{"id":1042211,"date":"2022-02-25T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=1042211"},"modified":"2023-04-27T12:38:13","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T17:38:13","slug":"sarah-sukumaran-launches-lilith-nyc-to-represent-women-and-femmes-in-the-sneaker-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/sarah-sukumaran-launches-lilith-nyc-to-represent-women-and-femmes-in-the-sneaker-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarah Sukumaran Launches Lilith NYC to Represent Women and Femmes in the Sneaker Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
For far too long, sneakers have been an exclusive members-only club, marked with a sign that says, \u201cNo girls allowed.\u201d Whether it\u2019s cutting women out through limited size runs, dull designs, or makeshift materials, the sneaker industry hasn\u2019t been the most welcoming to women, and Sarah Sukumaran <\/strong>is here to change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After getting recruited by Nike<\/strong><\/a> to fulfill the role of Director of Product in Analytics, Sukumaran was able to see for herself how women are out-shopping their male counterparts by monumental numbers. With this data in mind, Sukumaran began to look around and wonder why the market didn\u2019t represent its biggest audience. As a longtime sneakerhead herself, she felt frustrated that the sneaker industry has constantly felt this way, and being able to see behind the scenes confirmed what she had always known \u2013 women want sneakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sukumaran continued to work for Nike for 2 years, doing everything she could to mature at the company and cultivate opportunities for herself. Even though she was happy to be working for the brand that created some of her all-time favorites like the Nike Uptempo<\/a> and the Nike Air Max 95<\/a>, she couldn\u2019t help but feel like this opportunity wasn\u2019t enough for her. It didn\u2019t fulfill her ambitions and she felt that her love for sneakers could be more satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since 2015, Sukumaran had dreamed of creating a sneaker brand that not only represented her, but represented the other women and femmes around her that so badly wanted more from the sneaker industry. Even though she didn\u2019t have the resources to get started right away, Sukumaran didn\u2019t give up on her dream and began conceptualizing the brand that would later become Lilith NYC<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lilith NYC<\/strong> is a woman-owned sneaker brand based in Queens that aims to uplift femmes and underrepresented folks within the sneaker community. Named after Adam\u2019s lesser known wife, Lilith was the original bad girl that spoke her mind, broke all the rules, and was banished from the Garden of Eden because of it. Sukumaran connected with Lilith\u2019s independent spirit, and felt that her story being erased from history is something that a lot of women could relate to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Sukumaran began the creative process, she knew that she wanted to hire a team of women and give femme professionals opportunities, which are often scarce in the sneaker industry, despite the fact that they\u2019re highly coveted. Sukumaran got connected with ex-Yeezy<\/a> designer, Sara Jaramillo<\/strong><\/a>, who has an expansive list of experience in footwear design. Together, Sarah and Sara, dived into the ethos of Lilith NYC and created the Caudal <\/strong><\/a>Lure<\/a> <\/strong>sneaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get to know the story of Lilith NYC<\/strong><\/a> as we talk to founder Sarah Sukumaran<\/a><\/strong> about the sneaker culture in Queens, the influence of Tamil, starting a business during a global pandemic, and championing representation in the sneaker industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n