Houston native and longtime sneakerhead Jennifer Ford used the same devotion and pride to build Premium Goods, the first Black-woman-owned sneaker boutique in the country, that her brother channeled when he spent hours working on his car in their driveway.
As her brother tinkered away at their home, Ford got a sneak peek at Houston’s car culture. In the rest of her neighborhood, she discovered car club meet-ups organized by various generations. Little did Ford know, she would go on to build one of Texas’ earliest independent sneaker boutiques in 2004 and recently created the PG x Adidas Campus ‘00 sneakers as an ode to Houston car culture and auto clubs.
“It’s a group of people who have this joint love that are able to get together in a safe space and talk about things that they enjoy and get guidance and help others at the same time. We feel like that happens a lot inside of our store,” Ford said. “Our team is really informed on past and new products, so they advise people. And I feel like car clubs do the same thing.”
This edition of the Campus ‘00 silhouette features a hidden pocket to replicate a glove compartment and a cracked leather upper to mirror the imperfections in life and cars.
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The Premium Goods team also wanted to ensure red was front and center in this collaboration. According to the brand’s creative director, Joseph Kare, red is a central piece of Premium Goods’ branding due to its ability to convey boldness and power, and it is also tied to all of Houston’s major sports teams.
Car culture, which is “embedded in Houston’s nature,” as Ford likes to say, has followed her from her driveway to her childhood block, to going to car meets in high school, and now to her home as an adult. Once a month, car lovers gather near Ford’s home for what the group has titled Coffee and Cars. The gatherings spread throughout Texas and began commercially organizing in 2004, the same year Ford started Premium Goods in Houston.
“This shoe represents all of them as a collective and even those that aspire to be in the automotive world,” Ford said.
For Ford, the most important part of the campaign is collaborating with the Adidas Cornerstone Community. This initiative helps BIPOC-focused retailers by offering resources for ongoing support, hosting community events, and providing training led by industry leaders. In conjunction with Cornerstone Community, Premium Goods will donate a percentage of shoe sales to Dekaney High School’s auto tech program, whose curriculum allows students to learn about the automotive industry through car care clinics, safety workshops, and driver’s education programs.
“These programs aren’t seen as much in the schools now as they used to be, assuming that funding has been pulled from it, but it’s such a great opportunity for youth who don’t necessarily want to go to college but can still find something that they really enjoy,” Ford said. “There are many people in this country whose careers and lives depend on the automotive industry, and a lot of them, sadly, aren’t able to go to college, but they create these careers and live off of them. It’s like the American way.”
With Houston’s rich history and culture, Ford and Kare’s goal was not to overwhelm themselves by making a shoe that represents every aspect of the city; instead, the creative duo wanted to pay homage to a community that lies within the boisterous city.
“Our focus was creating a well-balanced design,” Kare said. “There is a lot of crossover between our customers that are into cars and also into sneakers. We feel like the communities kind of mirror each other. In a dream world, we’d have many more opportunities to create designs that showcase all the wonderful things of Houston but we only had one model and wanted to show off something that is in some ways undervalued.”
Ford associates cars with different core memories of maturing from adolescence to adulthood. She recalls being with her older sister and seeing drop trucks in her neighborhood and MOMO wheels with bright, colorful lights under the car.
“It was almost like a rite of passage,” Ford said. “I couldn’t wait to turn 16 and to be cool but then you realize how much money you have and what you are really going to get and what you can do with those limitations. A lot of people associate memories with cars and all the independence that comes along with it.”
Jennifer Ford is the founder of Premium Goods boutique in Houston, TX.
Joseph Kare is Premium Goods’ creative director.
Ford came from a humble family, and she knew she would have to work for her first car. She did what many other teenagers do and headed to her local mall to find a job. When her grandmother passed away, she left her a car that Ford was able to sell for $600. She saved another $600 and bought a 1984 Honda Accord in 1996.
“It was pretty old but it was fun,” Ford said. “I have a wonderful dad, but he definitely pushes learning lessons. So, if your tire went flat, he wouldn’t change it for you. He would show you how to change it or, if things went wrong in my car, he wouldn’t take me to the mechanic to get them fixed. I would have to go and get it priced, and then he would go and get it priced and show me the difference on what they would charge women versus men.”
Ford’s independence and self-advocacy have formed into the well-oiled machine that is now Premium Goods. After getting the call from Adidas, Ford, Kare and the team met internally and quickly decided that the inspiration would be Houston auto clubs and culture.
After deciding on their concept, the Premium Goods team met with Adidas again to get guidance on selecting materials. Ford and Kare used their previous experiences with major brand collaborations, like their two Nike Air Force 1 colorways, to help guide them.
“With being in business for 20 years, we’ve seen a lot of shoes come in and out the door,” Kare said. “We knew we wanted cracked leather and hair suede for sure because we felt like it represents aging and the imperfection that exists with car projects. Once we got our first sample, we didn’t need to make many changes.”
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As Premium Goods celebrates its 20th anniversary, Ford and Kare have seen their customers grow up and return to the boutique with their kids. Kare also noted that while they watch their customers grow up, their customers have the opportunity to see them evolve as business owners and people as well.
Watching their customers go through life stages and develop an interest in styles, the brand was inspired to add a children’s boutique to its offerings.
“We wanted to offer them an environment in which their child could come and pick out their own shoes and have a safe kids environment,” Ford said. “It’s definitely not a huge money generator but it is something fun for us to give out and create a full family shopping experience. Plus, I mean, who doesn’t love the full family pictures where they are all wearing matching sneakers.”
For Ford, it is not solely about selling lifestyle or limited edition shoes but, moreover, not taking for granted the luxury of waking up and being able to go to work with her friends while impacting the community that raised her.
Alexis Davis is a former Rhoden Fellow. She loves styling suits with sneakers and can name any sneaker you show her. She quit basketball to cheer in high school but hopes the women’s basketball coverage she does now makes the sport forgive her for going to the other side of the sideline.
