Sneakers: Meet AZ’s Hometown Brand
Featuring Tato Caraveo, as Shot by King Lawrence
From the moment I was introduced to the Sneakers brand, I was entranced. Everything about it speaks to me: their small joints that pack a punch, discreet packaging in a resealable tin, and funky, colorful branding from local artists as designers. Sneakers as a brand is rather like who I strive to be a person: genuine, colorful, and full of personality, without being too aggressive or “in your face”.
Sneakers is the brainchild of the team at Mazor Collective, a vertically-integrated cannabis company based in Phoenix, Arizona. From their talented designer Jackie Colome, who helped create the brand’s identity, to their lab specialist Jenner Ackerman, who came up with the indelible tagline No Shake. No Sh!t., it has always been a true team effort.
Led by founder and CEO Lilach Mazor Power, the brand was born out of the team’s love of Arizona, and a desire to amplify the voices of Arizona culture, including artists, musicians and small businesses. Since launching in April 2022, they have been able to establish their brand as one that offers consumers a consistent, quality product at an appealing price. They took inspiration from the Phoenix street art scene, and tried to emulate the vibrant patina it adds to the Valley of the Sun.
Mazor Collective is already the parent company to award-winning retail operation Giving Tree Dispensary, flower-in-a-capsule brand Kindred, and cannabis-for-menopause line Revelry. When it came time to expand their portfolio even further, a quality pre-roll that showcases the joys of a classic just seemed fitting.
Their portfolio of brands offers a wide range of experiences for their consumers. Kindred is special because it takes all the benefits of flower and puts it in a clean, easy-to-consume capsule. Unlike many edible products on the market, Kindred capsules are free of dyes, artificial colors, and unhealthy binding agents. They allow you to enjoy the ease of an edible without the sugar. They’re also discreet and consistent, so you can rely on them to deliver the same experience time after time.
Says Revelry co-founder Stef Swiergol, “Revelry was my first brand baby with Lilach Mazor Power. We started working on it in 2019, and it hit shelves in August 2021. What is special about Revelry is its mission to break the stigma around women, aging, and menopause - oh my - by being honest about the reality that it’s not always fun, but that cannabis might help make it a little easier. We believe that menopause shouldn’t be a distraction from the life a woman has built, but rather a celebration of all that she’s achieved and all that’s yet to come. It’s been especially telling to observe people refer to it as a ‘niche brand’, when 1 billion women on this planet will be menopausal by 2025. There is nothing niche about helping to address the symptoms that millions of women are dealing with every day.”
Sneakers has an amazing dedication to not only creating a quality product, but a beautiful experience. As they secure a foothold in the Arizona market, they hope to work with local artists to showcase their work in Arizona. “One of our goals when Sneakers first started taking shape was to spotlight our local artists and, specifically, this month’s cover model Tato Caraveo. His works are beautiful and should be appreciated in person. He’s also the nicest person you will ever meet. It was a big deal for us to be able to have Tato participate in a recent Sneakers shoot, by photographer extraordinaire King Lawrence,” says Swiergol. “For Sneakers, we have exciting plans in the works for spotlighting more muralists and musicians. On my personal brand bucket list, I would love to see the brand collaborate with Cowtown, ArtLink and OXDX, a Diné owned fashion label based in Tempe.”
At Mazor Collective, their entire purpose is to improve lives through their trusted cannabis brands. As they expand, they will continue to celebrate being an independent Arizona-owned and operated company. They focus on recruiting and retaining the best talent in the market, and always remain committed to giving back to the local community through fundraising and volunteering.
Currently, all of Mazor Collective’s brands including Sneakers, Kindred, and Revelry are available in Arizona, and they plan to expand Revelry to another state in 2023. Many thanks to Stef Swiergol and the entire Mazor Collective family for inviting us for a look into their legacy, and for all they do for the cannabis community in Arizona.