Aleali May Talks Sneaks x Style In the SF AF1 With MissBish
Stylist/Model/Overall Cool AF Girl Aleali May is probably a staple of your Insta-scroll. Whether you're doing a double take at her curated style posts or simply wishing for a chance to raid her closet (that would be us) Aleali's vibe is everything we think of when we say 'SneakHER chic.'
Recently, Aleali spent some QT with the ladies over at Miss Bish to dish on getting her start, that "influencer" life and, of course, her sneaker faves. Peep a few excerpts below.
On getting her start:
I was just posting pictures on Tumblr because I used to reblog them and I thought, “I work at RSVP Gallery. I see cool people. I’ll take a photo of it, post it on my Tumblr.” Then I started Instagram. Tumblr just puts notes on it to show how many people saw it. But Instagram was really good for networking and I was going for every opportunity, because when I moved to Chicago, I didn’t have any family or friends. I went to Chicago to go to school and my mom was like, “Why? It’s so cold there!” I was just like, “I don’t know. I’ll let you know when I get there.” Then I kind of took that leap. Don’t ever second guess your intuition – if it says go, go.
On the term "influencer":
I mean, influencer/blogger, it is what it is. Because some days I consider myself a stylist first. But like a lot of people [say], “Oh, she’s a model and a blogger.” I’m like, “That’s cool,” you know, because that is a part of what I do. I don’t find anything wrong with it because if you want to be corporate about it, we have to put these people in a category. They’re not athletes, nor are they models that we went to an agency and hired. What are they? These people are the cool people. It would be weird if it just said “cool people” so I’m like, influencer is good. I don’t mind.
On her favorite sneaks (and those Special Force AF1s):
I love high top sneakers, so [the Nike SF AF1] is the perfect silhouette for me. It’s narrow, too. Not too bulky, because bulky shoes are kind of hard to go with every girl’s style. I feel like we want to look feminine too, so it has to have some type of sexy to it. My favorite part is actually the two straps. The extra one that comes with the bag I think is the best part. The extra details make it really lit, and I love how it’s two different textures. It’s just an amazing shoe. Great silhouette. Comfortable, obviously, and it comes in all the colors to match with everything in your closet. I definitely plan on having every pair.
I have a really large closet of sneakers. I can’t say how many. My favorite pair? I’m the type of person, say, when I received these Special Fields I just kept wearing them. I just wear them every day until I’m done, but I’m usually never done. I usually wear a different pair just because another pair came, but right now I would say these [Special Field Air Force 1]. Usually it’s a Nike Mid, Air Force Mid. Like I said, I love high top shoes, so the Mids, all whites, are just clean. Like, that’s really all you need in your closet. If you’re starting a shoe collection, just cop a sweet pair of white ones and you’re good.
For the full Q&A, head to MissBish.com.
Photos by: The Neue School