Giulia Zecchini is multilingual, with her first language, Italian, providing the soundbed to her earliest memories in Milan. Sport played a significant role in her early life: swimming and tennis introduced her to discipline and competition, while football and volleyball gave her a taste for team sports. It was a school visit from a scout that finally lured her onto the basketball court. "Once I got scouted for that team, I was like, yeah, this is the love of my life." Italy is known for producing exceptional talento del basket, so Giulia initially had to play catch-up against girls who had been hooping since scuola materna. However, hard work—and guidance from her father, a former pro who laced up for Varedo Basket—quickly brought her up to speed, making her fluent in hoops.

Basketball is mainstream in Italy, but in the early 2000s, a subculture swept across the world thanks to the And1 mixtapes. In simple terms, these were just videos, but their cultural impact spilled over into every cultural crevice of the sport. It reached Giulia, who, just starting her journey into organised ball, realised her Kipstas paled in comparison to the And1 Tai Chis her teammates were rocking. A trip to the only basketball store a few hours outside Milan marked the beginning of her sneaker journey. She copped the classic white and red suede Tai Chis, followed by the aquamarine and then the orange – and so she would linguify herself in the intricate world of sneaker collecting.

Having spoken English from an early age, moving to the UK for university at 18 was straightforward. Beyond the cultural differences, it was the basketball and sneaker communities that felt like home. Stints in foreign lands added Español and Français to her linguistic repertoire. Traveling with a ball clipped to her rucksack, she formed and retained friendships wherever she landed. "Basketball always gifts friendships to me, which is amazing."

Back in the UK, her passion became a movement. Aware of women’s minority status in the sneaker scene, Giulia connected with fellow female enthusiasts Ja’e and Juelz to form the Sneaker Sisterhood—a community where women could share their passion for trainers and drive change in the female market.

It was Juelz who first brought Giulia to the Hall of Fame Basketball Court in Stockwell, South London. Nestled in the basin of surrounding estate buildings, it features a games area encased by walls adorned with ever-changing street art. The industrial-style rim and backboard, combined with the unpredictability of how the space will look on each visit, make it an ideal canvas for content creators. The space is shared by residents, artists and those looking for physical exercise in a variety of forms. It echos Giulia's journey of cultures and passions colliding to create something surprising in a place that would otherwise be hidden away.

Her journey continues to be shaped by basketball and sneakers. Whether presenting for the Italian Basketball Federation or FIBA, creating content for a variety of sneaker platforms, or corresponding with international clients at her 9-to-5, her language is fluent... where the sound of a bouncing basketball can be heard, she is at home.