WEAR IT WITH PRIDE - LAKYN & EMMA

WEAR IT WITH PRIDE - LAKYN & EMMA

We stand together for equality and inclusivity! We believe that it's important for YOU to stand strong for who YOU are. This collection is created in celebration with our rainbow friends, so we had a chat with Lakyn & Emma on what Pride means to them and what positive advice they would give young rainbow people.


Hey Lakyn and Emma, tell us about yourselves.
Lakyn - I'm 25 and reside in Brunswick, I live in a queer house and we throw the best dinner parties: no cap. I'm a baker by trade but in my off time I really enjoy all the mindfulness activities like ceramics, puzzles and jeweling while banging any dance ballad imaginable. I'm an African-American Fijian adopted trans queer and am certainly out here very proud of my black queerness and of all the black queerness I peep around me.


Emma - I'm a quiet extrovert who loves getting stuck in deep conversations. I work in sexual health. I am deeply passionate about reproductive rights, gender equality and advocating for greater recognition of LGBTQIA+ rights within this space. I want to improve access to important healthcare for marginalised groups. I want to reduce the unjust& social inequalities that permeate our society. I am an Australian Chinese Malay Jew, and so very proud to be.


Lakyn, what does it mean to identify as Non-Binary? Why is this important to you? 

I realised I was non-binary around the age of twenty after a series of lengthy chats with a friend of mine. They are non-binary too and I told them that being referred to as a woman or a girl just didn't feel right or like they weren't  talking about me. They told me something that day that I would never forget: "if someone called you white you'd be up in arms because it's so visibly wrong, I don't see how this is any different when you know it's not right" and we probably then laughed about Rachel Dolezale and then moved along. Taking authorship of your own narrative is so imperative for happiness and also people cannot affirm in you what they don't know about you so talk about it.

What are some words of advice for young people that are afraid to express themselves?   

Emma - Who you are is not defined by how the world perceives you.In your own time. Surround yourself with those who hold space for you and make you feel safe.

Lakyn - Bb, you matter and it’s not impossible to convince yourself of this much. You are the protagonist of your own life and you must put yourself at the centre of your own story no matter how hard it may be at times. Throw yourself into everything you love every day and surround yourself with chosen family. There are queer people just like you out here waiting for somebody like you to come along and spark it up!

What does Pride mean to you? 

Lakyn - Pride to me is the revolutionary celebration of struggle to confront and transform oppressive powers larger than us and also the oppressive powers at work within ourselves. Pride is all about trusting and caring about each other in all the many ways we come and feeling love for our own uniqueness and otherness.

Emma - Pride means celebrating this amazing community, including all those who came before me who have given me the freedom to be whoever I want to be, who I am. I am forever grateful for the space I was been gifted to explore my queerness.


What are some words of wisdom that have stuck with you all these years? 

Emma - People deserve to live their lives without being judged by you.


How do you like to style your Volley Pride sneakers? 

Lakyn - With a beating chest for all my queers and a smile animated by my own freedom.


Wear It With Pride

We are dedicated to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community with our Wear It With Pride collection. We hope that it inspired everyone to express their style of Pride however she/they/he sees fit. For every pair of sneakers and tee sold we will be donating $5 to our friends at Wear It Purple charity to support young rainbow people.

View the new Pride collection here

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