Fourteen-year-old Amira-Dior Traynham-Artis is stepping up her game big time.

About a year after launching her own sneaker company, one of her creations will be gifted at an Oscars pre-ceremony event.

“It’s unexpected but I know I have the tools to be ready for it,” said Traynham-Artis, who is a is native of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

The teenager said once her sneaker company, Lane One, gained popularity, her mother was contacted by a representative to provide 75 pairs for the DPA pre-awards gift suite in Los Angeles.


What You Need To Know

  • About a year after launching her own sneaker company, one of Amira-Dior Traynham-Artis’ creations will be gifted at an Oscars pre-ceremony event

  • She said once her sneaker company - Lane One - gained popularity, her mother was contacted by a representative to provide 75 pairs for the DPA pre-awards gift suite in Los Angeles

  • Traynham-Artis said she’s hoping her shoes will be a delight for those in Hollywood and in her own neighborhood

“This is a great opportunity. I’m super proud of my daughter,” said Kenesha Traynham-Cooper, Traynham-Artis’ mother.  

Traynham-Cooper said she noticed her daughter’s love for creating and her fashion sense at an early age.

“About six years old, I realized that she was cutting up lil pieces of fabric and making lil outfits for her dolls,” she said.

She encouraged her daughter to lean into that creativity and eventually challenged her to make her own sneakers.

“Because I love fashion, I was like, ‘Okay, let’s do it,’” said Trayham-Artis. “One of my favorite kinds of pairs of sneakers is mid-tops and low tops so I was just like maybe I can do something like this and when it comes to the color. I love nude colors and earth tones, so I just went along with that.”

Her brand is expanding with a line of shoes she created for younger children.  

Traynham-Artis said these creative projects have always been an escape for her.

“I found it to be an outlet for me, especially because a lot of communities like the projects and being a young black African American woman, it’s hard to deal with a lot of things like the stereotypes,” said Traynham-Artis.

She said growing up in Tompkin Houses, she noticed how the negative stigma of NYCHA stifles creativity among her peers.

“In our community, the same people who live in the community don’t believe that we can do what we actually dream we can do,” said Traynham-Artis.

She said she hopes that her shoes and her story will not only be a delight to those in Hollywood but spark dreams in her own backyard.

“No matter who you are, how old you are, how young you are, you can shoot for what ever dream or goal you have and achieve it,” Traynham-Artis said.