Right off the bat I should probably mention that I'm not your average girly girl. Where most ladies my age are obsessed with Louboutin heels and Balenciaga handbags, I stock my closet with boxes of Nikes and own so many gadgets I put Best Buy to shame. That being said, it is no surprise I was immediately interested in a new iTunes app called MySneakers. Louis W. Colon III, the Brooklyn native who first conceptualized the app while on a casual vacation in Spain, claims the app allows its user to "easily research products, brands and stores according to their individual tastes."
From where does Colon's deep insight into the world of sneakers derive, you ask? A lover of sneaker culture since his teenage years, Colon transitioned his obsession with fashion into a career. He published a sneaker enthusiast magazine, Kicksclusive, and opened a specialty sneaker boutique called Laces which catered to women and was located NYC's SoHo neighborhood. The quarterly magazine ran for five years and the store two and a half before he closed both businesses and joined New Balance/PF Flyer's product development team in Boston. Returning to his entrepreneurial roots in NYC, Colon joined forces with his business partner, Nick Howard, to develop, test and create a fully functional app that would give everyone from sneaker novice to sneaker fiend a new connection to the overall culture. I, falling somewhere in the middle, was given a chance to test run the new product before its release on April 13th.
My first reaction to the app is its icon's simplistic design. A closeup on a sneaker's laced tongue, the icon says everything it needs to with just this image, which is especially important in the world of iTunes apps where it's easy to be distracted and confused. Once inside the app, the user is brought to its home screen which features ten of the latest sneakers on the market (updated several times a week), the ability to read more on these kicks, find out the location closest to you that carries them (or their brand) by using iPhone GPS, and the ability to share your find on Twitter and Facebook. Just opening to the home screen made me giddy and I almost forgot to continue reviewing the rest of the app (sorry, pretty sneakers give me ADD.)
Returning to the app's other functions, I tapped "Blogs" which brought me to a list of links that redirect to the best sneaker blogs on the net. As someone who is constantly having to search for these blogs, finding them all in one spot and knowing they are updated and fetched regularly is very appealing. The "Stores" aspect uses the iPhone's GPS to locate all sneaker stores in your surrounding area. Another of my favorite options is the ability to click on a sneaker and be taken to its individual page where you can view the shoe from various angles, make it one of your favorites for easy future access and rate it on a five star system. The user ratings generate the "Top Ten" list which updates daily... and gives me even more trendy delights to check out. Sweet.
When my fingers became numb from toying around with the app, I returned the iPhone to its owner and was happy upon hearing the Android (which is what I own) and BlackBerry versions will be available this summer. The cost is only a one time fee of $3.99 which I find pretty cheap considering it is constantly updated with products and stores. The app is suitable for anyone who enjoys wearing sneakers; from the self-proclaimed sneaker head to the unconventional 20-something female who just happens to enjoy wearing cool apparel that doesn't have her teetering on the verge a sprained ankle, but that's just me. For more information on the app, visit MySneakersApp.com.