Skip to content

Celebrating PRIDE: Interview with Dani Buck

Celebrating PRIDE: Interview with Dani Buck

Zack Schlemmer

Sneaker culture has few, if any, better ambassadors than Dani Buck. If you don’t know her by name, you probably know her by her social media handle, @wideawakearthquake, where she is displaying some of the best sneaker photography and flyest outfits on the internet from her home base in Berlin, Germany.

So why is Dani a great ambassador for sneakers? Because she’s about much more than just being a one-dimensional sneaker head only concerned with “getting ‘fits off” for the ‘Gram, as it were. She’s also an accomplished DJ, content creator, and vocal advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, in which she is proudly a member of. Dani is making sure the Queer community is well-represented in sneakers and streetwear, which admittedly are still spaces dominated by a more macho, straight-male perspective. But with the help of a new, more diverse generation of connoisseurs, sneakers and streetwear are quickly becoming more accessible and more interesting for everyone. People like Dani are helping lead that charge.

Dani was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about her distinct place in sneakers and fashion, and you can find the full interview below.

Please start by introducing yourself, and tell us anything we should know about you. How would you describe yourself?

Hi, my name is Dani. I am currently working as a Content Creator and DJ based in Berlin. Besides that, I also work for Sneakersnstuff. I love nice things, especially sneakers, taking videos and photos of them, styling them and putting them into new settings.

Other than that I’m proud to be a member of and represent the LGBTQIA+ community.

How long have you been interested in sneakers and fashion, and what originally prompted your interest?

My love for sneakers and fashion started when I was a teenager and played on a basketball team. Basketball, Hip Hop and streetwear are all very interwoven cultures that fit together really well. It all just went hand in hand and the connection happened very naturally. Since then, my love for these things has grown more and more over the years and I plan to continue pushing the boundaries of my personal style.

What is your all-time favorite sneaker?

If you know me, you know that it must be the Jordan x Union Los Angeles Collaboration. Both of the Jordan 1s are just too beautiful. I’m super happy to own both pairs.

What are your favorite women and/or queer owned brands?

One of my favorite brands is MadeMe by Erin Magee. Erin has built a brand that subverts beauty standards and prioritizes women, making MadeMe one of the few streetwear brands that caters to women. Other than that, there are many female designers that I look up to but I’m not sure if they’re queer or not because we’re living in a time where the industry still hasn’t created a space that allows for all queer people to be open about who they are. I can guarantee there are many queer brand owners that we aren’t even aware of due to this. So when it comes to this matter, there’s still some work to do to create a safe space for them, so everyone that wants to, can actually come out.

Do you have any specific message you’re trying to get across or goals as a Queer Woman in the sneakers and streetwear space?

Of course I’m proud of being a part of and representing the community, while simultaneously working on big projects with well known brands. It’s my goal to normalize being gay/queer, which is still not the case in many places, especially in Europe right now, where queer people are still subject to hate crimes. I want to encourage allies to support our community and speak up, just as loudly as we do, about our need for equal rights.

You’re in a position where I’m sure a lot of people but specifically Queer people, apsire to do what you do and have your level of success or recognition. Any advice for them?

My advice is always the same - for anyone: try to be yourself! Which is always easier said than done. My journey hasn’t been an easy one and I still struggle with different topics every day but I never gave up on being myself. Be yourself, find your own style, put in the hard work and you'll be successful in whatever you want to achieve.

What dream projects do you have in the sneaker and fashion spaces? If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

Of course one of my biggest dreams is to design my own sneaker together with Nike, but this is something that might still take a few years to achieve! Other than that there are many sneaker/streetwear brands I’d love to collaborate with, such as: Carhartt WIP, Brain Dead, Awake New York and many more. It would be an absolute dream to work on a capsule collection together with one of the above.

Who are some of your heroes or inspirations, be it in life, or fashion, or anything else?

Kai Isaiah Jamal, Trevor Noah, Megan Rapinoe, Hansel Emmanuel, Carl Nassib and Missy Elliott.

What’s next for you? Amy upcoming projects you’d like to mention?

I’m currently working on a follow up project that will raise funds for charities benefiting queer people of all backgrounds. There’s also something else that’s in the planning phase that’s set to be big and will take my process of creating content to the next level. I can’t say much more than that right now, but stay tuned!

You can follow Dani on Instagram at @wideawakearthquake

All photos courtesy of Dani Buck