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Stylist and sneaker designer Aleali May on Jordans, Maya Moore, Kawhi — and California love
‘Girls have always been sneakerheads … but we’re starting to get noticed, and it’s just the beginning’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — “When I got a Jordan, we all got a Jordan,” Aleali May told a crowd of sneakerheads at 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend. The we whom the 26-year-old stylist and fashion consultant was referencing? Women.
When May, who has more than 340,000 Instagram followers, collaborated with the Jordan Brand in 2017, she became the first woman to design and drop a unisex sneaker. After she worked for both Louis Vuitton and Virgil Abloh’s Chicago RSVP Gallery, May’s stylish and megapopular “Shadow Satin” Air Jordan 1 paid homage to her South Central Los Angeles roots. The shoe also paved the way for her to team up with four-time WNBA champion Maya Moore, the first female basketball player to sign with the Jordan Brand.
In December, the women’s-exclusive Maya Moore x Aleali May Court Lux collection was released, featuring new designs of two shoes: Moore’s favorite silhouette, the Air Jordan 10, and May’s second take on the Air Jordan 1.
Through a partnership with eBay during All-Star Weekend, May donated pairs from the Court Lux collection to be sold, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Project Fit, a charitable organization dedicated to encouraging kids to live an active and healthy lifestyle. The shoes were displayed at a pop-up gallery in Charlotte called The Vault, where May interacted with a group of sneaker enthusiasts and signed pairs for women wearing her Air Jordan 1s. The Undefeated caught up with May to talk personal style, working with legends — and her all-time fave eBay steal.
How long have you been collecting?
My uncle has been buying them from me since I was a little girl and I ain’t know what Jordans was. He was in high school, so he was like, ‘I’m fresh … my niece about to be fresh … we gon’ be fresh together.’ I probably really started collecting when I was in high school because you used to come to school with all the fresh s—. You either had the Jordans or you don’t. So I got my first little job at 16. I was like, ‘I’m gonna spend my money at Foot Locker and Finish Line.’ That’s how it worked. But eBay had such a great platform because you could pick so much from it. I think that was the first place where we were seeing things for resale … Jordans or designer.
What’s the best pair of shoes you’ve ever found on eBay?
Black Cat Air Jordan 4s. I found them a couple years ago. … I actually gotta get them redone because the bottom opened up, but that was a really good find. I got them for, like, $160 in my size. I was like, ‘Ohhh, this is great!’ That’s the best part. You find grails and they’re for a really good price and in your size, that’s rare.
How often are you on eBay?
Honestly, I was on it the day before yesterday … I was looking up vintage Chanel. As far as my style, it’s definitely a mix between streetwear and luxury. A lot of times when I am looking for key luxury pieces, it’s gonna be stuff that’s old, and eBay is the first place I go.
What’s your grail sneaker?
That’s hard when you have, like, 300 pairs in your closet. I’d probably just say my Black Cat 4s … and the white and forest green 4s. Really like Air Jordan 4s, 8s, 1s. I do have a couple pair of 1985 Air Jordan 1s. When you have shoes older than you, that pretty much solidifies what grail means.
What was it like working on your first Air Jordan 1 collaboration?
That was crazy. It was one meeting in Portland — actually, eight meetings in a day, back to back to back. It was amazing because they were really like, ‘What do you want to do? … What silhouette?’ I was scared. I didn’t wanna say it … but I was like, ‘Jordan 1 … that is what I wear.’ It’s just such a grail shoe. They asked me what I wanted to do with it, and I said, ‘Corduroy … you know, like the Slauson swap meet slippers.’ I just really wanted to incorporate my city in the shoe and be able to represent that because I felt like L.A., we didn’t have our own Jordan. The process was just amazing. They were open to the idea and the story. I had no idea it was gonna take off the way it did.
And what was the goal for your Court Lux collection with Maya Moore?
The first one was more like the young Aleali, who grew up in South Central. A girl who made it out of the ’hood. The second one highlighted what defined Aleali’s style. You know when you’re in your high school years, a lot of those times you’re like, ‘Who am I?’ … My whole deal was when you had people like Pharrell putting together high-end fashion and streetwear, it was always colorful. I took inspiration from the Viotech Dunk and put it on a Jordan 1 for the ladies. Switched it up. I added a fur tongue that’s removable, wanted people to take my story and add their own to it. And Maya Moore had the Air Jordan 10. It was the first women’s pack. We just really wanted to represent both sides: fashion and basketball. That’s what a Jordan is. These worlds coming together, and two women representing.
What’s your relationship like with Maya?
When we first met, it was … natural. It was the launch for a women’s line. We came in there and it was just like, ‘Yup! Yup!’ … Two women really doing it in their own respective fields. That’s what it’s about, bridging these worlds. With this collaboration, I gained so many fans of Maya’s and vice versa. We’re opening up each other’s worlds to others. She’s just really cool. I’m just happy to be in a room with two GOATs, Jordan and Maya.
Maya decided to sit out the 2019 season to pursue ministry — how important do you think that decision was to her?
She’s gonna go for it, and no matter what, she’s gonna be undefeated. She already has so many titles. … No matter what, people are going to support her. I really support her.
Who’s the coolest person you’ve seen wearing one of your pairs?
Kawhi Leonard … he had the first ones on. And it’s because he’s from California, and that’s superpersonal for me. I just like how he doesn’t really talk. He’s very low-key. I’m not really the most outgoing person, but my clothes speak for themselves. I feel like, with him wearing those on the sidelines, that just spoke so much about him. Here’s a dude from California, reppin’ the wave. You barely hear anything from him, but he chose to wear my shoe that night. He knows.
What’s next for you sneakerwise?
I’m just trying to represent women in streetwear, women in footwear design, and just those young girls out there who are like, ‘I grew up in a place like South Central. How can I do it too?’
How important is it to illuminate the fact that women are sneakerheads just like men?
It’s natural for a girl to like a pair of shoes, no matter if it’s a heel or a sneaker … and be like, ‘I want to collect these.’ The recognition is the part that’s new. We’ve always been sneakerheads … but we’re starting to get noticed, and it’s just the beginning.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.