California senator and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris took some time out from the campaign trail to check in with Complex and Joe La Puma‘s “Sneaker Shopping” series, an episode that took place at Black-owned Social Status in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Harris and La Puma were joined by James Whitner, the founder of The Whitaker Grp, which owns Social Status, A Ma Maniére, APB and Prosper.
While Harris has been celebrated for wearing Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers while campaigning, she admitted during her time as an undergrad at Howard University she rarely wore “tennis shoes.” She explained, “A lot of heels, sandals. Very rarely were we wearing tennis shoes. Fridays was dress-up Friday. We never dressed down, we dressed up on Fridays.”
When asked why her choice to wear a pair of Chucks caused such a sensation, Harris explained, “It has to do with the fact that we all want to go back to some basic stuff about who we are as a country.”
Harris also suggested athletic brands and all businesses providing paid sick leave and family leave. Harris said if elected, she and presidential nominee Joe Biden would push for grants and low-interest loans to help small businesses pay for the extra cost of keeping their employees safe in the midst of a pandemic.
When asked if Biden has plans to up his own sneaker game, Harris joked, “Joe’s got his aviators! Joe has a really good look.”
While female Senators are now allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor, Harris noted that dress code still prohibit wearing sneakers.
