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Plus Model Paloma Elsesser & “International Girl Crew” Collab with Nike on Sneaker Collection

2017 seems to be the year for Nike when it comes to diversity.

Last summer, the sportswear brand was questioned on their sizing when they included plus model Paloma Elsesser and Claire Fountain, creator of Trill Yoga, in their sports bra social media campaign.

Many Instagram followers commented that the new bras were only available in sizes up to an XL (or an E), which translates to a cup size DD. Read more here…

Fast forward to 2017 and it appears that Nike has listened. Not only did they launch plus sizes on their site earlier this year but now have partnered with the International Girl Crew on a revamp of their NIKEiD Cortez Classic, designed by the crew members including Elsesser.

We always love seeing our plus sisters involved in something outside of the plus size box.

According to IGC, the crew is “a group of friends who meet up in far flung destinations to keep our bond strong, exchange ideas + learn about the world“. The crew’s passion for culture and travel have a deep influence in colors used in the limited edition collection.

Sharmadean Reid, a founding member of the International Girl Crew told Footwear News:

“IGC is about fashion, style and having fun times with my mates all around the world, from Greece to Jamaica, Paris and of course, our three home cities of London, New York and Los Angeles.”

Elsesser told Teen Vogue:

“It’s an opportunity to further educate girls on what it means to wear sneakers. As a kid, it was painful to me to watch the commodification of the style of the Cortez when it felt so personal to me. It’s important for people to understand where things come or what they represent. That’s the push of the project for me.”

It’s so great to see diversity within the crew while seeing how Nike works well for all of them and their different styles and personalities.

According to Nike, the shoe is available in three colorways, each representing the crew’s home cities: “Los Angeles” is a neutral style, “London” is bright, and then a clean “New York” style. Each features a pop of colorful detail on the midsole, a graphic on the footbed, and numbers on the heel.

Elsesser, who is signed to Muse NYC, has been making major moves, recently being featured in the Proenza Schouler x Planned Parenthood film, that educates viewers on how they can support PP. You can view the film here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXQTuhfA21K/?taken-by=proenzaschouler

Elsesser is someone who uses her platform to educate, bring awareness and inspire others on important topics, including body acceptance and diversity on a whole. We can’t wait to see what she does next.

You can follow Paloma on Instagram here. And you can shop the new limited edition sneaker collection from Nike here.