12 minute read
Scene & Heard
Pensole Design Academy Planning Huge Step
THE PENSOLE DESIGN Academy is going to college! The Portland, OR-based sneaker design school has petitioned the state of Michigan to become the newly formed Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design in partnership with the College for Creative Studies (CCS). When approved, the Detroit-based institution will be the state’s sole HBCU (Historically Black College and University) when it reopens for classes on Detroit Day, Mar. 13, 2022. Enrollment is expected to open in December.
Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, founder of the Pensole Design Academy and majority shareholder of the Lewis College of Business, along with cofounding partners from the Gilbert Family Foundation and Target, will offer free tuition to a majority of students, supporting aspiring Black creatives, designers, engineers and business leaders. The school will be the first HBCU to focus on design. It’ll also be the first HBCU in the country to officially reopen.
Edwards says the school will mark a big step forward for sneaker design, as well as additional fields of study. “This allows us to show Black kids globally what is possible for other design careers on a product creation team,” he says, noting that Pensole already teaches color and materials, functional apparel and 3D design. “With College of Creative Studies and new corporate partners, we’ll expand into graphic, brand, packaging, UX and even furniture design.”
Indeed, the college will be like Pensole on steroids. Edwards says the partnership will provide more access to faculty, equipment, facilities and structure than ever before. “In addition to new footwear company partnerships, we’ll be able to offer more variety in the areas of footwear design instruction, ranging from performance, lifestyle, casual, dress, outdoor and luxury,” he says, adding that future designers need to be more diverse in their abilities to meet changing market needs. “Since they are dictating the future of our industry, we need to prepare them to be the leaders our industry needs.”
For Target, the collaboration is part of its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) strategy, formed in 2020, to accelerate the retailer’s work to advance racial equity and its five-year, $100 million commitment to fuel the economic prosperity of Black communities. “With a deep history in democratizing design, Target is proud to support Dr. D’Wayne Edwards and aspiring Black designers through the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design,” states Amanda Nusz, senior vice president of corporate responsibility at Target and president of the Target Foundation. “This partnership represents an important part of our broader commitment that aims to support the next generation of Black talent, expand the impact of Black-led movements and voices, and create economic opportunity in Black communities across the country.”
Edwards is excited about Pensole’s relocation to Detroit—the only U.S. city that has been designated a UNESCO city of design. “If you haven’t visited Detroit in a while, take a trip,” he offers. “You’ll see a lot of growth, innovation, creativity and, of course, pride.” The school will be located in CCS’s state-of-the-art A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education until its permanent home in Detroit is selected and developed. That aside, Edwards hopes Pensole won’t be leaving Portland entirely. “We’re in talks with Portland State University to continue to offer Pensole programming,” he says. “Portland is where we were founded, and it’s important for us to always have a footprint there, and PSU is the right partner for us to do this with.” Speaking of partners, Edwards says none of this would be possible without the cofounders generous support. The Gilbert Family Foundation’s involvement, in particular, is part of its $500 million joint commitment to its hometown of Detroit to drive access to economic and social opportunity and increase equity for residents. It’s a collective effort, Edwards hopes, that will help turn the tide on low enrollment and graduation rates among Blacks attending traditional design colleges in universities nationwide. Edwards cites a lack of exposure to design careers as well as high tuition costs as key factors fueling those negative statistics. “Our goal is to work towards improving those numbers by removing barriers so we can provide a future for the students who will be responsible for creating it,” he says. “Our intentions are so needed, and I’m
Dr. D’Wayne Edwards in front of the future home of blessed to have some amazing the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design in Detroit. founding partners in the Gilbert Family Foundation, Target and College for Creative Studies, who believe in me and the entire Pensole team to go on this journey with us.” Edwards is also tremendously excited about what the new college represents, personally. Not only were HBCUs first established because most colleges and universities used to prohibit Blacks from attending, he notes that the schools are now inclusive to all races. Notable HBCU graduates include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Kamala Harris, Thurgood Marshall, Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson, among many others. Edwards is looking forward to adding the next notable names to this list. In the meantime, the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design now sits at the top of Edwards’ list of career achievements. “I’ve had an amazing 32-year career as a designer and educator that continues to evolve, but I never in my wildest dreams thought this would be possible,” he says. “What we’re attempting to do has never been done before, which gets me excited. This is another reminder for me to dream bigger, simply because dreams are free and we constantly limit ourselves.”
