We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ariana Bejar-Nasseri a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ariana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Sports have always been apart of my life. Whether I was watching Lakers games with my dad or participating in everything from cheer to competitive swim to water polo to basketball, I loved every minute of it. As I became older, my love for sports never changed but I myself did not continue to play.

Additionally, I have always found sports and sneaker culture to be synonymous, specifically because I grew up in the early 90s and 2000s. This was the era of Retro Jordan’s and having the crispiest of Nike Air Force Ones wherever you went. Now I look back on my high school years, especially while playing basketball and I recognized that the girls teams did not get the same support or even equipment as the boys did, across several sports. And this became more apparent as I got into college, no longer being a participant but just a fan.

This lack of support and viewers has been going on for years, yet soon after Kobe Bryant’s retirement in 2016, he began to be the model of what it looked like the RESPECT women in sports. Kobe was then sanctioned as the voice and champion of women’s athletics. What made it even more special was that he always had his daughters with him, especially GIanna. This created a spark across all sports and for many sports lovers. Fast forward to now, which has been the most exciting time for women’s basketball, in particular. Just for context, this year’s Women’s NCAA FInal Four games drew in a record of 14.18 million viewers.

My intention with my small business is to uplift girls and young women in everyr space and every level. Within sports and in the sneaker world, women, AGAIN, are the minority. The message to each of these ladies is to take up space, because you DO belong there. No matter your skill or knowledge, you have something to contribute (to your team or the game). If you’re the captain or the anchor, the designer or the consumer, you are of value to that role. The HER SNEAKERS HER WAY socks are just an added touch to the greatness you already possess! So shine on!

Ariana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello, readers! My name is Ariana Bejar-Nasseri, a true lover of sports, sneakers and just doing good in this world. I am a one woman team, which I do not mind at all, particularly still being on the smaller scale of the business. Being the one to create the content for my social media page, taking the photos and videos, interacting and connecting with people, all helps me to not only stay aligned with my mission, but streamline everything as much as possible. Not to mention, the support I have obtained from family and friends has been nothing short of a blessing. They are the ones that keep me going and help me stay afloat, really.

I started making the gem socks as a gesture of love for my sneakerhead girlies during the pandemic as apart of some care packages. Then I began to notice people complimenting them and showing interest in wanting a pair of their own. It took me a good while, nearly a year, to actually launch this and make this a brand, well because of self doubt. I hesistated many times and with anything I do, I wanted to their be a philanthropic factor attached to it. So I basically combined a few of the things that I hold great love for and launched HER SNEAKERS HER WAY, in the summer of 2022.

All my socks are made to order. I do that mainly because of time, but also I take pride in the process of actually making each pair by hand. Knowing who and, sometimes, what I am making them for, is important to me. In addition, I truly enjoy the reactions I receive. The smiles, the comments and the boost of confidence they get when they are complimented while wearing them. Additionally, the connections I have made with such incredible women, like Dez Ale, founder of Her Game and Denise Jones, who is multifaceted in a number of ways and founfer of W.I.T.S, Women Inspired Through Sports, who making a profound mark for girls and women in sports. These exoeriences have not only been refreshing and extremely motivating, but confirmation of my own gifts and skills. For that, I am immensely grateful.

Her Sneakers Her Way is for everyone. The focus and intention is to amplify the space women should take up in this world. And if you support my brand then that means you strongly believe in that too.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media as a whole can be intimidating. When I started, I didn’t focus too much on the numbers but more of the content I was putting out. I would make socks for my sister and closest friends and would ask them to post on their pages, any photos or videos they took when they wore them. This did help in growing my followers a bit more. As time went on, I decided to do some research and by research, I mass follow various people, brands or organizations that aligned with my mission or had an eye-catching social media presence.

It was also around the time, my sister launched her brand. The Mariiiposa, that her and I would do giveaways with her merchandise and mine. And I continued to do this with other women and their brands, in states like Philadelphia and New York. My audience began to grow even more. I have learned that social media is a free marketing tool and if you do it well enough, you will see a response. Also, people love FREE THINGS!

More recently, I have been actively showing up to events, games and supporting others in various ways to hopefully expand my network and leave the door open to future partnerships or collaborations.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Again, I am still very much on the smaller end of the spectrum with my business, but I will say this: when you show up as your authentic self, with no expectations, people will notice and appreciate that. And from there, is where I feel I gain genuine support. It may not come in the form of dollar signs, often, but for me, I appreciate it all and I will act on that, which leaves a lasting impression on others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/hersneakersherway
• Other: HSHW Gem Socks Custom Order Form: https://forms.gle/XHm34oodiTgswkDv8

Image Credits
Clara Forever