Reimagined classics and apparel with the Williams’ touch
What do you get when you put PENSOLE education, NIKE innovative mentors, a handful of fresh designers and a legendary tennis icon Serena Williams in a room together? Probably one of the most anticipated and inspiring fashion athletic lines we will ever see.
Williams is changing the game of what the athletic fashion will look like now, and in the future.
I would go into design meetings and they weren’t always the most diverse places. That needed to change.
Serena Williams
Here is a glimpse into the process and designers and everyone involved in the creation of the SWDC.
SWDC Looks
Coming Soon to nike.com
Talent Acquisition
We see the pony beads…perhaps a throw back to the days when Williams and her sister came on the scene with the beaded braids…
The SWDC program exists to show us the possibilities in design and thoughtful collaboration with athletes and consumers. The apprenticeship program aims to promote diversity in design. It brought together 10 talented designers from New York City, each specializing in their own discipline, and tasked them with creating a Serena-inspired women’s performance and lifestyle collection spanning footwear, apparel and accessories (NIKE).
The people involved in this project are hoping to lead change in the industry where athletes, retail and BIOPC talent power collide.
“What SWDC has taught us is, how can we incubate game-changing ideas for the industry? From a talent-innovation perspective, it forces us, and then other companies in similarly situated industries, to rethink where talent pipelines come from.” Says Sam Jarvis (Nike VP, Diversity and Inclusion/Mentor). “And as a catalyst for the company, it inspires us to work with great talent from all walks of life.”
Design talent is alive and thriving in most of us with creative thinking. And often times overlooked, over shadowed and unrecognized at large corporations like NIKE. This and other programs like it are fostering the next wave of talent acquisition – from within. Harnessing talent from incubators like PENSOLE promote fresh ideas that the industry is starving for.
