Chick Chat: Behind The Camera with Emily Petersen
MEET EMILY PETERSEN. CREATIVE DIRECTOR. VISUAL ARCHITECT. SNEAKER SPECIALIST. BOSS BABE.
As a female immersed in sneaker culture, it is important to connect with other women who share the same passions and believe in uplifting each other. We are always searching for women like us, and those same women have a tendency to teach us something that leads back to our foundation of #Chickspiration.
Emily Petersen, a native of Melbourne, jumped right into the sneaker industry and built a career for herself by chasing what she loves and being creative in the process. From working in retail to her internship with Sneaker Freaker Magazine, she has blazed her own trail within the industry. Emily has the eye for photography and creative design. Pair those skills with sneakers, and you get dope photoshoot concepts and eye-catching images that immediately grab our attention.
At CNK, we have been huge fans of overseas retailer, NAKED CPH. NAKED is a leading sneaker supplier, located in Denmark, that caters to the female consumer and has been around for over a decade. Emily plays a major role at NAKED, curating unique imagery and creative design concepts for product. We got the honor to chat with Emily about inspiration, styling in Europe, and being a cool creative chick in the sneaker world. Check out Emily's words as she takes us behind the camera.
FOLLOW THAT YELLOW BRICK ROAD... TO SNEAKER COLLECTING.
"I’ve always had an interest in fashion. Sneakers are just an easy add to any wardrobe, they will always fit you even if you’ve put on a bit of weight. So it was a bit of that, but also when I went for a job in retail I realized I’m terrible at folding clothes so working in a sneaker store was more realistic for me [haha], thats when my collection grew."
EMILY IS NO HYPEBEAST...
"I think because of my background in design and the fact that I had been working in a sneaker store for so long I don’t get caught up in hyped sneakers. I’m well aware of market trends and I’m usually pretty good at predicting how a sneaker is going to sell. But when it comes to personal taste I like what I like and I don’t care if it’s something I can resell or not."
WHEN THE CREATIVE WHEELS ARE TURNIN'
"I look for a lot of inspiration outside of work or outside of the sneaker world rather, so when an editorial comes up for a pair of sneakers it usually reminds me of something I’ve seen which then steers the creative process. Whether it be a location, artwork, a color palate or just a particular mood. That’s the fun part, to create a mood around a sneaker."
BOSS BABES UNITE
"I get along with this little family Naked has here in Copenhagen and its so refreshing working for a female orientated company - like I can be myself in my work. I like my role because its not super specific, I get to race around involving myself in all the creative stuff and thats why I get up in the morning."
LEARN THE TOP 3 SNEAKER PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS WITH EMILY...
"Great location, whether it be colorful, clean lines or just interesting. Fun model. Nothing makes a shoot drag more than someone who doesn’t move! And angles angles angles. Side profile is best, lower angle so you don’t make ankles look big, and slightly front on angle so shoes don’t look long."
SHOP ADIDAS INIKI RUNNER BOOSTS BELOW
EURO STREET STYLE - DRESS TO IMPRESS
"There is a big scene for it here but I think what I find so different to Australia is the nightlife, you could go out with a group of girls here and yes some of them will be wearing heels but a lot will be pairing their expensive dresses or outfits with sneakers. Such a look I’m into."
EMILY'S SNEAKER ROTATION IN 3...2...1
"Air Max 97s in a couple of color ways, Vans x Vault in a brown and my Naked x Reebok Club Cs. Which I must wear a lot because they are actually thrashed.
IF I'M JUST STARTING A COLLECTION, WHAT IS A MUST-HAVE SNEAKER?
Ooooft, [Nike Air Max Plus] Tn’s. The satin pack was super nice. But I would say get something that not everyone is wearing because thats more interesting."
SHOP EMILY'S FAVORITE STYLES BELOW
OK BRANDS, NOW LET'S GET IN FORMATION.
"Most of the popular sneakers silhouettes were created as shoes for men, brands such as Reebok, Asics or adidas are making it possible for women to buy the same styles, creating a window for womens sneaker culture to thrive."
HOW TO STAND OUT + STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
"Have a sense of humor. But most importantly have an opinion. I’m surrounded by amazing woman everyday who inspire me to do better and lift me up."
Check out more of Emily on Instagram and you can also catch her creative vibes on NAKED's Instagram. We can't wait to see what she does next!
For all the new-new in ladies sneakers and street wear, check out NAKED CPH via our button below. (Note: They have dope colorways that we don't see stateside right away.)
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