Pastry: Fun & Fashionable

Ever heard of sneakers that sound good enough to eat? Shoes like the “Cake Runner” and “Fab Cookie Boot” with innovative names, such as Sprinkles, Red Velvet, and Mocha Raspberry were created to satisfy a female’s style and sweet tooth. The Pastry brand fulfilled a void during a time when there were no sneaker lines for girls. Pastry shoes were created with the intent to offer a line of athletic-inspired shoes for stylish young women. Pastry launched a shoe collection in spring 2007 and it became an instant smash.  

Pastry’s is a division of Run Athletics. Launched in 2003, Run Athletics is a sneaker company created by Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons and his brother Run DMC member Joseph Simmons. Run Athletics footwear collection consists of various styles and designs. The Legacy collection reflects the underground sneaker culture and can only be found in sneaker boutiques around the world. The Heritage Collection recognizes the history and achievement of Blacks in society.

Pastry is a fun, fashion brand designed by Vanessa and Angela Simmons.  They are two sisters who have been successful in other industries. Vanessa is a communications graduate of St. John’s University in New York. She models and is actress who has appeared on the soap opera Guiding Light. Angela went to the Fashion Institute of Technology and had her own magazine called Angela’s Rundown and held the title an executive title under Word Up! Magazine.

They also are Angela and Vanessa’s uncle and father respectively.  While the founder’s of Pastry have a world of opportunities at their door because of their famous and successful family members creating the brand was still a lot of hard work.  It was even harder for the founders to convince their uncle to approve the shoe line since more is expected of them.

The pastry girl is essentially Vanessa and Angela. They design things that they would wear. It’s the girl that is daring in fashion and wants to have fun. “ We also have classic pieces too. We like to reach out to all different types of girls and women out there,” says Vanessa in an interview with Zappos.com.

The brand has captured the hearts of women and girls all over. It is a brand that inspired by fun and fashion. When Angela and Vanessa went across the country promoting their brand in various stores they got an astounding response. Every place they went was filled with thousands of fans.

Starting off with sneakers in the beginning the brand has now branched into producing clothing and accessories. Recently, Pastry formed a partnership with Hello Kitty to produce a sneaker called the NYC Sweet Crime- Hello Kitty X Pastry.  They are a limited edition sneaker that can be sold online and in Footlocker’s in Europe.  Also over the summer it was revealed through the founders’ twitter the new concept of the Pastry Boutique. The pastry website will feature excusive Pastry Boutique items.

The Pastry brand is a gem in the fashion industry. There are few brands that cater to females that love to wear sneakers, but want to be girly as well.  Pastry embraces femininity, fun, and fashion into every product created.

-Deja Cromartie