The speaker, James Whitner, founder of the Whitaker Group, discusses his journey in the fashion industry and the creation of the Alma Mater sneaker brand. He emphasizes the importance of storytelling in shaping products and brands, drawing from his experiences growing up in the Whitaker projects, a neighborhood in Chicago.
Whitner talks about his fascination with sneakers and how they symbolize cultural identity and social status. He shares how the design process for the Alma Mater's AJ1 model began with a unique perspective on social status and the use of materials, such as cracked leather, to create a product that appeals to the current youth culture while maintaining the brand's classic luxury image.
Whitner also highlights the importance of the Airness concept, which celebrates and affirms black culture while acknowledging the cultural appropriation that has occurred. He expresses the hope that through sneakers, they can change and reshape the narrative of the world.
Throughout his talk, Whitner emphasizes the importance of telling meaningful stories and how these stories connect to the product, making it stronger. He believes in the power of products to tell stories and change people's perceptions, particularly in the context of black excellence and cultural identity.
1. The speaker, James Whitner, is the owner and founder of the Whitaker Group.
2. The start of his journey was in retail, where he gained a perspective on social status.
3. The idea for his work came to him when he opened a shop.
4. His design process for the AJ1 started after getting the story right and knowing what models they were working on.
5. The AJ1 initially started as tumbled leather, but they experimented and came up with cracked leather, which they felt looked incredible.
6. The AJ1 design also involved unstrapping the wing from the upper part because he wanted his pants to sit somewhere by unleashing the flap.
7. His journey in sneakers started in the 80s and 90s, where Michael Jordan was a significant influence.
8. The concept of "Alma Mater" means "my way" in French, representing the culture's expression of luxury.
9. The idea of a year in 2012 was considered crazy by people, but now sneakers can go for a thousand dollars.
10. His journey started from the Whitaker projects, where the ethos of everything he connects to got something to do with the culture.
11. He believes that in order to make products stand stronger, you need to tell meaningful stories.
12. The story of "Airness" is about celebrating who we are and the importance of our culture while acknowledging the fact that so many things have been taken from us.
13. Maroon is an important color for him because it represents the shared blood and close connections in his neighborhood.
14. He sees sneakers as an opportunity to start changing the narrative of the world.
15. His work is about telling the story of black excellence and following the journey of his people and culture.