( ENSPIRE Fashion ) Janyelle Milton is Creating Stylish Sneakers that Provide True Comfort
ENSPIRE Contributor: Aricka Croxton
Janyelle Marie Milton, the owner of J Marie Premium Sneakers, created a brand of shoes as an alternative to heels. The brand, created in 2019 and based in Detroit, Michigan, produces handcrafted sneakers made in Le Marche, Italy, from one hundred percent Italian leather. These shoes have finishes that include, but are not limited to, Faux Zebra, Crocodile, and Python in high, vibrant colors. Alongside sneakers, the brand sells athleisure, fashion, high fashion, women sneakers, limited edition men sneakers, heels, and boots.
In high school, Milton didn’t enjoy wearing regular gym shoes or jeans because she thought it was too masculine for her. After earning a degree in Business Management, she moved downtown Detroit and settled into corporate America as an insurance agent. As you could imagine, heels were not fitting for job choice because she had to do walking around.
Milton began to try to search for comfortable options but wasn’t satisfied with the choices she found. She felt like the shoes were too athletic, too childish or masculine. After falling ill with symptoms of multiple sclerosis, she began to for comfort, which led her to create J Marie Premium Sneakers.
She created her sneakers herself, and it usually takes fourteen days, from start to finish. It usually starts with sketches and a vision board of things that inspire her at that given moment. Once she has a complete design, it is tested in a computer-aided draft and then sent to the craftsmen in Italy who handcraft the prototype.
When the prototype is given back, she takes pictures, adds them to her site, and begins marketing the product. Milton does all her own designs, marketing, customer service, and day-to-day running of her business. However, the creations and logistics are outsourced.
Milton’s mission is to create a high-quality brand that is equally stylish, colorful, and comfortable and meets the needs of people who want a shoe that feels right to them and still looks fashionable. The J Marie Premium Sneaker is a brand owned and run by a black woman in a male-dominated field that lacks diversity. In addition, since the products are handcrafted, the quality is unmatched and will last longer than that of mass-produced products.
In the next two to five years, she hopes to increase brand awareness and sales, expand and approve of her brand ambassador program and national shoe drive. The brand has been named number one in Handcrafted for the Holidays gift guides featured in Bonheur Magazine and six online magazine features. To learn more about the brand and to shop with them, the link is here.
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