Bigger Than Sneakers is all about the culture.
Matt Tomamichel, its co-founder, recently collaborated with footwear and apparel brand EQLZ on a colorway for its new hoops shoe, the Bigger Than Sneakers x EQLZ 247 “North Star.” Unlike last year’s collaboration with Jordan Brand, academy students designed the sneaker.
The sneakers are sold online at Corporate Got Em for $180, with a portion of the proceeds going to BTS Academy.
The BTS Academy is a free, three-week summer session for 14 high school students. They receive roughly 60 hours of programming. This year’s session focused on branding, marketing, materials, apparel, and footwear design. As a final project, the students collaborated to develop their own brands. Each day they focused on different themes and listened to guest lecturers who work in the field.
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Founded in 2018, EQLZ has established its place in performance footwear. With its latest model, the 247, the company wanted to craft a basketball shoe that acted as an extension of the human foot. Its design team includes several industry veterans, most notably Aaron Cooper, who designed signature basketball sneakers for basketball stars LeBron James, Scottie Pippen, Kevin Garnett, and others during his 25 years with Nike.
Tomamichel initially connected with Cooper on Instagram a couple of years ago. “I gave him his respect and I told him what I do out here and he loved it,” Tomamichel said. “[Cooper] basically lent any opportunity to us. He was like, ‘I believe in you guys, I trust you guys with where you’re trying to head.’ ” The design legend spent time in Cincinnati before asking Tomamichel if the academy wanted to make the shoe.
“We were, like, of course,” Tomamichel said. “We didn’t have it planned [that way], but, yeah, let’s do it.”
Designer Aaron Cooper leads students through a Bigger Than Sneakers Academy design session.
@shotbydubs/Kevin Watkins
Students Quinn Smith (left) and Jayden Thrasher (right) give a presentation during Bigger Than Sneakers Academy.
@shotbydubs/Kevin Watkins
In an email to Andscape, Cooper said programs such as Bigger Than Sneakers are “vitally important” for the next generation of footwear industry professionals. He believes more equitable opportunities are needed for kids, and he’s committed to helping where he can.
The designer brought a white version of the sneaker to the academy in June. After his lecture, he assigned students to create a story and colorway. “This was Cooper’s hands-on activity,” Tomamichel said. “He came in, he taught it, and the kids just kind of took it off from there.”
Cooper said multiple teams of students worked together to present their ideas, and, in the end, everyone voted for the one they felt would resonate the most.
As part of the design process, students also needed to convince the entire class that their design was possible. “After deep Google searches, if they still had any questions or needed any help, I was there to support and provide answers,” Cooper said. Since he mentioned having a “North Star” several times during the presentation, students expanded on the idea, defining the shoe’s name as a guiding principle to stay aligned with what “truly matters to you.”
Kevin Watkins + Briana Davis
The Bigger Than Sneakers x EQLZ 247 “North Star” sneakers.
Kevin Watkins + Briana Davis
The shades of purple used across the shoe are meant to resemble the night sky.
Kevin Watkins + Briana Davis
The EQLZ 247 “North Star” sneakers feature co-branding on the heel tab. The sparkles on the shoe’s outsole signify the stars, with blue and pink added to represent gases in the sky.
The Bigger Than Sneakers x EQLZ 247s “North Star” is black with shades of purple to depict the night sky. Sparkles on the shoe’s outsole signify the stars, and blue and pink are added to represent gases in the sky.
When students presented what they had to Tomamichel, he was blown away. After the pitch, Cooper began the development phase. “He basically engineers everything on the shoe,” Tomamichel said. “He knew what would work, what wouldn’t work and then he put it together.”
Quinn Smith, an academy student, said picking colors to communicate the message was a tough part of the design process. “[We wanted to] ensure that the message could be interpreted without having to say much or for it to be too much on the feet,” she said.
Another student, Chase Harpold, echoed her sentiments. “It was difficult to put everyone’s ideas on the sneakers and make a wearable and cohesive color that clearly represented our story.” Harpold said he knew the design was finished when “everyone agreed this was the best final product we could have designed.”
Samiya Oyeyemi, who collaborated with Smith and Harpold, thought the color palette was easy. The real challenge was building the shoe. “We had so many different ideas and inspirations, and we all wanted to put an aspect of our beliefs into the shoe,” she said.
All three agreed that the final product closely mirrored their initial design goals. Smith said their success isn’t just a win for the academy “but for people around the world.” Oyeyemi said the struggles of designing the shoe paled compared to working with her peers. “Even when we had moments where we struggled with coming up with concepts for the shoe, we had so much fun working as a team and designing it,” she said.
Cooper understands the power of sneaker design. “I was inspired to become Nike’s first design intern in 1994 because I too believe it’s bigger than sneakers,” he said. “I have seen shoes inspire communities to come together, share stories, and break barriers.”
The feedback from students and the opportunity he created are largely why Tomamichel started Bigger Than Sneakers. As an adopted person, he believes he was very fortunate to have friends and family. His guiding principle is supporting others and giving back to the community.
“I want people to feel like their dreams are able to come true,” he said. “They don’t have to live in the shadows like, ‘man, I always wanted to do that, but I never did it.’ I’d rather be encouraging than tell someone they shouldn’t do something. I heard way too much of that.”
Designer Aaron Cooper (center), co-founder of Bigger Than Sneakers Matt Tomichael (squatting, lower left) and executive director Natalie Morean (right, end of first row) with students from the Bigger Than Sneakers Academy.
@shotbydubs/Kevin Watkins
Executive director Natalie Morean said each student can attend the academy only once, but they support kids after they’ve finished the program. Former students return as peer mentors for current students, and the academy provides other volunteer opportunities throughout the year.
“We don’t want to spend three weeks with you and then kind of stuff you out the door,” Morean said. “We want to be intentional about how we create relationships with the students.”
Bigger Than Sneakers is a nonprofit that relies on fundraisers, corporate sponsorships, and grant dollars. Morean said the money primarily goes toward its students. The organization feeds them daily, takes them on field trips, and gives them an iPad they can keep after the three-week session.
The BTS Academy is in Cincinnati, with plans to expand to Indianapolis and Dayton, Ohio. Tomamichel’s Corporate Got Em, a sneaker and clothing boutique, has a location in all three cities.
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Morean wants “sustainable and intentional growth” but believes they’ll continue capping the number of students at around 14. “I think that’s really like a sweet spot,” she said. “It’s still small enough to where you can individually get to know all of the students … but as you continue to grow, I definitely think the capacity should grow as well.”
Tomamichel praised Morean for Bigger Than Sneakers’ progress. “In 2020, I felt people needed something positive. I started praying Bigger Than Sneakers would have more structure to get everything going,” he said. “The next week, I met Natalie and in two months, she was the director.”
Morean, who received a master’s degree in nonprofit management and leadership from the University of Georgia, has worked with students and youth programs for years. She laughingly shared her inspirations.
“I grew up the oldest of four and I was always around my younger siblings,” she said. “I just enjoyed being a big sister so much, maybe I made a career out of it.”
Garfield Hylton is a professional journalist, ghostwriter and digital storyteller. When he’s not writing essays, he’s in the gym working on his jumpshot so the young boys don’t run him off the court.
