Why Melody Ehsani’s Appointment at Foot Locker Is So Important for the Women’s Business

Peter Verry
·3 min read

Foot Locker’s women’s business is about to receive a boost from a beloved and influential designer: Melody Ehsani.

The retail powerhouse announced today that Ehsani will assume the creative director role of its women’s business. The position, the retailer said, will help elevate Foot Locker with female consumers in the streetwear space via content and product development.

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“Melody Ehsani brings authenticity and years of creative leadership to the industry,” Foot Locker VP and DMM of women’s footwear and apparel Patricia Respress said in a statement. “Her diverse background of streetwear knowledge will help elevate our brand and expand our product offering, while driving real cultural impact within our women’s community.”

In the position, according to the retailer, Ehsani will design quarterly apparel collections — with the first dropping in summer ’21 in Foot Locker doors and online in the U.S. and Canada, as well as select Europe and Asia Pacific doors — and curate an ongoing selection of Nike and Jordan Brand products.

What’s more, in an effort to deepen connections with people in New York City and Los Angeles, and to allow consumers everywhere else stateside better accessibility to the collections, there will be a digital crowdsourcing program to determine the location of Melody Ehsani x Foot Locker pop-up shops. The shops, according to the retailer, will open a week before the collection’s drop date.

“Growing up, Foot Locker stores were a staple of my cultural landscape. I am truly honored to become the first creative director for Foot Locker’s women’s business and for the opportunity to help shape and build upon the impact of their brand on a global scale,” Ehsani said in a statement. “I look forward to bringing my set of experiences to the table — not just as a designer, but as a longtime customer.”

Ehsani has strong roots in sneakers, having delivered several well-received collaborations that are beloved by women sneakerheads. For instance, her Air Jordan 1 Mid SE “Melody Ehsani” arrived in November 2019 for $130, which is selling for thousands of dollars on the resale market today. And her Air Jordan OG SP for women arrived in March 2020 to much fanfare.

Aside from her work with Jordan Brand, the designer has delivered several beloved looks with Reebok, including the ME. x Reebok Princess sneaker release in November 2017, the ME x Reebok Question Mid for the shoe’s 20th anniversary in December 2016 and Reebok x Melody Eshani Blacktop Pump and Ventilator silhouettes in April 2015.

Although Ehsani is an accomplished designer, she is equally as proud of her ability to take on social issues. Speaking with FN in October 2019, Ehsani discussed her ME Speaker Series, which she stated is her biggest accomplishment to date.

“My speaker series is what I’m most proud of. I think I’ve done an incredible job of creating a like-minded community. To me, the biggest movements are started from the ground up. The community we’ve created is powerful,” Ehsani told FN.

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