Gore-Tex to Debut More tk Sustainable Membrane
IT’S BEEN IN the works for more than a decade, but that’s just how W. L. Gore & Associates, makers of Gore-Tex waterproof linings, rolls. A new innovation doesn’t hit the market until it meets the company’s stringent performance standards. Now its ePE material is ready, beginning with a limited introduction for Fall/Winter ’22 in lifestyle footwear and outdoor garments from select partners (but not limited to) Adidas, Salomon, Arc’Teryx and Patagonia.
What makes ePE a big deal? In a nutshell, strength and sustainability. The material is a thinner yet equally durable and waterproof as previous Gore-Tex membranes, but its production involves a lighter environmental footprint. Achieving the latter, says Matt Schreiner, consumer fabrics sustainability champion, is a company cornerstone. “Our founders (Bill and Vieve Gore) built into our culture an obligation to not just make the best products, but also protect the planet and the communities we operate in,” he says, adding that it’s what the company’s brand partners also demand. “Our customers are working hard to improve their own planetary impacts, so they set the bar high for us.”
What makes the ePE lining more sustainable is its physical properties of being thinner and lighter, as well featuring recycled and solution-dyed performance textiles and no PFCs used. Matt Decker, global technical leader for Gore’s Consumer Apparel, Fabrics division, notes that new membrane is “roughly half the mass and thickness” of its current materials, but with the same mechanical strength and toughness. “We knew we were really onto something after our laminates were put through the rigorous field evaluations and still performing similarly to our existing laminates,” he says. Thus, ePE meets Gore Tex’s tagline: “Guaranteed to keep you dry.” Decker adds, “It’s more than a tagline. It’s a promise that we make that our customers expect.”
Birkenstock Investing $100 Million to Meet Growing Demand
IF YOU BUILD it, more sandals will come. That’s the gist behind Birkenstock’s recent announcement that it is investing about $100 million in the expansion of its production facility in Gorlitz, Germany and opening of a new factory (focused on EVA and PU product) at a to-be-determined location in the country in 2023. When it’s all said and done, Birkenstock CEO Oliver Reichert says the company will ramp up production from its current 30 million pairs annually to 40 million to possibly 50 million pairs.
“As a democratic brand, we want our consumers to have access to our product, which was a challenge in recent years,” Reichert says. “We see so much growth opportunities—not just in our cork sandals but also in our closed-toe shoes, orthopedic insoles and our very successful EVA and PU products—that having the ability to better scale the business will allow us to continue this amazing growth trajectory.” He adds, “As a brand with a 247-year history, these investments are made with the next 247 in mind.”
