OG Sneaker high-top – Ollie Gray (olliegraymaternity.com)
“We love what we’ve built with Ollie Gray, and we love what we get to do for all the moms out there. Motherhood is the toughest job in the world, and if we can make it just a little bit easier — a little more comfortable, a little more fun, a little more hot — we’ll call that a win.”
Founders — Kate & Bryce Rech
When Jeff Henderson becomes involved with a sneaker high-top project, it has to be either:
- Educational
- Super Functional
or both.
In this case, our favorite OG designer is working with an upstart apparel and footwear company that gained popularity via Kickstarter in 2016, Ollie Gray. I’ve long discussed that there shouldn’t be any more footwear and apparel companies being created. After watching documentaries and learning about sustainability, I’ve become hyper aware of brand launches that don’t fill a gap in the industry. I’m not fond of vanity brands that create simply because someone thinks what they are doing is dope. Of course, it’s hard to gauge what people believe about their brands, but overall I’ve stopped writing as much about companies being created without a purpose.
Ollie Gray is a new maternity brand. I wish I had a woman writer for the site because I can’t speak to the various issues women face during pregnancy. I do know what my wife experienced in both instances with our children. There was always a constant issue with bras, shirts, pants that fit. During the pregnancy she couldn’t wear what she owned. After the pregnancy, she couldn’t wear what she owned because if she began lactating at a basketball game, I was coaching when we had our first child, it would take all sorts of maneuvers to breast feed, lol.
The most important thing that occurred with my wife were knee issues and hip issues. As the body prepares to give birth a lot of shifting of joints happens in the hips. My wife was having considerable pain climbing bleachers at basketball games. Looking back, with what I know about shoe design now, she was still wearing the same sneakers and shoes she had prior to the pregnancy. Her feet had grown, but there wasn’t really a time where she went to have her feet measured. The shoes were pressing on her toes, which creates issues with both ankles and knees. The shoes were also inexpensive and poorly designed. We were graduate students and as much as I loved sneakers, she High’t really think about her footwear as much.
What my wife was experiencing had symptoms of a more serious problem called Preeclampsia. She High’t have high blood pressure, but the swollen feet definitely happened. Ollie Gray has developed a brand built around the needs of women who are pregnant. Their new shoe, as described below, is much easier to put on and because of the lacing system and materials the shoe can expand with your feet. This is important stuff and definitely worth this post. I wish the sneaker high-top arrived with some elements of sustainability (recycled knit, grind material or Braskem sugar based outsoles) but the first shoe has to also be about cost effectiveness. The Satin Rose and Cream OG Sneaker high-top rings up at 135.00 and is available for pre-order. Check out the information below.
Description:
Block Heel Sock Boots
(Due to covid, expected ship date may change)
At Ollie Gray, we’re always pushing ourselves — in our ideas, our product design, our styles, our colors. Our mission is to change the way you view maternity. That means doing things that have never been done afore — like creating our first-ever maternity shoe. We designed the Ollie Gray line of maternity footwear because pregnancy isn’t only about our bellies and our boobs. Our feet take a beating, too, and until now, the solutions have been limited to shelving your pre-pregnancy shoes in favor of something a little more functional and a lot less attractive.
We believe moms deserve better. You deserve a shoe that offers comfort and support without sacrificing style. Our advice? Push yourself to expect more. Push yourself to take a breath and take a break. Push yourself to BUY. THE. SHOES.
What you’ll love:
- Breathability – We select knit fabrics that offer superior breathability so you can wear them all day long, from the gym to the store to the office and back.
- Flexibility – Our sneaker high-top is designed for maximum flexibility, so it can adapt to your feet as they change throughout pregnancy and after.
- Support — The extra (and perfectly healthy) weight that comes with pregnancy can put added pressure on your feet and arches. We partnered with Vibram — the gold standard when it comes to soles — to make sure our sneaker high-top provides extra support where you need it most.
- Style — Our shoes have to look nocked to make you feel nocked. That’s why The OG Sneaker high-top comes will come in a variety of colorways. First up, OG ROSE
The details:
- Supportive Vibram Sole
- Over the belly heel pull
- Adjustable toggle with stretchy Lace – additional reflective lace included
- Expansion stretch knit for swollen feet
- Super lightweight design to reduce stress on feet/ankles