Photos: Kevin Sanon

Creative Direction: Alexis Salkey

This week, we got the chance to meet Marisol (AKA Mari) Garcia in a first-of-its-kind webcomic series housed on SNKRS.  Marisol is featured as the protagonist that walks in her purpose and connects us to the old and new sneaker stories we cherish.  In “MariSole,” Mari takes us into her own journey of the highs and lows that come with making your mark at a new school. With Afro-Latina roots and genesis in the streets of New York, Mari isn’t just a character: she’s representation.  From Washington Heights all the way to Brooklyn, Mari is both a reminder of younger days for some and a virtual peer for many others.

For us, seeing Mari made us think of the real-life young women who rep their cultures with pride and love sneakers just as much as we do.  We are excited to not only pass the baton and highlight our Gen Z ladies but also take a trip down memory lane in some of our own experiences. 

Enter, Lissette Martinez.

Hailing from Harlem (by way of the Bronx), Lissette is a New York girl through in-through.  From grabbing breakfast at the corner bodega to catching the train on 125th, we tapped Lissette for a trip uptown and a peek inside Mari’s world IRL.

MARISOLE, BUT MAKE IT REAL LIFE...

“This comic spoke so much to me. Not only is this my first time seeing a girl in a comic book that looks like me but, this is the first time I saw someone with the same upbringing as well. As a young girl from the Bronx who had a passion for sneakers, I remember when I went to a charter school and made the transition to a strict school uniform policy, I would always find ways to add my style to the uniform without getting detention. Eventually, it was my sneakers that always stood out the most.”

CITY GIRLS, FTW...

“MariSole” speaks to my upbringing resonates so much with my day-to-day. I didn’t go to a fancy school or take the school bus. I had to take public transportation, got my morning breakfast from a deli, and would always be on the go. I was never a suburban girl growing up. I’m strictly a city girl.”

FROM THE HEIGHTS TO BK, SHE’S ONE OF US…

“I just love the fact that we finally have someone that we can say looks like us.  I think that will resonate so much within ourselves and hit home for a lot of girls in every borough. The more the “MariSole” story unfolds, the more we will see ourselves in her.”