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Olivier Rousteing has parted ways with fashion house Balmain. The designer entered the fashion industry with determination and risk. According to an interview with Vogue, at 18, he left the fashion school after six months. This decision was also not understood by his parents, who had already been perplexed by his pursuit of fashion. “I fought because I had no school or background behind me, just determination and desire,” he told the outlet in a November 2021 interview. That decision paved the way for a historic appointment at Balmain at age 24 as its creative director in April 2011. Before this, he had worked under his predecessor, Christophe Decarnin, for two years, notes Vogue. According to a separate Vogue article, he was the “youngest non-founding designer to lead a major Paris house” since Yves Saint Laurent’s appointment at Dior at age 21. That’s not all. Rousteing was the first Black individual to become a creative director at a major European house, the Business of Fashion...
Jason Mayden’s parents invested in him early on, helping him realize his dreams at Jordan Brand. Self-Belief Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, he believed his imagination was better than his reality after spending time in and out of the hospital. He also observed that he was different from his peers as a neurodivergent individual and often felt overlooked. In an interview held during the 2025 AFROTECH™ Conference, he revealed that he gave himself permission to dream. This became his superpower. “In that imaginative state, I was able to give myself permission to dream and to eventually decide that who I am is enough,” he said. “I rejoice and relish in the fact that people underestimated me and I thank them for that because it forced me to realize that I have to be the progenitor of my own outcomes and, I’m the protagonist in my own narrative. I couldn’t choose my origin story, but I can write my ending,” he continued. Investment From His Parents When Mayden was 10 years old,...
From financial uncertainty to high-fashion success, Salehe Bembury has shaped modern sneaker culture with creativity and vision. Salehe Bembury On Landing Versace In a conversation with “The Cutting Room Floor” podcast host Recho Omondi, Bembury shared how he secured opportunities with luxury brands like Versace, an experience that established him in the world of high-fashion sneakers. Bembury recalled a moment of financial uncertainty. “I’m out of money. I’m getting scared. I look like the image of unemployment. I’m in my underwear eating cereal on my couch,” he said in a clip from the Patreon podcast. View this post on Instagram A post shared by OMONDI (@omndi) At that low point, he reached out to Dean Quinn, a design director at Versace, through LinkedIn. “Forever grateful for him replying,” Bembury said, adding that he pitched a project for Versace’s sneaker line. He suggested that Versace could create sneakers incorporating the brand’s signature elements, including the...
Cam Jones is helping amplify pioneers in sports as a game designer at EA Games. The EA SPORTS Madden NFL Black History Month program was established in 2021 to honor the legacy and excellence of current and former Black trailblazers in the NFL, according to information shared on LinkedIn. During AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 in Houston, TX, Jones shared that the program’s first year featured Doug Williams, who was the first Black NFL quarterback to win a Super Bowl (Washington Redskins, 1988). Also recognized at that time were Ozzie Newsome, the first Black general manager in the NFL (Baltimore Ravens, 2002-2018), and Fritz Pollard, one of the first Black players in the NFL (Akron Pros, 1920) and the first Black NFL head coach (Akron Pros, 1921). “One key note about the program is that every year it’s always free to play,” Jones explained to the audience at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center. “We make sure that it’s not monetized in any way, and that’s to keep the integrity of...
After several shoe collaborations, designer Salehe Bembury is venturing into ownership and launching his own independent sneaker company. The Syracuse University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in industrial design has spent over a decade in the footwear space, with his first role tracing back to 2009 as a footwear designer for Payless Shoesource, according to his LinkedIn profile. He went on to secure various roles, including innovation designer for Cole Haan, men’s footwear designer for Yeezy, senior director of sneakers & mens footwear for Versace, and more. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Bembury has collaborated with several companies, including Crocs, after he was named 2020 Designer of the Year by Footwear News. He most recently partnered with New Balance, according to an Instagram post shared by Bembury. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Salehe Bembury (@salehebembury) Several years ago, Bembury’s talents caught the attention of Nike, who suggested a...
The AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 schedule is live. AFROTECH™ Conference — making its return to Houston, TX, from Oct. 27-31 — promises to deliver electric conversations across fireside chats and panels while connecting you to a sea of professionals across industries. This year’s speaker lineup includes Former Georgia State Representative and Founder of American Pride Rises, Stacey Abrams; Debra Lee, former BET Networks CEO and chairman; Jordan Brand Designer, Jason Mayden; Elizabeth Gore, Co-Founder and President of Hello Alice, and others. The conference will bring all the heavy hitters and activations with focus areas like Cybersecurity and Risk, Engineering, Data, Government and Civic, Product and Design, the Future of Work (HR), the Future of Health Care (AfroMedTech), Esports, Energy and Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, Fintech, Marketing, and Advertising. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AFROTECH (@afro.tech) Build Your Experience With the AFROTECH™ Conference...
Stephanie Dinkins is merging AI and art for an exhibition in Brooklyn, NY. An “artist by birth,” Dinkins began with a display of her photography from a trip to Central America — a trip prompted by her interest in learning Spanish. This exhibit, held in Staten Island, would become her first. Fast forward to 2025, and she has launched an exhibit that is merging art and AI with the goal of creating a more equitable future. Dinkins told AFROTECH™ in an interview that she’s always been drawn to technology, and in 2014 a pivotal moment pushed her to deeply explore how the future is being shaped. She witnessed a humanoid robot on YouTube, called Bina48, being interviewed by reporters. The technology was launched by Hanson Robotics four years earlier based primarily on the personality and appearance of Bina Aspen Rothblatt, a Black woman, the company website mentioned. Dinkins reached out to the company, which permitted her to talk to the robot that was being trained through conversations...
Data analyst Hervé Aniglo is on a mission to make coding fun through music. The University of Memphis alum’s passion for technology began in elementary school. Over the years, he gained experience as a software engineer and business analyst, but it was his love for using data to tell compelling stories that ultimately led him to his current role. “I just like working with data — gathering information and seeing what I can do with it. I love to tell stories,” he told AFROTECH™ in an interview . “So that, being a data analyst, it shows the world and it shows people like what stories you can tell from it in a sense. You can predict the future. You can see what’s going to happen with the current trend.”‘ Personal Call To Action In Tech Aniglo is also dedicating time within the industry to give back, guided by two personal calls to action. The first is to help people find roles and support their professional development. This mission, which began in college, includes reviewing resumes,...
Recently, more than 125 students graduated from Detroit’s Apple Developer Academy, a one-of-a-kind, free 10-month program launched in 2021 through a partnership between Apple and Michigan State University (MSU), according to a news release shared with AFROTECH™. But the Apple Developer Academy is about more than just coding. It equips Detroiters with real-world skills and the confidence to thrive in app development, business, and today’s ever-evolving tech landscape, per the release. A Pipeline For Real-World Innovation What makes Detroit’s Apple Developer Academy truly unique is its approach. Beyond mastering Swift coding, students dive into AI, UX design, marketing, and project management. The program is also backed by the Gilbert Family Foundation, which helps connect graduates with internships, mentors, and career opportunities across Detroit. “As Detroit continues to emerge as a national hub for technology, the Apple Developer Academy is creating pathways for Detroiters of all...
UX designer Roderick Wilkins strives to make the tech industry more inclusive. Tech Journey The Quincy, FL, native has always had a deep interest in technology and began fixing computers at a young age, which guided his educational pursuits at Florida A&M University (FAMU). He earned a bachelor’s degree in information technology in 2019 and went on to Louisiana State University, where he earned a master’s in digital media art and engineering with a focus on UX in 2021. “When you open that app and you see the first screen, you’re scrolling and you’re interacting with it, I always say someone had to design that,” Wilkins told AFROTECH™. “So I would say, within UX, there are designers, which is what I am, and someone designed that whole page that you’re seeing and you’re interacting with.” While UX includes various verticals one can explore — such as research and accessibility — Wilkins’ interest in graphic design aligned with his goal of becoming a UX designer, which was affirmed...
