The significance of her red, black, and green design: "When first approached by Vans for this Black History Month activation, I knew the colors I was going to use before my idea was even fully formed. Red, black, and green, simply because I wanted to visually represent the diaspora. It may not be obvious at first glance, but that's the order in which I laid out the color palette in the design. The red features a Ghanaian textile pattern, the figurative black is the woman, and hints of the color black are in the zipper in the design, and lastly, the camouflage pattern is the green. I chose to make mine full of color because in my head, I wasn't 'designing a shoe' per se, I was making a piece of MY art that would be presented on a shoe. My goal was to make a Vans shoe feel like a Sydney G. James art piece that would adorn a foot."
The woman on her shoe: "The woman featured in the design is my go-to muse, Jonni. I've painted several murals featuring her since 2016, from Detroit to Hawaii and from Ghana to beyond. I paint her so much, I came up with the hashtag #jonnionthespot, and featuring her was more than fitting for a task such as shoes! Although she may look the same or recognizable in the pieces that her face is featured in, she feels different in every one. Now #jonnionthespot is 'Off the Wall,' and moving out in the world as she herself truly does."
"As I am soon to become a 42-year-old Black woman, I have created art . . . professionally and MY way. There's something poetic and encouraging in that."
How she interprets her shoe: "I designed an original camouflage pattern that features the African continent with Ghana and Sierra Leone highlighted (as they are the countries I have traveled to in Africa), Detroit and the Dwennimmen symbol of humility and strength. What I hope people see is an overall 'unveiling of self.' She's unzipping this camouflage, revealing herself and all of her Blackness, unashamed and fully aware of the 'self.'"
Why she used the iconic Vans checkerboard print: "It was important to incorporate the checkerboard print because it is an iconic staple of the Vans brand, and I wanted it to look and feel like a true artist/brand collaboration. I wanted the look to be specific to both parties but united as one item."
What this collaboration represents in the context of her career: "The design is special because for me, it goes way beyond a shoe. It brings my life as an artist full circle. As a child artist (like many young artists) and into adulthood, I've always drawn and painted on clothes, walls, and shoes. My parents granted me such liberties. And now, as I am soon to become a 42-year-old Black woman, I have created art in all three mediums professionally and MY way. There's something poetic and encouraging in that."
Follow Sydney here.
