Good Morning POU! Today's featured designer is Jonathan Johnson-Griffin. Originally from Louisville, KY, Jonathan is a Senior Footwear Designer for Nike. He’s had the pleasure of designing for top-notch athletes such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. He thoroughly enjoys expressing his creativity every single day…his love for sneakers began in first … [Read more...] about Thursday Open Thread: African American Athletic Shoe Designers
Fashion
Wednesday Open Thread: African American Athletic Shoe Designers
Happy Hump Day POU! Today's feature went from the first intern at the Jordan Brand to a Global Director of Design at Nike. Jason Mayden Jason grew up on the South Side of Chicago in the 1990s, when Michael Jordan and the Bulls ruled the NBA. Since 4th grade, Jason dreamed of designing Air Jordan basketball shoes. He majored in industrial design at the College for … [Read more...] about Wednesday Open Thread: African American Athletic Shoe Designers
Tuesday Open Thread: African American Athletic Shoe Designers
Good Morning POU! Today we feature the founder of the only shoe design school in the United States, D'Wayne Edwards. PENSOLE Footwear Design Academy creator D’Wayne Edwards sketched his first shoe at 11. A few years later, his high school guidance counselor told him no black kid from Inglewood, Calif., had a shot at designing footwear. “In the 80s, in that area, my … [Read more...] about Tuesday Open Thread: African American Athletic Shoe Designers
Monday Open Thread: African American Athletic Shoe Designers
Good Morning POU! Its not a secret that the athletic footwear industry practically makes all strategy and marketing decisions based on appeals to the African-American male consumer between the ages of 12-35. Indeed, the realization of this demographic's influence has been a pillar of the marketing strategy of the Nike empire. Though Nike has faced occasional controversy … [Read more...] about Monday Open Thread: African American Athletic Shoe Designers
Saturday Open Thread: Black Male Model Pioneers
Welcome to the weekend POU! In 2013, the fashion brand DSquared2 introduced its fall line using only black male models. It's pretty rare that you see a model of color featured in an ad campaign for a major fashion brand, but it's almost unprecedented to see a campaign featuring only models of color. Dsquared2 designers, Dean and Dan Caten, cast models Brahim Zaibat, … [Read more...] about Saturday Open Thread: Black Male Model Pioneers