Researchers have developed algorithms that accurately depict coily Black hair in computer graphics — a historic advancement for Black characters in media. According to The Guardian, AM Darke, an associate professor in the department of performance, play, and design at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Theodore Kim, a professor of computer science at the Yale School of Engineering and Applied Science, co-authored the study. Despite increased representation and numerous papers published on computer graphics algorithms over the past 50 years — particularly regarding hair — Kim noted that representations of Black hair have remained relatively unchanged. Due to a lack of appropriate formulas, animators have struggled to accurately depict textures like type 4C hair , characterized by tightly coiled curls. “There’s only one or two hairstyles that people gravitate towards because they find that it’s culturally approved,” Kim said. “The vast diversity of type four hair is then...
Engineering was once foreign to Logan Hickox but is now integral to his daily work at Nike. During an interview with Fast Company, he shared that while sports had been a significant part of his upbringing, engineering was not. His interest in the field was sparked when he noticed flyers at his school promoting a meeting for students interested in robotics. “You have the notion that engineers might be of the nerdier type, or maybe they’re not athletic, or they’re not into theater, or whatever it might be,” he said to the outlet. “And especially as a Black man myself, not having seen that representation before, that was something that I was definitely apprehensive about at first. Being able to really push outside of my comfort zone and being able to see it’s not just one mold that people fit, that was something that was super eye-opening to me.” Hickox attended the University of Florida in 2016 and obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering five years later, his LinkedIn...
As part of Miami Art Week, Art Basel Miami took place from Friday, Dec. 6, to Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, kicking off with a private dinner on Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Fazeel Khan Residence. Tres Generaciones Tequila, a premium tequila brand known for supporting creators and innovators, and CFDA two-time award-winning fashion designer Maxwell Osborne hosted the exclusive event in partnership with ARTNOIR to celebrate trailblazers marking new milestones at Art Basel, according to a press release. The dinner honored contemporary artist Andrea Chung, recognized for her original work inspired by island nations in the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which challenges traditional notions of “paradise” through the outsiders’ perspectives. Guests included Fabolous , Leon Thomas, Paul Anthony Smith, Kesha McLeod, Carmelo Anthony, and Rubi Rose, among others, who all arrived by luxury boat cruiser and were greeted with Jamaican patties, a tribute to Osborne’s Jamaican-American heritage. He is a...
Founder Telfar Clemens has always resisted conforming to the fashion industry. Divorcing Fashion Industry At Inception Early on, he embraced a bold sense of individuality, developing his own unique style that set him apart. This nonconformity often clashed with the uniform policies of the schools he attended, and he was similarly uninterested in following the traditional dress codes of his Liberian heritage. “I always have been interested in clothes. I’ve always had my own perspective on what I wanted to wear… I come from West African parents. I’m from Liberia and there’s a certain way of how you should dress and how you should carry yourselves and I completely was not with that, ” Clemens mentioned on “The Breakfast Club.” In 2005, Clemens introduced the world to Telfar, a New York-based unisex fashion brand designed to stand apart from the traditional fashion industry. From the outset, he distanced himself from the industry, viewing it as too closed-minded to embrace the...
For Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, innovation has always been the driving force behind his work as a shoe designer. With more than 50 patents under his belt, as well as a college among the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, he is committed to uplifting the next generation of designers. Collaborating with brands like Nike, adidas, and quite a few household names, his love for creating keeps him going every day. 2024 has been quite the year for Edwards. In February, he reopened the doors to the first HBCU with a focus on design through the Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design (PLC), which he founded in 2021 in Detroit, MI. Now, he has officially partnered with Target to launch ÜNOS by Sz, an adjustable footwear line created uniquely for growing families. “For a long time, it’s always been my goal to do something that was much more affordable for people who could afford everyday things,” Edwards told AFROTECH™ in an exclusive interview. “I just felt like everyday things, if...
