You're from Hong Kong and now NYC.  How do those 2 locations influence your collection and taste in kicks?
Oh, I always tell people that I think HK, NYC and Japan are the more dominant sneaker-cultured places. And I love that I’m from both HK and NY! But back when I was living in HK, my ma never really let me get new kicks often so I’d look a lot, but I wouldn’t really get anything. Not until I moved to NY in August 2004 did I start to go a bit more crazy, since my mom was sitting back home in HK. The good thing is that I go back about once or twice a year to HK, so I’m able to pick up stuff that you can’t get here in the states and when I go back there I wear stuff that you can get here but not there, so it all works out good. I actually dress really different from my friends in HK; I guess I’ve become a bit more NY now, and they're not that into sneakers either, so that’s definitely my NY freedom-influence.

What is your first memory of sneakers?
Remembering back right now, I was like, I dunno 9 or 10, and my sister came back from NY to visit us in Hong Kong and she was wearing these air max 95s, and we all thought they was soooo cool, so my mom went out and got us a pair.

We used to wear our sneakers out so bad that the insoles and everything had holes in them, and there was holes in the side where your little pinky toe would come out. So my mom thought it was more worth it for her to go up to China, where you can get fake everything, and buy all of us fake airmax 95s and 97s in all kinds of crazy colors. What did I know back then about fakes!

When did you start becoming a sneaker fiend?
It was like summer between 7th and 8th grade I think, so I was like..13 years old I think.  Anyways, so I saw these all orange DC's that had like a light greyish sole… and I reaalllyy wanted them. But my mom, being the conventional little lady she is, was like “What? No. So ugly, they're so wide and boy-ish.”

But I reaaaaaallyy wanted them…and I beeegged my mom to get them for me. I guess I got TOO naggy cos she FINALLY got them for me. And I thought I was SO cool cos only all the boys were wearing DC's… I wore the DC's and I thought it was so cool cos they were orange yeah, so I wore one red sock and one yellow one. hahahahaa omg and I think I wore BABY BLUE shorts...so you see how bad at matching I was…

 
Do you think you will continue to weave your passion for design and sneakers?  
Oh of course definitely. My mom's always like "You should send your work into Nike!!" and I’m like "Whaaaaat no, why would they listen to some little Asian girl who isn’t even as great as some other sneakerheads?"..haha We'll see!! I think the graphic design world right now, especially in America, is getting so morphed in with urban art and the sneaker culture that everything is just bound to mush together sooner or later.

What artist would you like to see involved in a collab? With who?
ME! Hahahaha that would be a sick collab, D-NYCE x FSF!!!!!!!! Hahaha There are so many great artists on our site that if FSF ever comes up with their own shoe, there would be mad nice collabs with all the girls!

How has it been being involved in fsf at the level you are?  
I love doing work for fsf, designing flyers or t-shirts or whatever cos it’s like my design and sneaker passions morphing together! Hopefully fsf will blow up and all of us will be rich and successful with it soon haha. Sneakerpimps was so fun, and I learnt so much from that one night. I’m always a shy girl, so being there really taught me how I should talk to people and stuff, and it definitely told me that I needed some business cards!!

For more d-nyce art, check out www.d-nyce.com