I went to an undergrad that wasn’t very, um, sports oriented. Yes, we had them, but the school basically had to bribe students to go (yes free food + tee shirts!). While I love my undergrad, I was still always a little jealous of the kids at the big D1 schools who got the opportunity to go to big football and basketball games. I cheered for the Badgers (cause Wisconsin), but well, I’m jealous of everyone who got to experience that crazy sports pride.
Why am I rambling on about this? Well today I’m interviewing Jordana who created the company SKICKS. SKICKS is a unique line of shoes based around collegiate teams so students can rep their schools, even down to their shoes. The brand is incredibly impressive and to add to that, Jordana is still in college herself! Read on to learn more about SKICKS!
And maybe, just maybe, I’ll luck out and Jordana would be willing to design a Carnegie Mellon pair for me. Yes?
Name
Jordana Schrager
Age
20
School & Major
University of Michigan, major in Art and Design/ minor in Business
Since you started drawing on your sneakers in high school, what were you first drawing on them?
I used to use a black sharpie pen to doodle different fun and interesting patterns on the shoes. I always love coming up with new patterns to add to my sneaker designs!
How did you go from doodling on your own sneakers to designing for celebrities?
I started drawing on sneakers for myself, my friends, and my family. Through word of mouth and advertising on social media, my custom sneaker business began to grow. My followers on social media grew drastically and I began receiving a ton of emails per day. Also, an intern at the Barclays Center contacted me and asked me to make some custom shoes as gifts for their celebrities. It was fun working with a huge company like this!
Who was your favorite celebrity to work with and what did you draw on their shoes?
I liked making a pair of custom shoes for P!NK because I took all of her album covers and made my own art out of them. Also, I have always been a P!NK fan so it was pretty cool to give her a gift of my custom shoes!
How did you come up with the idea for SKICKS?
I have always loved art and design and started drawing at a young age. My business began my sophomore year in high school. Once I started to wear my custom sneakers around school, everyone started asking for a pair! What started as just a doodle on a pair of old sneakers turned into a custom sneaker design business. Then, in college, I started creating collegiate themed designs on my sneakers and posting them on social media. Word spread quickly and my order volume expanded significantly. As a college student, I was aware of the vast collegiate licensed merchandise industry and noticed that there were no stylish and spirited sneakers out there for college fans, so I teamed up with two partners and we created SKICKS.
Once you realized that this idea was taking off, how did you go about setting up the business side of the work?
Like any business, it took us a while to set up the business side of SKICKS. We were all assigned roles and worked really hard at our positions to accomplish the company’s goals.
Are you now more involved in the business aspect or the design aspect?
I would say I am more involved in the design aspect of the business, however as one of the founders, I am definitely involved in both sides.
What has been the hardest part of this process (getting this line off the ground)?
The hardest part was obtaining the collegiate licensing rights.
What has been your favorite part of the process?
I really enjoyed coming up with the designs for the SKICKS.
What advice would you give to girls who want to start their own business?
Never give up on your goals. It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it if you really enjoy what you are doing!
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received (regarding anything, not just your business)?
Enjoy yourself and enjoy what you are doing!
What are your plans post graduation?
I plan to continue working on and growing SKICKS and also growing my custom sneaker business.
Apart from designing shoes, what are some of your other hobbies?
I love hanging out with my family and friends, going to the gym, hanging out at the beach, listening to music, and being outdoors!
Thanks Jordana for taking the time to answer my questions! I loved learning more about SKICKS and I hope to get my own pair soon.
Pictures c/o SKICKS
