Adidas Partners to Inspire Students from Marginalized Communities

FASHION CARES

Adidas has announced an expansion of its partnerships with the Iovine and Young Academy and PENSOLE to provide students more opportunities to explore career paths in design and other creative industries. Image: Adidas

Adidas has announced an expansion of its partnerships with the Iovine and Young Academy and PENSOLE to provide students more opportunities to explore career paths in design and other creative industries. Image: Adidas

As of Thursday, February 10, 2022

Adidas has announced an expansion of its partnerships with the Iovine and Young Academy and PENSOLE creator Dr. D’Wayne Edwards to provide students with more opportunities to explore design and other creative hobbies as potential possibilities for their futures.

"This partnership marks an ongoing chapter to offer the next generation of creative thinkers and dreamers the skills to shape the future of design. Despite someone's background or economic standing, kids bold enough to dream big should be provided with equitable access to education," Dr. Edwards said. PENSOLE was established in 2010 to give young design students the opportunity to learn from industry leaders.

The Iovine and Young Academy was founded by Jimmy Iovine and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young in 2013 to give young creatives the tools and inspiration to develop their talents and abilities. The Los Angeles Unified School District will launch a new high school whose curriculum will build on the academy’s approach to learning,

With the expansion of the partnership, Adidas deepens its commitment to the L.A. community and provides a new way for students to learn about design, technology and entrepreneurship. The new programs will be available throughout L.A. County with a focus on marginalized communities. Adidas will work alongside Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition to support local entrepreneurs and will host the Inglewood Prize competition.

This past fall, in partnership with the USC Iovine and Young Academy, students were able to participate in a series of workshops with Adidas alongside Inglewood native and Grammy-nominated artist D Smoke to design an apparel and footwear line.