A sneakerhead’s call to action

Heyday founder Darin Hager didn’t realize he was starting a shoe line until he appeared on TV in 2006. After an ABC affiliate in his hometown of Boston included him in a segment about sneakerheads, a casual remark about his goal to launch his own brand turned into a call of duty. “They basically outed me. I hadn’t actually said I was launching a footwear brand,” Hager says with a laugh. “Local ABC said, ‘Darin’s launching a footwear brand,’ so I did it.”