We got to got to ask Essie Golden, co-founder of Thick Laces some questions ahead of the official release of the Thick Laces website launch. Essie has been seen all over social media and even in brand ad’s slaying and advocating for more inclusive sizing and better styles for plus size women. Learn a little more here about her and Thick Laces.
- Who is Thick Laces and what is the mission – to provide a platform to plus size women who love sneakers and streetwear. Our platform is for women who are sneaker heads and ones who looking to learn more. We’re for everybody. Katie, the co- founder of Thick Laces is the definition of a sneaker head. She loves, knows, and appreciates all things sneakers and has for years. I learn so much from her daily. I’m super new to this. I really started getting into sneakers the past 3 years. More so the past year. I didn’t have a lot of money growing up so getting the latest anything was not an option for me. I love what’s happening in the sneaker space. I look forward to our platform continuing to spread the message of inclusivity within the sneaker and streetwear space.
- How your mission led to your partnership with Reebok– I’ve been wearing Reebok since I was a kid. Every single year I would buy a fresh pair of classic white Reeboks. I had met the head of Global Partnerships a few years ago at a networking event and bugged them since our initial conversation. What I love about them is that I could voice my opinion and know that they would actually listen to me. I let them know that plus size women love athlesiure too and that they should expand their sizing. Little did I know that was already in the works and was a high priority on their list. I started seeing plus sizes on their site but, there wasn’t a big marketing push. It was quietly put on the site. There are a lot of brands that do that. Then they wonder why no one shops the site. If you don’t market it, how will we know? After a few more conversations , they reached out to me with the perfect opportunity to partner with not only me but all the women of Thick Laces. They wanted to show that they truly support women of all shapes and sizes. I really have to thank Purvi Patel for that. Every time I saw something that could be done better she advocated for that. They’re on a mission to truly put support and dollars behind plus and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
- Reebok adding more sizes– When I first started working with Reebok, I believe the largest size was a XL maybe XXL. Now the largest size is 4XL or size 26W which is a lot more than what other athletic brands are offering. I hope to see style expansion from them but I’m sure that’s coming.
- Plans to use your partnership- I love that there are a lot of brands athletic brands stepping into the plus size space. However more needs to be done. I see the effort that these brands put into their straight sized marketing and clothing, the plus is far behind them. I have conversations with these brands often. I believe change is happening. With platforms like ours, its forcing brands to step their game up. We would love to help usher that change in.
- What to expect – Our website will officially be launching this month along with products! We’ve been working on the site and products since last year. We put a lot of thought and effort into the site. We can’t wait to show everyone. We are so exited to have a place for plus size women who are true sneaker heads and brand new to the scene to have a place where they can learn and discover new things within the space. Hopefully when Covid is gone we can do a few events to unite us together.
We are excited about the launch of the Thick Laces website. For more information make sure you follow @ThickLaces and @EssieGolden on IG and visit the Thick Laces landing page to sign up for their mailing list! www.thicklaces.com
