock-down lacing configuration, and a cushioned yet supportive plant-based D-Lite foam midsole. “Our shoes are designed for activists, organizers, and anyone working hard to get things done,” Drazic says. The shoe debuted in October at Extra Butter in New York and on Agency’s DTC site. The plan is to initially focus on boutiques and specialty stores that share Agency’s mission to sustain and elevate those fighting for social change. “We also have a have a multi-tiered strategy to maintain relevance in the sneakerhead and social justice communities while making our shoes more accessible to a mainstream audience,” Drazic says. “This will take shape as our mission of positive change permeates the market.” In the meantime, The Gathering is connecting Agency to its legion of activists. Drazic says the organization, founded in 2005, recognizes the opportunity fashion provides to creatively reach new audiences with a message of social justice in ways that feel rejuvenating and uplifting. “They’ve done this before as the only American-based nonprofit to represent Idris
Tradehome Shoes Honored TRADEHOME SHOES, THE 135-store Midwestern-based chain, is the sole recipient of the Best Place to Work award by Minnesota Retailers. The nonprofit association cited the retailer’s workplace culture where employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. The icing on the cake: Tradehome Shoes being 100 percent employee-owned. Justin Kehrwald, president/CEO of Tradehome Shoes, couldn’t agree more with the assessment. “We empower every employee to share ideas that help our company advance,” he says, noting that most of the leadership team began their careers at entry-level positions within the company.
and Sabrina Elba’s work with Christian Louboutin,” he notes. This isn’t a fleeting marketing hook, Drazic assures. For starters, “Fix the Future” references macro issues like racial equity and environmental matters, and those can’t be fixed overnight. “Coalition-building spans the brand identity to the performance features of the shoes to the partnerships we seek, and building collective power is the key to solving the riddles of social inequity as well as climate change,” he says. “Our shoes give The Gathering another opportunity to bring more people together.” It’s all about the people for Drazic. The former New Balance and Diesel designer stepped away from large corporations a few years ago to design for the people instead. But it hasn’t been easy. He likens the task to being like the musician, Beck. “I’m designer, producer, creative director, executive director, retail operations, website builder, project manager, financier…you name it, I do it,” he says, noting that getting factory owners to allocate resources has been the toughest challenge. Mission, though, is being accomplished. “We don’t over-promise; we remain in good standing with our partners, and we present a unique market position,” he says. Drazic singles out development partner, Ken Shao, for bringing Agency to life. Shouts out also to Keiko Hirosue at Brooklyn Shoe Space, where Drazic hand-built the first prototype; Sean Williams at SOLEcial Studies CommUNITY Academy, who instilled the confidence to know he was on the right track; and Bernie Gross, creative director at Extra Butter, who connected him to like-minded creatives. Drazic’s ultimate Agency dream: official outfitter of the U.S. Olympic Team for the opening ceremonies in eight to 16 years. Near-term goals for the Brooklyn, NY, company are to prove its philosophy that “activists are athletes and the sport is change.” That requires establishing Agency as an influential member of the activist community and a noteworthy brand within the market. “We already have several styles in the hopper, so we’ll also look to build on the momentum of our launch with thoughtful and engaging products,” Drazic says.
“We identify with every employee and their importance to Tradehome because we’ve been in their positions.” The employee-ownership model fosters an entrepreneurial spirit, giving team members a sense of pride and ownership in the company’s success, according to Bruce Nustad, president of Minnesota Retailers. It helps Tradehome retain talent and provide career growth opportunities. “Their dedication to building a positive, inclusive environment shines through in everything they do,” he states. Kehrwald says this recognition means as much as a growth-related award. In fact, he says they are directly related. “We believe sales increases and company growth are natural by products of treating people right— both customers and employees,” he says. “Winning this award reflects that our priorities are in the right place.”
The Tradehome Shoes team circa September 2024. 8 footwearplusmagazine.com • october/november 2024
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