While sneaker and mainstream media celebrates the latest “Nike doing big things with Serena” Collection, I decided to take a dig into social media to check up on brands I began following during the height of “Supporting Black Businesses” to find out if any real support has taken place after all of the issues over the treatment of African-Americans by corporations. I’m not trying to diminish the Serena and Nike Collab, but whenever Nike wants to remove the reality of how they have treated less prominent women endorsers, a program like “Serena x Nike” rolls out and is shared everywhere; effectively erasing the dialogue around a product like Saysh by Allyson Felix. I don’t want to dwell in the negative, or pit woman against woman, but this is a reality. Find a moment where Nike encountered negative press and you’ll find a Nike campaign that launches and is shared on every sneaker site and news site. Any work being done to highlight and promote the work of Black folks in fashion and sport is a good thing, but I want people to be more thoughtful in their analysis.
In 2020, I wanted to highlight that Timberland, A VF Company, had rode the wave of Black and Latino culture via Hip-Hop to a billion dollars:
30 Years of Co-Opting, Ignorance and Growth | How Timberland Pimped Hip-Hop to a Billion Dollars
In writing the post, a dialogue began with the team at Timberland to profile the work they have been doing behind the scenes. All companies have work they can tie to social and cultural efforts, and while the information shared seemed relevant, it really didn’t account for the startling number of Black employees who had exited Timberland and reports from interns who wrote private messages. What I realized is the sneaker industry operates in cities and regions primarily White in their demographic. As much as Timberland gained from Hip-Hop, the company is still rooted in the outdoors and is situated in regions where the sport and lifestyle of outdoor is a daily part of living. This means, in many cases, the demographics of the city aren’t very diverse. This is important: When there isn’t an ecosystem of support for BIPOC people in both the community and in the workplace, the businesses aren’t capable of engaging and keeping a diverse employee pool. Timberland isn’t immune to this problem. To offset the issue, the company has created a number of programs. I wrote about those in this post:
The Stark Contrast of Timberland’s Quiet Support and Public Perception
I began this discussion addressing Nike and Serena. That collaboration is not forcing Nike outside of their comfort zone. Real change happens when brands, businesses and people, do what is uncomfortable. Timberland has admirably taken on a real challenge. They have partnered with a Black-owned startup. Black owned businesses are notoriously underfunded and face difficulty in gaining media coverage needed to garner investments. Timberland made one of the dopest investments I’ve witnessed in the sneaker industry. PENSOLE’s first sneaker champion, Chris Dixon, founded a consulting and design firm that is rooted in educating the next generation of sneaker designers:
- Timberland invested in CD during the spring. He did a custom book for Timberland and taught a middle school in Brooklyn using the materials.
- Ботинки сникеры timberland!
- Timberland is allowing CD to continue to “be himself” and design Footwear for the street category
- Timberland big kids premium 6 inch waterproof boot wheat nubuck tb-012909-713
- Timberland just hired 3 interns that are were CD’s mentees from the Pensole program.
- Timberland delivered an undisclosed amount to support the CNSTNT/DVLPMNT program
First day on the job vibes… @timberland
#newchapter #timbs #designer #Godisgood
I could continue writing about this, but when a brand gets it right, just as often as I seek to weed out the truth, I have to share the beautiful support being offered. Kudos to Timberland. I’m going to track this and see where this heads. Timberland has been disrupted by a variety of shifts in footwear by outdoor brands like Columbia, Merrell and Keen. I’ve long requested an urban hiking category and it seems that Timberland may be on to something by working with Chris Dixon. I can’t wait to see what happens next!