I Wanted To Turn A Building Into A Shoe & Nike Let Me Do It. [For Real]
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Imagine you’re presented with an opportunity to tell a story. You get to shine a greater light on a place that has so passionately pierced your heart and nurtured you in your most vulnerable state.
What are you going to do? How are you going to tell that story?
Are you going to listen to your gut and follow your intuition? Or will you play it safe and yield to the expectations of a surface level world?
September 20, 2018. 40 days after I moved into my dorm as a freshman at North Carolina A&T State University. I stood on fresh concrete to watch the Chancellor and current Student Government President cut a bright yellow ribbon to unveil the new student center. At the time I had no idea how rich the history of this new development was. Nor did I know how close I would grow to the marbled grey carpet, the floor to celling windows of the second floor, or the bright yellow stairs that doubled as a runway for the diverse fashion trends birthed on our campus. All I knew is that the place was nice as hell & I couldn’t wait to finally cut through the air conditioned lobby on my way to classes in the academic quad.
Since that day, the student center and I have become more than well acquainted. If I wasn’t so bad at math I could probably just calculate the amount of time I’ve spent standing in the Chic-fil-a line and searching for a spot to cram in last minute assignments. While still considering all the time spent babbling away with my friends about our aspirations of making it out of the lobby and becoming someone on the top floor. Thankfully God gifted me with the ability to express myself more creatively and with that I wanted to compile all that time into a physical object. So when I was presented with the opportunity to design a Nike dunk telling a story of my HBCU I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
Historically Black Colleges & Universities were created to provide a physical space for black students to learn, grow, fail & succeed. A labor of love, built brick by brick. These spaces were meant to be inhabited by black folk who were once stripped of their entire humanity. A place created for us to discover who we are and what makes us happy. Walls that would shield us away from the world and provoke us to question everything. In hopes of finding people with real feelings, emotions and interests, that would ultimately translate into careers that push culture and change the world. The student center has been that physical space for me.
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Before the student center that we know today, there was The Memorial Student Union. It opened May 13, 1967 and was coined “The Living Room of the University” according to the official North Carolina A&T website.
Less than a month after opening, in the June 1, 1967 issue of the school newspaper; The Register, the letter to the editor titled, “The Union: A New Horizon” was published. Written by Willie A. Drake he described the Union as “a building that all past, present and future Aggies can really be proud of.” To him the Union was “joy in the morning, joy at noon, joy at night and joy any other time.” He concluded his letter with a quote that stuck with me.
“If we are to be distinguished, we must never start and stop, but we must keep pressing on until we reach the top.” When I read this quote I didn’t receive it as a notion to work so hard that we burn out in hopes of achieving success. But a declaration to propel ourselves to create real experiences and tell more compelling stories with the work that we do. We have to be the ones to initiate these conversations centered around our experience. To educate and inspire future generations to continue our legacy, and be encouraged to not only take part in tradition but also birth new ones.
The Memorial Student Union was home to a ballroom, bowling lanes, a listening room equipped with stereos and even a meditation room for students to relax and unwind. When constructing the building, the diverse needs of the community were put first. They encompassed a full range of amenities to serve the community in all capacities.
Many times when discussing black people in relation to higher education and academic excellence we are forced into this tight chokehold of respectability politics.
“Don’t do this. Don’t do that” they yell and scream. Unlike our racial counterparts from an early age we are put under a microscope and watched with sharp eyes denying us the freedom to unclench our jaws and rap belligerent music from time to time.
Our ability to sway the hips our mommas gave us don’t take away from the fact that we want to make just as much of an impact on society, as any other kid at any other school.
This safe space allowed students to form clubs and miniature communities within our university for the betterment of the school. And prepared students to take our culture with them when it was time to take the final walk across the stage at graduation.
The building expanded in 2001 and serviced the North Carolina A&T staff, students and community for a total of 48 years before being torn down in 2015.
Though I didn’t get the pleasure of experiencing The Memorial Student Union, I have found that same sense of security in the new Student Center with students that look like me, act like me and others who are the complete opposite. Just like Willie Drake of 1967 I want to share that joy in the morning, noon, and night. So I packed the concrete walls, big yellow stairs and always cut grass into a shoe & the rest is cemented in history.
[The Building of The Building]
“The Construction”
Designed by Vines Architecture w/ Cannon Design, The LEED Gold facility was constructed by Stewart Inc. With 195,000 total square feet, the building was designed to “reflect the soul of the campus.”
