The world of streetwear and sneaker culture has found a rising star in O’Ceana Williams, a 28-year-old influencer from Toronto, Canada. She’s quickly gained a reputation for her effortless style, blending comfort and confidence in a way that feels both fresh and timeless. For Williams, it’s not just about following the latest trends—it’s about staying true to who you are and expressing yourself through your clothing.
Her journey to influencer status began in 2020, when the pandemic forced people around the world to adapt to a new way of life. As someone who had always been into fashion, the content creator decided to take a chance and share her outfits on Instagram. To her surprise, her posts quickly gained traction, with people drawn to her unique take on streetwear and her infectious enthusiasm for sneakers.
But O’Ceana’s love of sneakers goes back much further than her Instagram account. As a child, she was fascinated by her mother’s extensive sneaker collection, which included all of the iconic styles that have since become classics. Now, as a self-professed sneakerhead in her own right, she’s curated her own impressive collection of kicks.
With her natural style and easy charm, O’Ceana Williams is quickly becoming one of the most exciting voices in the world of streetwear and sneaker culture. Whether she’s inspiring her followers on Instagram or simply rocking her favorite kicks around Toronto, she’s a force to be reckoned with—and we can’t wait to see where her journey takes her next. We had the chance to chop it up with her about all things footwear, styling tips, and so much more!
For those who have yet to follow your Instagram, can you give us a scope of who you are and how you grew an audience around your outfit inspo?
For starters my name is O’Ceana Williams, I’m 28 years old and I’m from Toronto Canada. I absolutely love all things streetwear! I am a firm believer in staying true to who you are by dressing how you feel and you wear clothes, don’t let the clothes wear you. Comfort and confidence are my main priorities when it comes to my style and streetwear and sneakers, do both of those for me
My journey started just like most people in 2020 when the pandemic hit. I’ve always been into fashion but I decided to take a chance one day and begin sharing my outfits on Instagram. It has and continues to be liked by many people and from their love of how I dress, it’s landed me here and I am so grateful.
If you can recall, what was your earliest memory of fashion and footwear? When did you recognize the power that feeling confident in your clothes has on people?
My earliest memory of fashion and footwear would be from my mom. Growing up, my mom was what we called a sneakerhead back in that era. She was heavy into streetwear as well as sneakers and I remember her having all of her sneakers lined up in her room and as a kid I would just stand there looking at them in awe. I remember putting on her puffer jackets and her sneakers that matched and I’d walk around the house in them, taking it all in.
As a child, I always looked up to my mom and I always thought that one day I want to be just like her so it’s funny looking back at it because I can see so much of her in me now when it comes to my style and love for streetwear and sneakers. So I guess you can say, it’s coming full circle now.
What are your top five sneakers and why?
My top five sneakers in no particular order are Air Jordan 1’s because they are such a classic, there are so many colorways to choose from that you can always find one to compliment your outfit. Next are Air Force 1’s because nothing beats a clean af1 silhouette and they are such a staple for anyone to build their sneaker collection with.
Also, Adidas Superstars are a staple for me too, the shell-toe is so nostalgic and these sneakers can easily be styled as well. Next up would have to be Jordan 4 Retro. I absolutely love the silhouette and design of this sneaker and I love all of the colorways that these come in, too. Lastly, I’d have to go with Nike Blazers. These sneakers can easily be dressed up or down, I love how the designs have emerged throughout the years and I think these are a sneaker that’s heavily slept on.
Since the pandemic especially, we’ve been seeing a lot of talented content creators such as yourself become front and center in the footwear industry, but what’s something missing in women’s sneakers specifically?
One thing I’d say is missing in women’s sneakers specifically, would have to be the overall simplicity of the designs and colorways. I say this because most times when shopping in the women’s section for sneakers, I often see flowers, bows, platforms or super bright colored sneakers and because of that, I always find myself in the men’s or boys section. I always gravitate to those two sections because they have the opposite of what’s available in women’s and that’s more up my alley.
As women, we don’t need all of the sneakers available to us to have flowers, bows, and rainbows just because it’s more “feminine.” Not all girls like or look for those characteristics in a sneaker. Some of us just want the basics and even want to be able to have the same colorway and design sneakers that are available in the men’s and boy’s section too. I think if this were to be taken into account, the sneaker shopping experience would run a lot smoother for some of us women.
I love your style—you’ve obviously got this incredible way of putting together chic outfits but you also know how to switch it up from time to time. What do you look for when putting together an outfit?
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! When putting an outfit together, the first thing I look for is comfortability. I make it my mission that whatever type of outfit I put together, I always want to be comfortable in it. Weirdly enough, I hardly ever have an idea in mind when it comes to putting my outfits together, I create all my outfits right on the spot.
It sounds a bit crazy but I find that this works best for me and I believe that my outfits come out really well when I’m not thinking about it too much. I let the clothing speak to me in a way and I just let it flow and when I do that, I always gravitate towards one piece first and when I look at that one article of clothing, it’s like the other missing pieces just pop in my head and boom, I created an outfit. All in all, the best outfits come together when you let your imagination and creativity flow.
On that note, do you think streetwear and high fashion will ever truly merge, or will they always be separate entities?
I truly believe that the two won’t merge but that’s ok and I’ll tell you why. I think that streetwear has such a nostalgic meaning, background and culture that high fashion brands won’t truly understand until they’ve fully immersed themselves into it. Streetwear is something that we have to call our own without restrictions or rulebooks. It’s a form of expression and language that we have as a community and it’s something that we can call our own and be proud of.
What I love the most when it comes to streetwear is that we set the tone for what the next fire trends are and we show these high fashion brands how to execute it. In a way it’s like they don’t know our next move so until we show them how it’s done, they have to wait on us to do it, then copy it. Overall, I think it’s great that the two are separate because it allows there to be no limitations in the streetwear community and that’s extremely powerful.
Talk to us about finding the perfect shoe and what you look for—is it style, comfort, colorway, or a combination of all three?
When finding the perfect shoe, I always keep all three in mind but the first thing I always look for is comfort. That’s most important to me because I want to be able to wear my shoes all the time and not have them as trophies in my collection. Style and colorway come secondary for me but they are just as important because I want to have sneakers that I find stylish and can incorporate into my fits on a daily basis.
Where do you get style inspiration? Are there any other creators that you pull from or enjoy seeing in the space?
I’d say my top style inspiration has and will always be Aaliyah. As a little girl, seeing her style emerge through each stage even until her last moments here, have always been such a huge inspiration to me. Aaliyah’s style is amazing and she’s taught me that you can still be a lady, dress street at the same time and maybe even dress better than how guys are doing it now!
Another creator that I pull inspiration from and enjoy seeing in this space would have to be Maria Beltre also known as @looseunicorns on Instagram. I think our styles are very similar so it’s great to see how she puts her outfits together using her own creativity.
Can you name one pair of sneakers that you wish you would’ve copped but didn’t?
One sneaker that I wish I would’ve copped but didn’t would have to be the Jordan 4 Retro, Black Cat. I love the silhouette of the Jordan 4’s and you can’t go wrong with a pair of all black sneakers because they’re classic and pair well with everything!
What’s the best footwear tip you can give to someone just starting to explore shoes and style?
My top footwear tip that I’d give someone who’s beginning to explore shoes and style would be to stick to the basics. By that I mean, stick to neutrals, blacks, whites and maybe even pastel colorways because those sneakers can be styled easily with clothing while you’re still figuring out your style. Build your sneaker collection with that as a base layer and when you establish your look and what kind of style fits you, then you can branch out and cop sneakers of different colorways and styles because now you’ll know what you like and what sneakers can pair well with your outfits.
