In advance of International Women's Day, eBay is kicking off its new female sneakerhead program: an entire month dedicated to celebrating the future of sneaker culture where women are better represented. The initiative focuses on the fastest growing — yet frequently underserved — community of female sneaker collectors and enthusiasts in an estimated 80-billion-dollar market. On eBay, the women's sneaker category grew more than 80% over the past year and sales of men's sneakers bought by female shoppers doubled over that same period.
To kick off the month-long initiative, eBay has collaborated with Esther Wallace, founder of Playa Society, to launch limited-edition female sneakerhead merchandise — a new line developed to spark a cultural conversation about women and sneakers. Shop the looks, along with a collection of the most sought-after styles and hard to find grails — all curated by industry trailblazers beginning on March 8, 2021.
"Kamala Harris wearing sneakers on the cover of Vogue perfectly embodies how women everywhere are approaching fashion today," said Charis Márquez, vice president of fashion, eBay North America. "Women are one of the most passionate segments of the sneakerhead community, and we will continue to celebrate them while also ensuring we're meeting the growing demand for more styles, sizes, and sellers for this audience. eBay is the most inclusive destination for sneaker enthusiasts, and we're giving the community what they want — from new collaborations to the grails you just can't find anywhere else."
eBay x Playa Society Female Sneaker Shop
With her female athlete merchandise line, Esther Wallace's Playa Society has created an iconic and recognizable symbol in sports. For this event, she created a custom extension of the line, "Female Sneakerhead," which celebrates the rising prominence of women in the sneakerhead community. This collaboration will include T-shirts, hoodies and socks, designed in partnership with and available exclusively on eBay.
"Being a sneakerhead is about hype, passion, style and self-expression, not about gender. Yet inclusivity and visibility for women is sometimes missing from the culture," said Esther Wallace, Playa Society founder. "If you identify as a sneakerhead, it means that you can express yourself through sneakers. And if you're a woman who is a sneakerhead, you just want your self-expression to be respected, well-represented and unlimited in sneaker culture. That's what this line is all about."
In addition to the exclusive merchandise, through this collaboration eBay will launch a "Female Sneaker Shop," that will showcase a rotating collection of the hottest inventory, curated by Wallace and well-known sneaker influencers.
Female Sneakerhead Programming and Content
Throughout the month, eBay will work with the industry's top category trailblazers and influencers to bring to life the stories of women from all corners of the community, curating their favorite brands and collections and creating content that will live across eBay's channels.
Female Sneakerhead Sellers and Collectors
eBay will also feature the community's top sellers throughout the month, and in late March — in partnership with Chicks with Kicks — will drop one of the largest and most unique collections of sneakers. The drop includes over 2,200 pairs of collectible sneakers, sold exclusively on eBay.