But why not just outsource production to meet the growing demand? Reichert says that’s simply not an option for Birkenstock, which demands the closest control on its quality standards. In fact, the exec says the decision to basically double down on its European-based production is another example of how the company is an outlier in the industry—in a good way, he believes. “Investments on a scale like this in the heart of Europe are an absolute exception in an industry that has largely outsourced production to third-party suppliers in Asia,” he confirms. “This is a statement that we will never compromise our brand DNA and the quality and the workmanship that people value in all things Birkenstock.” This Europeanbased heritage, Reichert believes, is one that also resonates well with a new generation of consumers, who are more sensitive to the conditions under which the products they buy are made. “The fact that we own the vast majority of the supply chain gives our customers the confidence that they can rely on our products being manufactured to the highest environmental and social standards in the industry,” he says. As for the announcement that the new factory will be focused on EVA and PU products, Reichert says the growth potential in the segment—even before the pandemicinduced new normal triggered a wave in popularity for such styles—certainly warrants the investment. “The EVA category is quite substantial, and having more capabilities to expand distribution just helps us bring our unique benefits to consumers,” he says, adding that Birkenstock’s entrance into the category a few years back broke new ground. “Until we did our version, no one ever incorporated a design
Oliver Reichert, that is anatomically correct CEO of Birkenstock and has true orthopedic benefits,” he says. “So while an EVA sandal is considered an entry-price tier, it provides similar foot health benefits to the wearer.” What’s more, Reichert believes the EVA and PU categories are 100 percent incremental to the brand’s cork-based business. “Someone who may own multiple pairs of Birkenstocks may now have a version for casual wear, for outdoor/adventure, for the beach/pool/spa and on and on,” he says. Specifically, Reichert says its EVA sandals are for athleisure-oriented wear and are easy to throw in a beach or gym bag, while the outdoor sandals feature a cork-latex footbed and sturdy PU soles suitable for campsites and trails and the professional safety clogs meet the needs of the medical, food handcraft and gardening markets. “All three premium plastic product lines are part of a 360-degree lifestyle of our brand fans,” Reichert says.
FDRA Introduces Sustainability Guide
IT WAS NINE months in the making, involving a collaborative effort from across the industry spectrum, and now it’s here: the first-ever shoe sustainability guide for brands and retailers so they can collectively make more ecofriendly decisions. Specifically, the guide enables companies to make better, faster and easier choices when it comes to a range of sustainable materials chosen and sourced. FDRA (Footwear Distributors & Retailers of America) worked with dozens of suppliers for months to develop the guide with a key focus on providing much-needed clarity and targets—both of which have been lacking and hindering sustainability efforts.
Andy Polk, FDRA’s senior vice president, says the guide will immediately help clear up the muddy waters on what is and isn’t sustainable materials, so companies can source better materials with greater ease. “There’s a lot of decision paralysis with many companies because they don’t have benchmarks or targets, and this should help get more of the industry moving forward faster,” he says. “It provides a roadmap and strategy so many companies need now.” Looking further out, Polk says FDRA’s Green North Star targets will help align the industry so it can lower development costs and increase sustainable material innovation. “It should also help foster more collaborations to solve complex and costly challenges around sustainable materials,” he adds.
Polk says putting the guide together took a village—an industry-sized one. “It was the largest collaboration on any project, other than fighting tariffs, FDRA has seen from the industry,” he says. “We had group calls with nearly 200 shoe experts, brands and suppliers sharing ideas. There were also probably 50-plus major companies with input and comments over a nine-month period.” Notable shoutouts for making the guide a reality, he says, go to Caleres’ team for helping craft the overall vision, and Wolverine Worldwide, Steve Madden, Keen and several other major companies that helped with some of the more intricate work on percentages and practices.
Speaking of which, the guide is focused on providing environmentally preferred material (EPM) thresholds that companies can use to benchmark current sustainability efforts against the industry average; help with choosing more sustainable materials; and aligning companies on goals to increase overall impact and lower costs. The guide also informs retailers about material requirements that are tailored to shoes instead of clothing or other products that do not meet the industry’s product performance levels. As Polk says, there’s a lot of noise and confusion surrounding sustainability—a lot of “you should” instead of “how to,” as well as little benchmarking on eco-friendly efforts. The guide helps the industry head collectively in the right direction, i.e. there’s strength in numbers.
While Polk notes a lot of progress has been made on the sustainability front, especially of late, much of it remains piecemeal. “Most companies still lack an overarching strategy to tie efforts together, and their departments are not always fully aligned to maximize efforts,” he says. “This guide helps designers to development to sourcing teams share a common idea on sustainable materials so we can choose the right one from the start and align across departments to execute accurately.” He adds, “We want to make a sustainability roadmap to help people navigate the journey better.”
Slide into C f t with the TravelB nd Slide
