Foot Locker makes investment in Pensole
23/01/2019
Pensole was founded by D’Wayne Edwards, a former design director at Nike’s iconic Jordan brand and a highly-respected footwear industry figure. His aim in creating the academy was to make it easier for young designers of all socio-economic backgrounds to break into the industry. Since its first programme in 2010, 400 graduates have found a position.
Foot Locker and Pensole first worked together in 2015 when they began running an annual design competition. They will now collaborate on new educational programmes and the design and manufacturing of exclusive products for Foot Locker.
Richard Johnson, Foot Locker’s chairman and CEO, said: “Through this investment, we are excited to extend our partnership with Pensole, an organisation that shares our deep commitment to fostering education and driving design innovation and excellence in the industry.”
For his part, Mr Edwards said he was also “excited” to further his relationship with Foot Locker. He added: “It has always been our joint mission to foster the next generation of emerging footwear and apparel design talent, and I am confident that our collaboration will contribute to the continued growth of the academy, success of our students, and accelerated innovation in the footwear industry."
Image shows D’Wayne Edwards (second from right) working with students at Pensole (credit: Pensole).
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