The Bite Magazine - Autmn/Winter 2020 - Issue 28

bitesocialmedia Ergo, imagine my excitement when the duo shared with me that they had put together ShadeTV on YouTube. The channel is created to discuss every possible feature of limited edition sneakers and their related fashion style pairings. Everything from coats and sweats, hats and accessories and how to pair them together to form the most hype ensembles with the most street-cred, Hill uses her niche as the only female hypebae sneakerhead presenter to her ad- vantage. The way she hosts ShadeTV is inspiring. Having earned her bachelor’s degree in Communica- tion and Broadcasting, it makes total sense that she’s a natural in front of the camera and extremely skilled at presenting each item with great poise, but also with a good dose of sass and coquettish charm. She takes on what could be a dull subject to some and makes it feel like you’re learning about a precious treasure just discovered in the secret pop-up shops on the narrow side streets of SoHo that contain only 100 pieces. “Subscribe now, and you’ll be the one in the know!” she states during each episode. The show’s tagline is, ‘Hype. Beauty. Satire’ so it goes without saying that its viewers are not only going to obtain knowl- edge, they’re going to love absolutely the lesson. However, despite the fun graphics, sporty sound effects and throwing massive amounts of shade, i.e. “she be drippin’ with comments and killin’ those haters” she explains and depicts each shoe and now, clothing and accessory that launches each week on the show. With its high production value, it feels like you’re watching someone from E! I mean, tennis shoes, kicks, treads, scuffies, sneakers, gym shoes, and basketball shoes. Sneakers are known by different names, but there is a tremendous amount of detail and work that goes into each brand launch or collaboration, that these shoes aren’t just prized shoe scores. So if you can snag a pair, you won’t just be consid- ered the ‘sh*t’ with the latest Yeezys, Timberlands, Nikes or Balenciagas, but rather more like the owner of a rare and exclusive piece of art. Take for example the recent drop of Dior’s and Nike’s collaboration with the already ‘grailed’ (rare and considered to be like a vintage piece/collectable) ‘Air Jordan 1’ high top sneaker. It only came out a few months ago, and al- ready it’s considered the shoe of the year, and people are paying astronomical prices for these extremely limited edition bad boys - think $20,000! Hill makes all of this information understandable and most impor- tantly, fun! Given our world’s current disastrous state of things, now more than ever, these social media outlets seem to be the only ‘safe’ space for people to express themselves. However, ShadeTV helps its audience live in a space where they can feel normal about their love of hype and sneakers, share on Instagram, Tik- Tok, or Reddit, how they in turn style said shoes and fashions. ShadeTV has launched in its own right, a new community for all to enjoy, not just men who like waiting in lines and hitting refresh. “As the old saying goes, you are judged by strangers with initial eye followed by what’s on your feet.“ Sneakers are relatable and ‘every day’ in a sense - wear them out shopping, to SoulCycle, to meetings, to brunch, or in my case, to the volleyball courts. There are a style and silhouette for everybody but so many price points. There is the ultra-high-end side of the market where you find many design collabora- tions that go for hundreds and thousands of dollars on the resale market. Still, you can also have peo- ple that want an essential pair of white Air Force 1s because that is what they are comfortable with. The exclusivity notion occupies many a sneakerhead’s daily thoughts, but there’s more than just that slice. You don’t need to have the hypest sneakers to com- plete a fantastic look. But where do we go from here? Hype culture is only growing more and more by the day, with high-end brands and smaller more boutique designers collabo- rating to create insanely exclusive sneakers in a rain- bow of shapes, colours, and patterns. One's media pages and platforms are sure to 'turn-up' as the kids say, more and more. Hill adds, “We’ll see where this takes us. We read every comment that our subscrib- ers post and we’re robustly proactive in addressing things or themes they want to see and watch. For the channel, expanding into more clothing hauls and how-to styling videos to complement the sneakers would be a natural move as would be accessories. We’re currently a zeitgeist where streetwear and fashion are equals, which has not always been the case, because we cover more than just hype or just sneakers, I think we have the ability to branch out as the culture evolves.” As a viewer and subscriber to ShadeTV, and as their friend, naturally, I can’t wait to see what happens next in this still-somewhat-mysterious-to-me area of fash- ion. I couldn’t be more proud of what they’ve thus far accomplished and can’t wait to see what next week’s episode will share. Until then, dear readers, log on, hit that subscribe button and stay tuned! TikTok: Marissaehill Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHypeModel Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/ShadeTV247/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehypemodel/