Riyana is firm in her belief that being a sneakerhead is lifestyle, not merely a passion – and professes holding immense value for welcoming more women into the sneaker culture in South Africa. As an OG Collector, Riyana is not about the hype – and remains committed to the old-school, bubble kop movement; influenced heavily by her uncles and dad, as well as 90s hip-hop, as well as the 2000s music videos. As a business owner – her streetwear label GUDGAL™ maintains a sense of empowerment, while being inclusive in welcoming guys to join in on the sweat-shirts, beanies and t-shirts emblazoned with the angel-style logo. We sat down with Riyana to discuss six of her most treasured pairs; ranging from two classics, two wild cards and two limited editions.

This is one of the first shoes I fell in love with when I was a young girl – particularly the red & white pair of the VC IIs. I love the shox sole; I have a quite a treasured selection. I feel like its timeless and it will never go out of style; it represents an era that is so special, and no matter how many style revivals occur – that time and place will never happen again in the way it did. I tend to tread lightly when I wear them, because of their age – it’s like the vintage version of a sneaker. I am super grateful to have both the Vince Carter II and III. 

Both these sneakers are from 1998 – the end of an era! I don’t know anybody else who has these pairs, that’s what makes them wild cards. The Lisa Leslie are still super strong, 23 years later – and even though the Air Bus Max bubbles are finished (deflated), they both make me so happy knowing they’re in my collection. I feel like Nike’s quality from back in the day was so ahead of the curve; it was so innovative for its time, and you can really see that in these pairs. The Lisa Leslie is a basketball shoe, and the Air Bus is a baseball shoe; and I don’t think they’ll be retro-ed.