It’s common that people start their own clothing brands, building off of blank tees and accessories because of the ease of access. However, it’s pretty rare to birth a sneaker brand from the ground up. Thankfully, the brave ones still do it. Recently, we caught up with someone who did.<\/p>\n
Mark Wilkins<\/strong>\u00a0— a Chicago native with an interesting background — sat down with Snkrs Day to talk about his new sneaker line, Zn Footwear<\/strong>. Focused on footwear but more importantly giving back to the community, here how he’s making it happen in the conversation below.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: To start, tell us a little bit about yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n Mark Wilkins:<\/strong> My name is Mark Wilkins. I’m 28, I was born in Chicago and raised in Country Club Hills, IL, a south suburb of the city. I grew up in sports so basketball was always my first passion and still is to this day. A love for sneakers was natural for me. Having two older brothers to keep me in tune with sports, streetwear and the sneaker culture made everything second nature.<\/p>\n After college I spent some time playing basketball in China and it\u2019s also the time my sneaker ideas started to flow. Once I got back to the States I had some opportunities to work with Nike on some projects. That helped open doors, allowing me to now work with Finish Line alongside some great people that have really helped me to grow my sneaker palette.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: What made you decide to start Zn footwear?<\/strong><\/p>\n Mark Wilkins:<\/strong> First and foremost, the love and passion I have for footwear and people with genuine souls influenced me to start my own shoe line. When the opportunity was presented to me, I couldn\u2019t pass it up. To start something you can call your own and build organically from the ground up was always a dream. Being able to give back to kids like me, and individuals that are less fortunate in cities all over the world, is really what made the light bulb go off. With my brand, I can help anyone I want when I want.<\/p>\n Snkrs Day: What is your story behind this brand?<\/strong><\/p>\n Mark Wilkins:<\/strong> Zn originates from the Chinese word ZEN which is about finding the enlightenment and the glow from happiness and self-fulfillment that we all can get. Some may need the help of others to get it. The story behind Zn Footwear is to always lift others and we do this by giving back. That\u2019s who I am. It\u2019s one of my core values to give back. I will donate a portion of the sales to funding inner-city underprivileged youth and education programs whether it be paying a portion of college tuition, bringing new technology to classrooms or just implementing classes that are inline with the culture.<\/p>\n\n