At the historic Gotham Hall in Manhattan on April 21, the American Apparel and Footwear Association marked the 50th anniversary of the American Image Awards by honoring standout figures across the apparel and footwear industry with Alina Cho as the emcee.
Following the success of their 2021 14-course after-school design course, Timberland and CNSTNT:DVLPMNT returned to New York City for a series of spin-off events.
Timberland
Other than NYC, the workshops are making stops in Philidelphia, Charlotte, and Baltimore to introduce BIPOC students to various careers in the design industry since 7% of all professional fashion designers identify as people of color.
“The importance of this is for them to understand that they have somebody that looks like them, that does this job, and also they can do it too. But, learning early gives them opportunities to grow within this industry, learn the different parts that they can be a part of,” stated Christopher Dixon, the founder of CNSTNT:DVLPMNT and Timberland footwear designer.
Timberland
Here in the Bronx, the footwear brand hosted 25 students in grades 6-9 from the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology at the City Jeans store on Fordham Road. Throughout the five hours, the students learned the fundamentals of footwear, sketching, creative concepts, and color theory.
Between extensive work sessions with the students, Dixon, Timberland footwear designers, and Bronx Native Jae Tips spoke with the kids about creativity, passion, and hustle. Specifically, Tips emphasized to the students that although they are young, they should begin taking the steps now to lead them to their desired goals in life.
Timberland
At the end of the day, the students went home with gift bags, personal designs, and newfound knowledge and interest in the design world that can lead them to their college careers and beyond.
Timberland
Dixon’s favorite part of the workshops? “Seeing these kids not know anything about design and catching on quickly. And then breaking out of their shell by speaking in front of people. We get to see caterpillars turn into butterflies.”
As Timberland celebrates its 50-year anniversary, they’re looking forward to continuing initiatives like these to fulfill its mission of inspiring a new generation to move the world forward.
Last night (September 24), Timberland hosted a private party for New York City media for their new campaign Made For the Modern Trail.