Latest news with #HonoringBlackExcellence
Hypebeast
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Inside adidas' Ode to Black Excellence
By Erin Ikeuchi Under the roof of a former perfumery along Atlanta's Westside Beltline, adidas gathered hundreds of artists, athletes, musicians, writers, designers and leaders for the final act of its Honoring Black Excellence (HBE) capstone – an ode to the cultural architects at the helm Black creativity, innovation and brilliance. The iconic three stripes have long understood the transformative power of teamwork and sportsmanship, and in recent years its taken its steadfast commitment to community and social impact off the pitch and into the wider cultural bloodstream. Launched in 2019, HBE initiative has become a pivtal platofrm platform for the brand, honoring Black voices shaping today's creative and social landscapes. A cross between experience and exhibition, this year's edition unfolded as an embodiment of memory and momentum. Centered around the theme of 'Pathways & Pipelines,' the event spotlighted those who not only preserve legacy, but voices who are pave the way forward. To curate the event, adidas tapped Rog & Bee Walker, the duo behind Paper Monday, to transform the sprawling, industrial space with their sublime visual language, bringing their love for narrative and storytelling into a new, experiential dimension. The night featured a tender short film directed by the Walkers, alongside a series of immersive installations — a mosaic of the honorees' iridescent worlds: A willow shades over the belles of Gee's Bend Quilters, the Alabama-based collective whose quilted odes to Black Southern life sit at the heart of American art history; testimonials from mothers who have been impacted by Jaycina Almond's Tender Foundation, a grassroots rewriting narratives around single Black motherhoods, sing from the cozy, corner nursery. Elsewhere, framed jerseys's from Sekou Thornell's label Kitboys Club sits beside a stack of lockers. Fueled by his love of the game, Thornell blends streetwear and soccer to empower the new wave of Black creatives, both on and off the field. Peppered throughout the space are portraits taken by the Walker's — tender captures screen-printed on sheer veils of fabric, catching the light as if exhaling with the room itself. The images serve as a visual throughline, threading each installation with a dignity that doesn't just captures its subjects, but holds them tight. Ahead of the HBE Capstone Experience, we caught up with Rog & Bee to discuss their practice and the vision that brought it all together. 1 of 9 2 of 9 3 of 9 4 of 9 5 of 9 6 of 9 7 of 9 8 of 9 9 of 9 'It's definitely a balancing act, and what we do together is greater than the sum of our parts.' How would you describe your practice in your own words? Rog Walker: Visual storytelling sums it up. We use photography, film and pretty much any medium to capture identity, which is at the core of our work. It's about exploring our stories and the stories of people around us. Bee Walker: Through working we've discovered other dimensions of our practice that maybe weren't initially intended, but are so beautiful to see. This whole HBE event has turned into 100's of people coming out to Atlanta to screen the film and see the photographs and meet the featured honorees – that element of our work has been really surprising. It's amplified really beautiful messages and it's become a really important part of it all. What are you respective backgrounds and how have those paths led you to where you are today? RW: Bee's been taking photos since she was like 13, whereas I started kind of late. I come from a standard, working-class family, and photography was not a choice that was even allowed. There was a lot of backlash, but it only made me want to pursue it even more – to tell my story and explore this path. BW: To be honest, I wouldn't call my background a creative one either. I did start taking pictures young because my father bought me a camera, but when I met Rog, it coalesced into something that we both loved doing and we just grew from there. It's been such an amazing journey. 1 of 8 2 of 8 3 of 8 4 of 8 5 of 8 6 of 8 7 of 8 8 of 8 'True collaboration starts with the trust that someone believes in your vision, even if you've never done it before.' As both creative and life partners, how do you strike a balance when approaching a new project? RW: Just taking a step back, our personalities are so different: Bee is really outgoing and I don't like talking to people, whereas I'm really technical and she just doesn't like to fuss with that stuff. Our personalities just mesh well. But, also we fell in love with each other and with photography at a time when there was a lot of excitement. I remember running around on the street with our friends, and so many things were happening at that time, and we just loved it. We were exploring culture and having fun, which made it easy to collaborate. BW: It's definitely a balancing act, and what we do together is greater than the sum of our parts. It helps me stay focused and when I drop off a little bit, I always remember that none of this would be possible if it weren't for both of us or our whole family now being a part of it. 1 of 8 2 of 8 3 of 8 4 of 8 5 of 8 6 of 8 7 of 8 8 of 8 How has your experience running Paper Monday inform your curatorial vision for this event, and the immersive installations within them? RW: The adidas Purpose team reached to see if we wanted to curate the event, and though we'd never done this before, we saw how these stories are more than pictures, they're real narratives. It was a matter of research, we were looking at Carrie Mae Weems, Tyler Mitchell and grasping onto different elements. True collaboration starts with the trust that someone believes in your vision, even if you've never done it before. Courtesy of adidas. Event photography by Yvette Glasco. Portraits by Rog & Bee Walker.
