Business is booming at Active Athlete, a family-owned retailer with Bauer roots, after they released an exclusive Western inspired Adidas Superstar shoe this month, just in time for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™.

Sisters and C. T. Bauer College of Business alumni Madhavi (BBA ‘18) and Divvya (BBA ‘20) Seernani grew up at the family business and have now taken on more senior roles at the store, helping oversee the three Houston area locations and digital sales. This rodeo season is the second year the business has developed a custom shoe with Adidas, but the family ties with the company go back decades.

Their father, Paul Seernani, got the idea for Active Athlete when he saw people selling FILA shoes on Atlanta’s streets. In 1988, he opened his flagship sneaker and streetwear store on Cullen Boulevard, with Adidas as the first major brand to open an account with him.

“Adidas was the first one to give my dad a break,” Divvya Seernani said. “During the Run-D.M.C. era when things were really kicking off in hip hop, streetwear and sneaker culture, a box of Adidas sweatsuits landed at his door. He couldn't keep them on the shelves and was selling them right out the box.”

She added: “Adidas has been a very close-knit partner with us since the inception of the company.”

In 2025, Adidas released limited-edition custom shoes at local retailers in some major U.S. cities. Active Athlete was approached to create the Houston design, resulting in a denim Superstar with tan accents, a cowboy hat hang tag, rope laces and a marbled steak print insole.

“The theme for last year’s shoe was ‘Everyone’s Invited,’” Madhavi Seernani said. “Everyone's invited to the table could be a metaphor for many things, with Houston being one of the most culturally vast cities. The slogan is literally written on the tongue of the shoe.”

After last year’s success, Active Athlete was asked to create another custom Western-themed shoe this season. This year’s sneaker is dark brown leather with stitched white and teal embroidery, a cowboy boot hang tag and a cow print insole.

“The shoe is inspired by a classic cowboy or cowgirl boot but built for the streets,” Divvya Seernani said. “It's for anybody, from someone that might want to try out Western style, all the way to the person that goes to the Rodeo every single year. It lets anyone rock their Texas pride. The back actually says ‘Lone Star Reppin.’”

Both sisters are proud graduates of Bauer College’s Program for Excellence in Selling (PES) and said that the program shaped them into the businesswomen that they are today.

“PES classes are sharpening every aspect of who you are when you're conducting yourself in business — no matter what your duty is, you learn how to speak to people and how to carry out meaningful conversations,” Divvya Seernani said. “We carry those skills in every business situation we go into.”

“I came into college very shy and did not know what I wanted to do,” Madhavi Seernani said. “Finding the sales program helped me sharpen soft and hard skills. It helped me understand how to prepare presentations for major accounts that go all the way up the chain. Bauer allowed me to feel more confident in those conversations.”

Fun Fact: PES Director of Corporate Relations John Pingel made a cameo in promotional material for the shoes.

The sisters hope to start more initiatives and events in the community and aim to continue being a pillar in the Houston sneaker scene and beyond.