Renegade Running published by Daylon Hicks
When you think of running, you think of the actual action itself, but what if you took all of that and merged it with fashion, community, and the process itself? That's what makes Renegade Running so unique and why it's become one of the most culturally significant running spaces in California. Founded in 2020 by Victor Diaz, Renegade Running set out to build something Oakland had never quite seen before: a space where runners from every background could feel welcome, represented, and seen. But the vision was always bigger than retail. The idea grew out of the lack of representation of people of color in the running industry and in the Bay Area running community specifically, and from a desire to create a physical space where runners from all backgrounds could come together, learn, celebrate, and train. In a sport that had long told one story about who a runner looks like, Renegade made a point of rewriting it.
The storytelling runs deepest in their work with Nike. What began as a shared conversation about sustainability became one of the most creatively ambitious collaborations in the running world. Renegade worked with Nike to reimagine what new shapes fabrics can take for performance and lifestyle apparel, throwing two weeks of events to share a collective vision for a sustainable future in fashion. The Nike project wasn't just a release, it was a statement about what happens when a community-rooted brand is given creative latitude to speak entirely in its own voice. Through Nike's experimental circular design program, They transformed vintage and leftover materials into small-batch garments, with Diaz drawing on his perspective on culture, fashion, symbolism, and heritage to shape every piece. The first piece he knew had to be made was a poncho. Not the tourist version, but the one that carries the full weight of labor, dignity, and resistance. A garment rooted in history and reimagined for the pavement.
That spirit of cultural authorship carried directly into the footwear collaboration that followed and it broke new ground across the entire industry. Renegade became the first ever Run Specialty Group to receive a Nike Running footwear capsule, co-designing two of Nike's most celebrated performance silhouettes, the Vaporfly 4 and the Vomero Premium. The collection brought Mexican culture and landscapes directly into the design, with a deep reddish brown base serving as the backdrop for clay orange details inspired by dry Mexican desert landscapes.
As Renegade expanded to Los Angeles, the mission expanded with it, hosting group runs, rides, and trail adventures organized by the Renegade team and guest crews, building the same inclusive and supportive environment that had taken root in Oakland. The core belief driving all of it is that while running is one common thread, Their power lies in the acknowledgment of who their community is outside of running, change-makers, parents, educators, healers, and artists. The store is just the entry point. What they are really building is a creative culture rooted in place, pride, and the radical idea that sport belongs to everyone.