THE STYLE ICON WITH JUNE AMBROSE

We have been a long time fan of June Ambrose who has been in the industry not only for decades, but if you grew up watching music videos done by Hype Williams, saw epic style statements by Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott - you were enjoying a living masterclass by June Ambrose. You were seeing her work. The clothing, the hues, the storytelling that was done that was bordered by the videos, lyrics, dancing, and more. She set the tone and continues to do so in her projects.

This stylist, Costume Designer, and Creative Director continues to push the envelope. She recently launched another capsule collection for Naturalizer X June Ambrose. We talk with her about the shoes, her approach to her work, and what we can keep an eye out for!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall in love with fashion?

JUNE AMBROSE: I fell in love with fashion before I even had the language for it. Growing up in the Bronx, style was survival - it was expression, armor, aspiration. MTV just amplified what I already felt in my bones. I realized early that clothing could shift energy in a room. That was my first understanding of power.

AM: When did you realize this could be your career?

JA: The moment I saw that my point of view could move culture - not just dress it. When artists trusted me to translate their sound into a visual language, I understood this wasn’t just styling and costume design… it was authorship. That’s when it became a calling.

AM: How would you define your personal style and 3 favorite accessories?

JA: My style is intentional contradiction - tailored yet fluid, disciplined but expressive. It’s what I call Authentic Intelligence.

My essentials? A statement heel (always), fun hat, and a fun and iconic shaped bag that feels like art.

AM: Where do you start creatively on a project?

JA: I always begin with narrative. Who is this person? What is the emotional temperature? I build from story, then silhouette, then texture. I’m not dressing bodies - I’m designing moments that add punctuation to your look.

AM: What have been your 3 favorite projects that you have done?

JA: Building Missy Elliott’s iconic persona, starting with her Supa Dupa Fly music video, launching women’s basket and motor sport catergory for Puma, and building the STYLE-LETICS universe. Each one pushed culture forward in a different way.

AM: Tell me about STYLE-LETICS and Naturalizer?

JA: STYLE-LETICS is where fashion meets velocity. It’s a new category where the elegance of pumps and sandals moves like a sneaker. My partnership with Naturalizer was rooted in a shared belief: comfort should never compromise style. Together, we challenged the idea that fashionable shoes require sacrifice.

AM: Tell me about the Macy’s event that took place this month.

JA: At Macy’s Herald Square, we didn’t just host an event - we activated a movement. Women stepped into the arena, tried on power, and walked in confidence. It was immersive, high-energy, and deeply personal. Style became a shared experience.

AM: What was your approach to the capsule collection?

JA: Precision. Each drop was engineered for versatility and transformation. I wanted silhouettes that could move from work to play and dancing all night without losing intention. Every piece had to perform - emotionally and physically.

AM: What do you love about your partnership with Naturalizer?

JA: It’s alignment. They understand that a woman’s life is dynamic - so her wardrobe must be too. We’re not just designing shoes, we’re designing freedom and taking risk.

AM: We always like asking our faves about 3 workouts that you love doing!

JA: Pilates for elongation, strength training for power, and walking - intentional, styled walking - for clarity. Movement is part of my creative process.

AM: How do you replenish your cup?

JA: I disconnect to reconnect. Silence, travel, and moments with my family. Stillness is where my next vision reveals itself.

AM: Are there any upcoming projects that we should keep our eye out for?

JA: Expansion of the STYLE-LETICS universe - new silhouettes, deeper storytelling, and hopefully global activations. And of course, continuing to build platforms where style and culture intersect in meaningful ways.

IG @juneambrose

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | June Ambrose X Naturalizer

9LIST

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9LIST STORI3S | CHRIS BRICKLEY

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GETTING TO KNOW 5 OF THE MOST ICONIC BASKETBALL SHOES OF ALL TIME

Basketball sneakers have a very storied history that spans decades upon decades. Did you know the first basketball sneaker made strictly for performance was made almost 100 years ago? Today, with the help of Sports Domain Lab we’re taking a look at the history of basketball shoes and five of the most iconic basketball models of all-time.

Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star

What many consider the first “official” basketball sneaker, the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star made its debut way back in 1917 when it was released by the Converse Rubber Shoe Company.  The Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star got its name in 1921 when it was named after Chuck Taylor. Taylor was a salesman for the brand who also happened to be playing for Converse’s semi-pro All-Star basketball team. Chuck Taylor needed a durable shoe and gave Converse some suggestions on how they can make that possible. Thankful for Taylor’s input, Converse agreed to the enhancements, made the shoe and named them after him. What makes this model even more iconic is the fact that it became the first basketball shoe casually worn off the court.

Pro Keds Royal

The Pro Keds Royal made its debut in 1949. Like the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star, this model was also constructed using a canvas upper and gum sole. The shoe was worn by notable players such as George Mikan and Willis Reed throughout the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. Known for being an affordable sneaker that was also durable, the sneaker may look simple in appearance, but it had all the qualities and traits to support your game on the court. Unlike the Converse brand, Pro Keds did not manage to remain relevant after all these decades. That being the case, you can still find the brand at select retailers throughout the globe. Down, but not out. W could not have expected anything less from Pro Keds.

adidas Superstar

The adidas Superstar made its debut in 1969. By the 1970s, the Three Stripes model was being worn on the court by superstar players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Superstar stood out thanks in large part to its leather upper and distinct rubber shelltoe. The shoes were so highly coveted that the biggest hip hop artists in the world began wearing them casually during the 80s, shout out Run-DMC. As you can imagine, soon thereafter the adidas Superstar became a fashion staple in the urban community. It’s safe to say that the adidas Superstar has had a bigger impact off the court than on.

