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Friday, August 17, 2018

Caring Soles: Nissan's Kicks on The Street

Driven to Greatness


DJ Envy, Fat Joe and the Nissan Kicks at UP NYC
DJ Envy and Fat Joe with the Nissan Kicks at UP NYC (Courtesy Photo)

Last weekend we attended Kicks on the Street, a "pop-up with a purpose" curated by Nissan, its agency partner, Fluent 360, and BET. Held at Fat Joe's sneaker boutique, UP NYC, the event invited a specially selected group of New Yorkers to enjoy the musical delights of DJ Envy and culinary delicacies from Kimchi Grill while shopping limited-edition sneakers, accessories and sportswear. Out front, we had an opportunity to check out new Nissan Kicks, a highly customizable crossover vehicle that merges affordability with advanced technology. There were also three raffles, where the winners received a Nissan-branded backpack full of goodies and a pair of Nike Just Don Legacy 312 sneakers. Sadly, we were not among those winners.

A Kicks on the Street raffle winner with her Nike Just Don Legacy 312 sneakers
A raffle winner with her limited-edition sneakers (Courtesy Photo)

The main focus of the evening, however, was the opportunity for all attendees to participate in a charitable endeavor. Invitees were asked to bring school supplies and used sneakers for donation. Those donated sneakers will be recycled by Angel Bins, which will then donate the money from the recycled goods to the National Society of Black Engineers. (That means less old sneakers in landfills, more post-consumer materials for the construction of playgrounds and funding for an organization that helps drive innovation forward.)

Lanae Jackson and DJ Envy at UP NYC
Lanae Jackson and DJ Envy (Courtesy Photo)

"The Nissan KICKS on the Street event was designed to be a pop up with a purpose.  It was important to give back to the community, while hosting an event to celebrate the launch of the all-new Nissan KICKS.  Our corporate vision is to enrich people’s lives and one way to do that is to support non-profit organizations, like the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).  Representation matters in all areas, and the NSBE organization is playing a vital role in increasing diversity in the engineering field.  Engineering is the foundation for what is possible in design…from the hottest sneakers, to the next innovation in vehicles.  What is unique about the shoe donations we collected at the event was that the old ones will be recycled by Angel Bins and the money raised from the recycle goods will be donated to NSBE.  We are using technology, being green and giving back at the same time!" - Lanae Jackson, Multicultural Marketing Manager, Nissan North America.

We had a great time at the event, and we love the luxurious ambiance at UP NYC, from the gilded frames on the mirrors to the illuminated sneaker wall in the center of the store.

Branded sneaker wall at UP NYC
Exclusive Sneaker wall at UP NYC
























Of course, we had to do a bit of attendee shoespotting. Here are a few of our favorites:

Sparkly Nike Air Max 97 at UP NYC


Limited edition sneakers spotted at UP NYC

Shoespotting- colorful sneakers

Hey Chicago, you're up next! There will be a Kicks on the Street event in your city tomorrow.