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It’s common that people start their own clothing brands, building off of blank tees and accessories because of the ease of access. However, it’s pretty rare to birth a sneaker brand from the ground up. Thankfully, the brave ones still do it. Recently, we caught up with someone who did.
Mark Wilkins — a Chicago native with an interesting background — sat down with Nice Kicks to talk about his new sneaker line, Zn Footwear. Focused on footwear but more importantly giving back to the community, here how he’s making it happen in the conversation below.
Nice Kicks: To start, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Mark Wilkins: My name is Mark Wilkins. I’m 28, I was born in Chicago and raised in Country Club Hills, IL, a south suburb of the city. I grew up in sports so basketball was always my first passion and still is to this day. A love for sneakers was natural for me. Having two older brothers to keep me in tune with sports, streetwear and the sneaker culture made everything second nature.
After college I spent some time playing basketball in China and it’s also the time my sneaker ideas started to flow. Once I got back to the States I had some opportunities to work with Nike on some projects. That helped open doors, allowing me to now work with Finish Line alongside some great people that have really helped me to grow my sneaker palette.
Nice Kicks: What made you decide to start Zn footwear?
Mark Wilkins: First and foremost, the love and passion I have for footwear and people with genuine souls influenced me to start my own shoe line. When the opportunity was presented to me, I couldn’t pass it up. To start something you can call your own and build organically from the ground up was always a dream. Being able to give back to kids like me, and individuals that are less fortunate in cities all over the world, is really what made the light bulb go off. With my brand, I can help anyone I want when I want.
Nice Kicks: What is your story behind this brand?
Mark Wilkins: Zn originates from the Chinese word ZEN which is about finding the enlightenment and the glow from happiness and self-fulfillment that we all can get. Some may need the help of others to get it. The story behind Zn Footwear is to always lift others and we do this by giving back. That’s who I am. It’s one of my core values to give back. I will donate a portion of the sales to funding inner-city underprivileged youth and education programs whether it be paying a portion of college tuition, bringing new technology to classrooms or just implementing classes that are inline with the culture.
Nice Kicks: How did you come up with a price-point for the Prototype 1?
Mark Wilkins: Another one of Zn’s purposes is to give everyone a luxury sneaker that’s considered affordable in a luxury market. A sneaker that features bits and pieces of details from everything most sneakerheads love about their product: the comfort, the premium materials, engineered mesh, suede, leather, felt, satin, ostrich, cowhide, pony hair, etc. I wanted to make something to last.
Everyone who has seen the sample in person and who’s seen the materials I use always asked why not make a higher price point for it — this is like 30 of my major sneaker and fashion friends that know this stuff. I’m not trying to sell my self short but I’m also not trying to take too much from my supporters. That’s not what it’s about and more importantly I set it at this price because I can. Just because the Prototype 1 model is considered luxury doesn’t mean it should be marked up 200%. That’s not me and that’s not what I’m about.
I just hope that if people can buy other shoes for $180-$2500 they can give Zn Footwear a shot, especially knowing they are helping by giving back. If people like it they will cop it. If not, I’m still blessed. On September 15th, the first two colorways of the Prototype 1 will be available for purchase online only for $170.
Nice Kicks: How many styles and colorways are included in the first drop?
Mark Wilkins: This year, there will be four to six different colorways of the Prototype 1 dropping and next year I’ll have a few more dope flavors coming alongside a runner. I just want to grow and raise awareness.
Make sure to check out the images below and follow Nice Kicks and @Znfootwear on IG for the latest updates.