To ensure it encapsulated the student experience in its entirety, the planning team relied heavily on the students to help them bring the story to life. They hosted both formal and informal student workshops and engagement sessions on campus. Including focus groups and interactive image board sessions to collect anecdotes of on-campus traditions and student initiatives. Cannon Design describes the mission of the project as one “to honor and enhance the students’ feelings of connection to the campus hub by catering to various learning and social styles, enhancing Aggie Pride.”
This building was intentionally built to function as the heart of the campus. It was strategically designed to connect Aggie Villages to the Academic Quad, and serve as a pass through for students. I appreciate this attention to detail and understanding of the nuanced needs of students because this function alone has saved me so much time when I overslept and pushed it way too close to my class start time. Or when it was pouring down raining and I just needed a moment to regroup, before I hit the home stretch back to my dorm.
This level of care is one that translates into the physical structure and has served as a domino effect that fits seamlessly into the busy lives of all its inhabitants.
The award winning building was recognized by the National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA) and Engineering News-Record (ENR) Southeast, selected as a winner for the 2019 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards by the NCSEA, and one of only three projects in the country recognized for structural design for new buildings in the $20 to $100 million category. It also received ENR Southeast’s 2019 Best Project Award – Award of Merit in the higher education category, according to Stewart Inc.
[From Property To Product]
“The Sketches”
When designing this shoe I wanted the wearer to be fully immersed in the building as if they were taking their first step over the door threshold to enter the lobby. There have been many attempts at emulating the HBCU experience but all fail because people forget that there is history embedded within the physical walls.
I modeled the outer of the shoe after the various grays integrated inside & outside of the building. There is so much power in the concrete upholding the culture found inside this structure. Like the cement blocks of the building our stories are solid & can’t be easily broken. We take up space in the world & I wanted to put an emphasis on that.
It was especially important to create a primarily gray shoe because I wanted to provide the wearer with something that offered them great versatility when it came down to choosing an outfit. My goal was to create a piece that could exist within and outside of our bookstore fashion. No matter if they are dripped head to toe in Aggie Gear or suited up for a post-grad interview, the wearer can always rep their Aggie Pride.
Gray also just ages very well. I remember being in elementary school when the Air Jordan Cool Grey 11’s re-released. I couldn't afford them at the time, but I remember kids would wear them every single day. The color allowed them to explore with their outfits even though we were way too young to buy our own clothes. They wore them with pride because they not only resonated with the color but also knew the significance of the Jordan brand, even at the age of 10. The shoes withstood the shenanigans of the classroom and adventures of the playground. I hope that my shoes will do that same thing. I hope that people will wear them, experience them, & get them dirty, like the inner child people bring with them to college to chase their dreams.
On the contrary you’ll notice that the bright yellow tongue and laces provide a stark contrast. These were modeled after the infamous bright yellow stairs found inside of the building. These aren’t just any steps. Along with getting students from the bottom to the top of the building they also serve as a stage to showcase your clothes when you know you “put that shit on.” A place to sit, work, eat etc. And sometimes even a place to let loose and party when the speakers come out. It is the place of choice for many freshman pictures when they first get on campus & for many graduating seniors when it is almost time to go. I also just thought it would be clever to model laces after stairs. But if you’re ever not in the mood for the yellow, the shoes also come with blue laces.
When you reach the top of the laces you are greeted with a tongue tag. On the front of the tongue tag is the NC A&T school logo and on the back it reads, “From Greensboro with Love.” These shoes were crafted with love & care in Greensboro. Every decision was an intentional one that I hope will outlive the fast paced digital world of now & slowly linger into the future inspiring people long after trends have died.
At first glance when you look inside of the shoe at the insole they look like stripes, but its actually each step of the stairs. Photographed by me, I wanted to capture the physical stairs, so when then wearer slips their foot in the shoe they are now standing inside of the building.
Under the insole, buried beneath the layers of fabric the wearer will find the grass of the earth. If you flip the shoe over through the transparent sole you can see the grass for yourself. It was vital for me to add that finishing touch because the grass is pretty on this campus. There is a running joke that NC A&T “always keeps the grass cut low.” And I can vouch for that. (lol) Shoutout to the people that mow the lawns, your hard work does not go unnoticed.
In my opinion there is something quite magical about seeing a nice shoe and then getting closer and realizing it’s not just a regular shoe. If you know you know… but everyone wants to know. My hope with these shoes is that when Aggies wear this shoe it rekindles old flames and ignite new fires. I hope that this opportunity with Nike exposes people all around the world to this amazing institution that I get to call my home. If it does nothing else, I hope it gets people talking.
Dear A&T, Dear A&T, a monument indeed…