We tend to take notice when we come across a boss babe that in reality is – a Jill of all trades. From brand ambassador slayage to her own unique sneakHER style, our CURLfriend Melissa Chanel is no stranger to creating a brand to empower other women. She’s a small-town girl with huge personality and style to match. You may remember her from our first SneakHER Girl’s Guide to: Date Night. For a number of years, Melissa has worked to a create a community of like-minded women who share her same interests, and much like CNK she has used her platform to connect to the everyday chick.

Through her positive movement she has found countless ways to engage her audience and put us up on game when it comes to sneakHER style. So, it comes as no surprise that her sneaker closet is just as ‘tomboy chic’ as she is. From bold wall designs to bolder kicks, her closet becomes an extension of her personality. Fun, fabulous - we are still obssessing over this look, and full of her favorite things (like some dope neon signage). Melissa has proven that you can be a fashionista while still flexin’ your favorite silhouettes and have a fun space to kick it in (pun intended). While she knows that the sneaker game has historically been a boy’s club, Melissa makes it known that the women are about that life when it comes to kicks and inclusivity is her forte.

Keep scrolling to catch Melissa’s sneaker closet plus her take on inspiring others, style powered by her brand KICKS & FROS, and the meaning of sneakHER culture.

I grew up in a small town so sneaker culture was pretty nonexistent, but having family that were into kicks influenced me for sure. My mom always kept me in a fly pair of Nikes and taught me how to keep them clean.

My personal style is more of tomboy chic. I love my sneakers,but don’t wear them with basketball shorts or sweat suits all the time. I also like to pair them with suits and dresses.

If you don’t see them you will forget. I like to have a lot of my sneakers on display so I can see what i have when I go to look for a pair. Also color coordinating or organizing your closet by brand helps a lot as well.

We have color in my closet and classic, girly and basketball kicks. All of which describe my personal style to perfection.

Lately I’ve been gravitating toward a more colorful sneaker and running sneakers seem to be my thing right now. I’m obsessed with the Nike EXP-14’s right now. I just can’t get over how comfortable they are and the colors that are available. I have everyone in my family hooked and the Mel’s Mob (my online crew) have been tagging me when rocking their EXP’s because of me raving about the comfort. As far as brands, I’m a Nike girl. But I have my eyes on a few pair of Pumas I’m wanting to add to my closet.

As a brand they should have women who influence the culture in the room when designing kicks for us. Providing us with colorways that speak to us as women with a cool story behind them like the Harlem Fashion Row Lebron 16’s or any kicks that Aleali designs. These are sneakers that women can wear with anything from suits to athletic gear and/or tutus. It gives variety and an exclusiveness that we want and look for. I really hate how brands say okay we’re going to put out a women’s shoe and make it pink. They’ll love that. WRONG!

It’s so crazy, the Kicks & Fros name just came to me randomly. I tried to shake it like I don’t have time for something new right now, but it stuck. I would dream about it and think about it, the words Kicks & Fros was always in my head. I had no idea where I wanted it to go but I know I needed to start. I grabbed the domain and all the social handles for it and decided to share inspiration. Women reach out to me on a daily asking how to style sneakers and I felt Kicks & Fros would be the perfect platform to share that. I’m excited to see where it goes, I want to also have my first Kicks & Fros event this year as well so stay tuned.

I want to show women that they can be comfortable and stylish. I also want them to understand that sneakers aren’t just a guy thing and the story behind the culture of sneakers. All of this can be taught through classes I’d love to start in the Charlotte area as well as events.

FYI - Melissa is living in her Kicks & Fro’s crewnecks at the moment. we love them too and they look amazing with any of my kicks. Check them out HERE.

Right now I’m wearing out my Friends & Family AirMax Deluxe, Aleali May Court Lux Jordan 1’s, and Sesame Yeezy 350’s. Lately I’ve been just letting my sneakers do the talking and these are def conversation starters in my opinion.

WOW, this is a hard one. I would go for something classic like a Jordan 1 Top 3. I feel like I could wear them in so many different ways.

I really like how brands are letting influencers tell their own stories and not trying to control the conversation. I think they’re finally learning from creatives when we tell them to “let us create and showcase our talents in our voice” because know what readers want from us. This has been so helpful when it relates to storytelling.

Working with different brands hasn’t really changed my views on sneakers, but I do get to see the access that brands have. And it gives me reassurance that they see something in me and that my footprint on the SneakHER Culture is not going unnoticed.

I’m most passionate about helping women feel beautiful from the inside out. The feeling that I get when I help women whether it’s with their blog or business or finding the right kicks it just fills me with so much joy. When I get DM’s from women saying I’ve helped them or motivated them to push harder it’s like a dream come true! It’s made me work harder on myself as a woman and my brand.

FOR years the sneaker culture has been dominated by men, but seeing that women are able to walk the walk and talk the talk makes me happy. We’re showing young girls that you don’t have to be a man to collect dope kicks or talk about the history. We’re able to express ourselves and BE IN THE ROOM as far as designing and leading the conversation on what we want to see in the future. I’ve meet so many amazing women that are all supporting each other in the sneaker game and this is exactly what we need.