Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design, an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) in the U.S. state of Michigan owned by former Jordan Brand designer D’Wayne Edwards, announced that Nike is investing $3 million in the college over three years. According to an article on the website soleretriever.com, Edwards’ career began at age 19. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, he eventually founded Pensole, the first academy in the U.S. dedicated to footwear design, in part because of the difficulties he faced in his own career path. His vision for the school is to provide opportunities for young designers regardless of their socioeconomic background. According to an Instagram post, Edwards will use the Nike investment to build a talent pipeline for students.