Puma Clyde

The year was 1973. Walt “Clyde” Frazier and the Knicks had just defeated the Lakers to win their second championship. That very same year, Frazier had signed with Puma for $25,000 a year. His on-court shoe of choice, the Puma Clyde. According to Frazier,  the Puma Clyde was based on the Puma Basket and borrowed details from the Puma Suede. Just like Clyde Frazier, the Puma Clyde redefined street style with it’s smooth aesthetic. It was the perfect mix of style and substance. It was also the first sneaker that was designed to make a fashion statement, hence the suede upper, a trait rarely seen on basketball models back in the day. Even after all these years, Puma continues to release new iterations of the Puma Clyde. Talk about withstanding the test of time, eh?

Nike Air Force 1

Is there a more iconic basketball silhouette than the Nike Air Force 1!? At the very least, it has to be a top 3 candidate, right? It’s hard to argue that any other sneaker has had as much of a crossover into street culture than the Nike Air Force 1.

The Bruce Kilgore-designed model is said to have been released in at least 2,000 colorways since the shoe made its debut back in 1982. When the shoe was made, it was considered a peak-performance basketball shoe. The original Air Force 1 was a high-top that came with an ankle strap, a full grain leather upper and of course, for the first time ever in a basketball shoe, Nike Air technology. Soon after debuting on the court, the AF1 growth spread throughout the globe like wildfire. We’re now in 2019, and sneakerheads are STILL feening over certain Air Force 1 releases. That’s wild.

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STRANGER THINGS BRINGS BACK ICONIC 80s SNEAKERS

It’s true what they say; fashion is a recurring cycle. No matter how outdated you think something is, everything comes back into style eventually. It may take 10, 20 even 40 years for styles to return, but make no mistake about it, what was once hit, then rejected will soon enough be hit once again. Look no further than the choice of sneakers worn by your favorite kids from the Netflix hit-series Stranger Things.

Set during the mid-80s, bright colors, pastel tones, bold patterns, and big hair were all considered to be fashionable and “in”. What we’re here to talk about though, are the choice of footwear your favorite cast member wore during the show. Did the sneakers from the show withstand the test of time? Do people still wear some of those sneakers? Are those sneakers once again considered stylish? Better yet, how do the actual sneakers worn on the show stack up to the recently released Stranger Things x Nike collection?

The cast from Stranger Things were definitely versatile when it came to their choice of footwear. Numerous footwear brands can be seen on the feet of your favorite cast members throughout the series.

Take for example Will Byers. Will was often seen rocking Three Stripes silhouettes such as the adidas Campus. The adidas Campus was originally called 'Tournament' in the early 1970s and was renamed 'Campus' in 1980. Close to 40 years later and adidas continues to deliver new (and classic) colorways of the model.

The fan-favorite Dustin Henderson was often seen wearing a sneaker known as the K-Swiss Heaven S. Although currently not on the brand’s website, the K-Swiss Baxter SP model is one that is very similar to the pair Dustin wore on the shoe. Just like the Heaven S, the Bater SP comes with 5 stripes branding on the side panels.

Mike Wheeler on the other hand was all about that Puma life back in the mid-80s as he was often seen rocking the Puma Roma model in a clean Black and White color scheme. As of today, Puma continues to release their classic Puma Roma silhouette.

Lucas Sinclair was seen wearing Saucony during season 1 of the series. Although we don’t
know the exact model, it looked very similar to the Saucony Jazz Low Pro.

Steve Harrington opted to go with the classic Nike Cortez model most of the time. It’s safe to say, that this Nike model withstood the test of time, don’t you think?

Lastly, Eleven was usually spotted wearing the iconic Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star. What makes this even cooler is the fact that Eleven has also stated that she loves and wears Converse in real life as well. It goes without saying that the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star remain as relevant as ever in 2019.

So how do these sneakers stack up and compare to the Stranger Things x Nike collection? All the sneakers opt for subtle branding and tonal finishes. It’s evident that 80s fashion (or at least fashion from the kids in Stranger Things) consisted of bold and colorful apparel paired up with Black or White tonal and subtle sneakers. Balance appeared to be essential during that decade. That very some aesthetic can be found in today’s fashion trends.

Often times when we wear bold or colorful sneakers, we tend to balance it out by pairing it up subtle muted colors on the apparel and vice versa. It’s all about balance. The Stranger Things x Nike collection gives us just that by offering not one, but two collections consisting of the OG Pack and Hawking High Pack. So whether you’re looking for a muted pair that helps balance out you loud and colorful t-shirt, or a bold sneaker to compliment your Black shirt, the Stranger Things x Nike collection has just the pair for you.

What makes the collection so good? Any one of these sneakers from the Stranger Things x Nike collection could have been on the show and none of us would have even looked at them funny since they’d fit right in. What makes the collection even better? Any one of these sneakers could be spotted on someone’s feet in 2019 and they’d all still be considered fashionable and trendy. They’d fit right in. Many sneakers from the 80s utilized subtle, yet timeless designs. The Stranger Things x Nike collection proves that classic never goes out of style.

Source: Sneaker Breaker

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5 KICKS FOR INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE STUDIO

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