Black America Web
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Recap: adidas 2025 HBE Capstone Experience In ATL
Yvette Glasco At a time when DEI programs built to promote inclusivity have experienced government-issued shutdowns, it makes the Honoring Black Excellence campaign by adidas feel all the more important. With The Three Stripes in a financial situation that doesn't require federal funding for a program like HBE, the sportswear stalwart is simply committing to a $20 million promise made back in 2020 in support of Black communities. Five years later, we can attest to the fact that adidas is definitely putting money to mouth. Many mouths, in fact. On Tuesday (June 24), we braved the Atlanta heat for a special one-night-only event known as the HBE Capstone Experience, curated in collaboration with Paper Monday creative married duo Rog & Bee Walker. This year's honorees include Sekou Thornell of Kitboys Club, Jaycina Almond who we remember from The Tender Foundation and the soulfully Southern belles of Gee's Bend Quilters. RELATED: Women's History Month – Jaycina Almond & The Tender Foundation Utilizing a theme of 'Pathways & Pipelines,' Rog & Bee helped create an atmosphere that visually reflected the idea of Black creativity as a bridge to history and beyond. Whether it's the bridges of knowledge formed by quilt-making being passed down generation after generation, single mothers having bridges of access for support in any way needed or simply bridges of communication that develop when a friendship turns to family on the Kitboys-led soccer field, each honoree is creating both pathways and pipelines for success in our community. Speaking with Sekou, he told us, 'I had a unique experience where I got to play at an all-Black youth club in Stone Mountain, so from there you sort of form your relationship with a lot of people that maintain over a long time. I fell in love with it, my parents kept [soccer] with me and a lot of opportunities I got in life came out of the game. ' He went on to add of the city's ever-thriving cultural diversity, 'You would think for a Southern city that [Atlanta] wouldn't be so progressive in a game like soccer — most people think it's football or baseball dominant. There's always been that love for the game in those pockets of culture [throughout ATL], and because the city is shaped the way it is we found it easy getting people into the fold of it. I dedicate it all to this city and having the right ingredients to really have a platform like [Kitboys Club] grow.' Throughout the night, he made sure to always feel accessible to the many high school teenagers in the building who were given special access to the private event as a way to get inspired. Yvette Glasco — Sekou Thornell, Kitboys Club Yvette Glasco Similar sentiments were shared as we spoke with the ladies of Gee's Bend Quilters. Sitting together and representing all ages and shades of Black beauty, it was understood from jump that we were in the presence of a bonded sisterhood. 'I encourage [my granddaughter] by telling her how to sew and stuff, just different quilts and stuff, so she can teach her children when she have kids and it keeps going,' said Sharon Williams, who enthusiastically went on to describe their ever-growing legacy by busting out into song with the tune 'Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now' by McFadden & Whitehead. Hearing from a younger voice on the team, twenty-something sew pro Francesca Charley told us, 'Everything I learned from quilting came from my grandma, great-aunt and my mother. It's because of their words of encouragement that I am where I am today. There were so many times where I wanted to give up or I thought what I was doing wasn't good enough, or I simply could never make what they make, but to be here now with adidas is a lot to think about.' Her mom, Claudia Pettway Charley, followed suit with beautiful insight by adding, 'Honoring Black Excellence is to honor your own legacy. Your honoring others who present excellence, but it really doesn't matter what the category or field is. It could just be that you live your life on a daily basis in your own excellence, especially if you're Black. It's a privilege just to be here being honored by a company such as adidas. Even being recognized by Rog & Bee, who take your stories and turn them into movies right in front of your face, is all the definition of excellence and honor. Doing it in ways that only Black people can feels exciting to me.' Yvette Glasco — Claudia Pettway Charley, Gee's Bend Quilters Yvette Glasco Good southern eats, drinks aplenty for those old enough to indulge responsibly, a live jazz performance that fit the mood of the party perfectly and studio-style portrait sessions being snapped by Rog & Bee themselves all came together to cap off a night we won't soon forget. When it comes to honoring our heritage and literally everything that make it so beautiful to be Black, we give props to The Three Stripes for pulling off a night worth coming outside on during one of the most humid days in Hotlanta! 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