Subscribe
Hellobeautiful Featured Video
CLOSE
steiger

Source: Roxanne McCann / Getty

14-year-old Amira-Dior Traynham-Artis has a big week ahead of her. The young sneaker designer will be bringing her exciting brand Lane 1 to the 95th Annual Academy Awards ceremony on March 12. The Brooklyn native will display her fun sneakers designs for this year’s Oscar nominees, according to Crain’s New York.

This is a dream come true for Traynham-Artis, who started her buzzing sneaker brand two years ago during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The emerging star started Lane 1 as a way to keep herself distracted during the rough time period. But Traynham-Artis had new clue her hobby would expand into a thriving business.

Fans have been raving about the quality and craft of Lane 1’s versatile sneakers. From high tops to sporty retro tennis sneakers, the brand offers versatility and boasts sneakers that are meticulously crafted to perfection and comfort.

Traynham-Artist passion for fashion and entrepreneurship stems from her family’s rich history. She grew up watching her mother, Brooklyn’s 56th Assembly District Leader Kenesha Traynham-Cooper, design fun clothing and shoes with her aunt as a child. Hoping to carry on the legacy, the young artist began drawing, painting, and sketching to hone in on her design skills.

One day, the teen said she grew frustrated when she couldn’t find a pair of earth-tone sneakers to match her wardrobe. It was her mother who encouraged her to finally step into the world of fashion design. “Why not make them yourself?” the star recalled her mother saying.

So far, there are six popular designs featured in Traynham-Artis’ brand. All are inspired by her friends and family.  The young teen sketches all of her designs by hand and then uses digital software to perfect the sneaker’s shape, color, and overall aesthetic.

For the rising sneaker titan, designing her own brand has helped her to overcome a few personal hurdles.

“People were setting my goals for me when I wasn’t even at the age to achieve them,” she said. “There was always this weight on my shoulders that I had to be this certain person. I didn’t have a way to escape until I found art.”

Sneakers from Lane 1 are handmade in Italy and will cost you anywhere between $150 to $250 per pair. Grab yours here.

Congrats to Amira-Dior Traynham-Artis!

DON’T MISS…

Rihanna Will Perform ‘Lift Me Up’ At The Oscars

Jada Pinkett-Smith Addresses Oscars Slap On Red Table Talk

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.