Jordan Johnson:<\/strong> It\u2019s only been two years, but every time we want to make sure we do something authentic for our community. It\u2019s something that resonates with how we were raised. This year was no exception. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe story came from looking around at the political climate, especially over summer 2020. We know how crazy the year went. In the political and race relations world, it\u2019s been time for peoples’ voices to be heard and for stories to be elevated. Our peers, our white peers more specifically, to be able to hear our stories and hear the struggles that we\u2019ve gone through. This is a time where that conversation is open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We wanted to elevate that story with our product collection. That\u2019s where the original inspiration came from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We drew inspiration from the Black National Anthem, \u201cLift Every Voice.\u201d Most times that song is either played in school or at church. The people usually singing this song at church is the choir. That\u2019s where our physical inspiration original came from \u2014 the church and the church choir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you look at the church choir, you\u2019ll see the different regalia and robes that each church may have. We found that purple and gold is a very common color combination within the church, especially in the Baptist churches. In the bible, purple represents royalty, gold represents value, and precious metal. We wanted these colors to be highlighted in the pack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe angora, used on the 990v5, reminisces on bible pages as they\u2019re not completely white but off-white. The burgundy that ties everything together is supposed to be reminiscent of the bible cover. If you look up the church choirs, the robes will sometimes have a gold v in the shape of the neck. That\u2019s where the gold theme of the back of the 574 came from. All of these themes that go on throughout the church were the physical inspiration for us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In terms of how the \u201cLift Every Voice\u201d story transitioned into the \u201cMy Story Matters\u201d brand line, it evolved from the idea of the song. The church theme came from that. In terms of the color inspiration, we wanted the finished product to have that elevated, luxurious sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We want anyone who owns this collection to feel empowered to share their word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Importance of Celebrating Stories as a Result of Black Lives Matter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n <\/figure><\/li> <\/figure><\/li> <\/figure><\/li> <\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSnkrs Day:<\/strong> Last summer brought the conversation of Black Lives Matter to a different magnitude. The conversation made a profound impact on the footwear space and throughout sneaker culture and pop-culture. How did those events and the need to celebrate Blackness inspire this collection?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nJordan Johnson:<\/strong> The elevation of stories and the time for people to be heard was our focus for the collection. With everything going on, we can\u2019t squander this time and opportunity when it comes to conversation for us to be heard. Doing this collection is the perfect way to keep that door open and keep the conversation going. We don\u2019t want this to be a \u201cFebruary-and-out\u201d thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen people see this shoe and own this shoe we want this collection to remind you that your story is important and precious like the gold on the shoes. We want you to treat your story as precious as the bible, as the word. Your story matters and we want you to tell it to educate people and teach us how we can be better as a society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Importance of Including Allyship in the Collection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Snkrs Day: Black History Month has been celebrated in footwear before. But the \u201cTheir Story Matters\u201d creates a broader conversation of allyship in America. That\u2019s unprecedented in a BHM collection. What\u2019s the goal in releasing a complementary set of apparel? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nJordan Johnson:<\/strong> While Black History Month collections are made for Black people, at the same time, a minority is a minority, and we always need allyship. In order to get anything done, you always need a good team around you. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe apparel collection relays that. We want allies to help us out, to spread our message, and to be on our side. We felt like the \u201cTheir Story Matters\u201d apparel is something that can spark that conversation. We also don\u2019t want consumers to feel excluded. We want this to be as inclusive as possible. That\u2019s our goal for all of our cultural moments but especially this year based on the political climate. It\u2019s also important to have those allies and see them show up. We want to make that partnership stronger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n