Ebay has offered exclusive access to some of the world’s best sneaker collections since November through “The Sleigh Drop.” Although the sale will soon come to a close, one more high-profile sneakerhead is set to part ways with some gems: La La Anthony.
The sneakers from Anthony’s collection will be available via eBay on Dec. 17 to bring this year’s event to an end. Prior to Anthony, eBay’s “The Sleigh Drop” — which kicked off Nov. 5 — offered sneakers from the collections of DJ Skee and Jacques Slade.
Before her sneakers hit eBay, Anthony spoke with FN about her partnership with eBay and more.
The public spotlight on your son, Kiyan Anthony, continues to grow. How do you shop for your son for Christmas?
La La Anthony: “For Kiyan, it’s definitely more about sentimental things, things that he can keep forever, whether it’s an old high school jersey of his dads [NBA star Carmelo Anthony], something he can frame or an authentic pair of sneakers that maybe his dad wore in a high school game or something like that. With him, it’s definitely more meaningful gifts and things that he can keep and show his kids one day, that’s kind of the route I try to go for him. He’s has his list, he’ll say, ‘I really want to try to get this,’ but he never asks for much. That’s not his personality. For him, I always try to go the sentimental, meaningful route when it comes to his journey in basketball.”
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What does someone get La La Anthony for Christmas?
LA: “I’ve been getting a lot of gift cards to some of my favorite restaurants, and I just love it because I go out to eat a lot. I live in New York, and it is really cool when people identify the restaurants you love and hit you with a cool gift card so you can go and eat the food you like. It’s easy, it’s cool and it’s something that I would definitely use. And when it comes to people close to me or my child, it’s the same thing. I want something with some type of sentimental value to it, something that I can hold on to forever, whether it’s a written card or something engraved. Those are the gifts that really mean the most to me.”
Sweet Chick is a personal favorite NYC restaurant. Is that on your list?
LA: “Oh, 100%. First of all, I’m the most insane [Sweet Chick backer] Nas fan than you’ll ever meet in your life, so that’s an automatic, but yes, I do love Sweet Chick very, very much. My manager just got me one for Nobu. I’m a crazy sushi fanatic, so Nobu is always a good one. I like a lot of Spanish restaurants, and there’s a lot of restaurants in the Bronx or on Dyckman that I really like that have great, authentic Spanish food. Anyone close to me knows that, so they’ve been identifying some really great places for me to try. That’s what’s great about New York — you never run out of places to try.”
You’re big in the world of sneakers, but you’re also a fan of heels. What advice do you have for people who are heading back to the office and wearing heels again?
LA: “It is tough. We went so long with flats working from home or sneakers. I’m telling you, now when I wear heels, after like 30 minutes I’m so over it, where before I could go a whole day in these New York City streets. It takes a while to get your foot back used to being in heels, so I get the struggle, I’m a part of it, I don’t have the solution or the answer, but it definitely is going to take a shift back into that way of life and that mindset. Maybe start with a lower heel and work your way up, but just do it.”
You’re one of three high-profile partners of eBay’s “The Sleigh Drop,” alongside DJ Skee and Jacques Slade. What are some of the sneakers you’re parting ways with?
LA: “A friend of mine was a part of A Bathing Ape collection and got me a custom-made Bathing Ape sneaker with my name on it, and it was really cool but I thought by giving that away somebody can feel like they actually have a piece of me and my collection. Also, a pair of black Yeezys. I feel like those are a staple, you never get tired of them, you can wear them all the time, they match with everything. I feel like everyone should try to have at least one of these in their collection. And a Jordan 1. I’m a huge Jordan fanatic, so I wanted to give another personl piece from my collection. Every sneaker has some kind of meaning behind it, they weren’t just picked randomly. They were picked because they had some kind of meaning in my life.”
Were there any pairs that you were hesitant to part ways with because they were extra special to you?
LA: “To be honest, I’m all about giving back so the thought of doing something for somebody else or bringing some happiness during the holidays, that would overcome me saying, ‘I want to keep this sneaker.’ I have a lot of sneakers, and yes, some hold more value and more sentimental value than others, but the thought of doing something for somebody else was so great to me that I didn’t really have that feeling. I was more excited, like, ‘I think they will really like this one.'”
Why did you select Girls Inc. as your charity partner for this eBay partnership?
LA: “I work with Girls Inc. a lot, I do a huge charity event every year where we give Christmas to 250 to 300 underprivileged kids in the Bronx. This is actually my second year where I haven’t done the actual event because of COVID and other reasons, but we take over Gauchos Gym in the Bronx and we put on performances and games and we give kids a beautiful dinner right before Christmas and clothes and toys and everything like that, and Girls Inc. is always been a huge part of me putting my events together and still working with them now, even though we haven’t done the actual event. I think they do great things for underserved youth in New York City and around the country, and I’m just honored to work so closely with them.”
eBay confirmed its women’s sneaker category grew more than 80% over the past year. What does this say about the role of women in the greater sneaker collector landscape?
LA: “I think it’s cool. I think we have such great taste, we know what sneakers are hot and we want to be a part of it. When you see women like Vashtie who designed a Jordan or Melody Ehsani who designed a Jordan, when you see all these amazing females emerging in the design landscape, it just gets you excited and makes you feel like, ‘Hey, this is something I want to be a part of.’ It’s really cool to see the rise of females in the space because it shouldn’t just be a male face and it shouldn’t be male dominated. I mean, I’m as into sneakers as any guy could ever be. It’s exciting for me and the possibilities are endless and I hope to see more female sneaker designers step up and do some cool things in the space.”
Having accomplished so much professionally, how does it feel to also be revered in the sneaker space?
LA: “Growing up, I was a tomboy, I played basketball so sneakers was just my life. Now as an adult, seeing people finally take notice is really cool. And now being a basketball mom, that’s where my interest has shifted, to my son being at the gym every day, at practice every day, cheering him and his team on. Sneakers and the culture is just part of my life now, basically living it through my son’s eyes. But to be a female in a space, I can hopefully inspire and motivate other females to step up and do some cool things in the space as well.”
