No Boys Allowed | How Dubai-based Tamila Kochkarova brings the sneaker and streetwear female communities of the Arab World together

A symbol of nowaday’s fashion, the sneaker never misses a day to mark its footprint on the streets as well as being one of the most wanted accessory that can add style to any outfit.

But while its meaning today, thanks to modern fashion, has been narrowed down universally to being the skeleton key for completing any look for almost any occasion; the sneaker was invented with a functional purpose that still stands in our time and exists with us in a metaphorical sense too.

You see, in the 1890’s, Joseph William Foster came up with the sneaker because he had a passion for running and knew it would help increase his speed. And it was a success! And presently, if we look at someone like Tamila Kochkarova, an artistic photographer from the UAE, who has an obsession with sporty kicks and oversized clothing, we’ll see a girl who went from capturing portraits to designing her own shoe collection to starting her own online platform, called ‘’No Boys Allowed’’ (NBA).

She’s a role model who’s running in sneakers, at a pace that this slowly evolving world, with limited perceptions of what femininity should be, is going to be forced to keep up with. Because whether they like it or not, this girl is taking NBA, alongside the voices of many other female streetwear lovers that she’s showcasing through this online presence on a run to cancel some dusty ideas of what femininity is. The future is truly female, in baggy clothes and running shoes!

We interviewed Tamila to learn more about this empowering initiative.

By Khaled Alameh

From the Noboysallowed.ae ‘s Instagram

Sneakers aren’t usually the standard go to accessory for most women, what drew you to them?

T.K: ‘’Essentially what drew me to sneakers is definitely the comfort! Shortly throughout time, with all the new design innovations, sneakers for me turned into major statement pieces that made me feel good about myself.’’

Why did you start NBA?

T.K: ‘’My initial desire to start a platform for us female sneakerheads is not having a community I could be a part of, but realizing the amount of girls that are into sneakers and streetwear as much as I am all around the region!’’

From Noboysallowed.ae’s Instagram

What do you have to say to the many people who believe that femininity is all about a standard dress code?

T.K: ‘’Kindly look at my wedding photos. Every female guest wore a pair of kicks with their beautiful gowns, which didn’t make them look any less feminine.”

What do you hope to achieve with the success of this platform?

T.K: ‘’An incredible community of powerful girls that live by their own set of rules and to help cater that community with sneaker and streetwear products. Inshallah!’’

Tamila Kochkarova for Puma ME taken by Ahmed A. @m27th

Post-COVID, what future plans do you have to keep NBA’s mission moving?

T.K: ‘’We’re beyond excited to start planning events empowering all the beautiful women we know, based in this region. Can’t wait to share everything we have in the works with you!’’

Follow the sneakers adventure of No Boys Allowed on Instagram right here