Designer Brands Inc., parent company of US footwear retailer Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW), announced a $2 million investment in advancing diversity, equality and inclusion through a partnership with Pensole University and legendary shoe designer Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, President of Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design (PLC).
Detroit-based Pensole Lewis College is Michigan’s first and only Historically Black College & University (HBCU) and the first HBCU to major in design. The PLC, formerly known as the Lewis College of Business, is expected to reopen in May 2022.
As part of this new partnership, Designer Brands will invest in the first Black-owned US footwear factory – JEMS by Pensole – to produce footwear designed by PLC graduates and sold exclusively at DSW.
The name of the new factory, JEMS, stands for “Jan Ernst Matzeliger Studio” in honor of the black shoe pioneer who received a patent in 1883 for a machine that revolutionized shoe making and still inspires processes today.
“We recognize that the footwear industry lacks effective representation of ‘people of color,’ particularly Black people, and this $2 million investment will go to the roots to break down barriers,” said Designer Brands CEO Roger Rawlins in a press release.
“Black people make up less than five percent of the workforce across all design industries, so much-needed diversity is missing. Designer Brands and DSW’s engagement with Pensole will create a US-based footwear factory with the goal of all work leading to the launch of Black designer brands within DSW,” added Rawlins.
“The shoe industry needs more diversity. The partnership we are entering into with Designer Brands and DSW is a new business model that gives consumers the opportunity to influence the industry towards this goal. Together with Pensole, Designer Brands and DSW will give designers the opportunity to offer new products directly to consumers. Along the way, we will create careers and invest in talented, emerging designers to ensure the future of our industry,” said Edwards.
As part of Black History Month in February, Designer Brands have chosen the theme “More than a month” to celebrate Black innovators and offer more opportunities to designers of color. From now until Matzeliger’s birthday on September 15th, DSW will be documenting the opening of JEMS by Pensole and the production of the first shoes.