Image via Morehouse Business Association

 

By: Erinn Gardner and Bradley Morrison, Staff Writers 

 

As part of the Nike “Be True To Your School” pack, two Nike Terminator Highs inspired by Spelman College and Morehouse College alike were revealed on Oct. 24. Both creators of these shoes, Nike Yardrunners Nani Edwards (’15) and Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins (’09) returned to their alma maters to speak on the creation of their respective shoe, their own personal journey, and the influence their AUC institution had on them.

 

Edwards collaborated with Nike to meticulously design a groundbreaking work of art. The shoe incorporates blue and cream, with jaguar prints on the bottom and notorious Spelman phrases: “Undaunted by the fight” and “Thy name we praise”.  

 

The Nike Terminator pays homage to Jenkins and his Morehouse experience, featuring the maroon shade from his time there, a special Nike and Morehouse logo on the tongue, and references to Dr. Elaina Hudson’s impactful influence on his education.

 

On Wednesday evening, The Spelman College Women in Hip-Hop Collective held a fireside chat for Edwards to discuss her new sneaker in detail at the Beverly Daniel Tatum Suites Dining Hall. With Junior Trinity Williams hosting the event, and Alumna Jordan Triplett (’17) moderating, the attendees indulged in refreshments while remaining engaged with the conversation. The Atlanta native unpacked her journey surrounding the inspiration behind her design, being comfortable in her own skin and staying true to herself. 

 

“Nani is a big inspiration to me, my sisters and my community. I am also an influencer myself, so seeing things like this give me the push that I need,” Williams said. 

 

Before her designing career, Edwards modeled for reputable brands such as Beats by Dre, Wish Atlanta and made an appearance on GQ Magazine. After graduating from Spelman, she self-reflected and began wearing clothes from mens’ departments in stores. While she initially received flack from her Instagram followers, brands and modeling agencies were fond of the idea of a masculine presenting woman modeling their clothes. 

 

Edwards proceeded to create her own clothing brand of gender neutral, streetwear style clothing called Pivot. Her mission was to promote purpose, change and movement, and she  accomplished this through her inclusive nature.

 

“Fashion has always been my calling and sometimes I couldn’t always find pieces that I was looking for so I would be like, ‘Why am I wasting my time and waiting on someone else when I can just do it myself,’ So that’s where I got the idea to begin design,” Edwards said.

 

The same day at Morehouse, a Crown Forum After Dark was hosted featuring Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins (’09)  and the curator of Crown Forum, David Wall Rice (’95). As a part of the Nike “Yardrunners” campaign, Jenkins had the chance to work on a Nike Terminator inspired by his time at Morehouse College.

 

When Rice asked  Jenkins what motivates or drives him, he responded saying curiosity.

 

“Curiosity is my agenda, it doesn’t have to have an end destination,” Jenkins said. “Curiosity is when you get to a spot where you wanna be and want to look further.”

 

Jenkins always had a curious mind, from the minute he was born his mother told him he was looking around, trying to figure things out. As he got older his interests in comic books, Legos, and video games left an impression on him to explore further. His mother would take him to the mall and never know what to get, but she would always give him a book.

 

During Jenkins’ time at Morehouse, he further expanded his curiosity. He came in as an engineering major before almost flunking out of college. Considering transferring, it was through the guidance of Dr. Hudson that he changed his major to marketing. From there, he was able to establish the Morehouse Marketing Symposium during his tenure.

 

“She loved Nike, she loved branding and she loved Morehouse,” Jenkins said. “She would be more excited than anybody about this.”

 

Edwards originally modeled for the Nike Yardrunners campaign, but she held aspirations of cultivating a unique design for the Spelman sneaker. Her authority informed her that she was incapable of designing the shoe because she did not attend design school.

 

She did not take no for an answer. Edwards expressed that she had countless ideas for it, and eventually received news that Nike would allow her to design the sneaker. 

 

“I truly used the skills that Spelman instilled in me: be ready and be prepared, because you never know what could happen,” Nani said. “Right after they told me I was designing the sneaker, they sent me the silhouette that night. I knew I had to take that opportunity to show up and show out.”

 

As Edwards continued to share her story, the audience was mesmerized by her intelligence and wit. Questions were asked toward the end of the chat, where she addressed her supporters’ queries and facilitated meaningful conversation between them. True to Spelman’s tagline, Edwards made a choice to change the world by finding her niche and using her platform to better her community. 

 

Upon graduation, as he began diving into his career, Jenkins needed a skill that would set him apart from the rest. He took his curiosity and was able to adapt it to journalism. 

 

“The skill that I had was I was curious,” Jenkins said. “You can talk to the rapper that makes the craziest music, if you only ask who they are dating they are gonna give you that. Ask them what made you do this. Arrive with curiosity, that’s all that I had.”

 

Jenkins has since gone on to become a founding anchor for Complex News, the host for Netflix’s “Behind the Scenes Podcast” and currently serves as the host for “The RapCaviar Podcast”.

 

It was important for Jenkins to return to his roots during the press run for the Morehouse Terminator. He listed a few things that he wanted to accomplish, such as presenting at Crown Forum, eating fried chicken Wednesday, and being featured in The Maroon Tiger.

 

“It would be wrong for me to drop a sneaker on Instagram and not drop in with y’all,” Jenkins said. “Any chance you have to come back you do. We are in this together, we are having the same experience.”

 

Jenkins emphasized the reciprocal nature of the Morehouse experience, highlighting the unique moment of sharing the importance of the shoe and the institution. He underscored the distinct yet familiar feeling, reminiscent of his student days when he felt anomalous.

 

“When I was here I felt like a black sheep, the world I wanted didn’t exist,” Jenkins said. “It was like a dark room trying to find a door handle and you hoped the door handle would open. Now, the room the light is on and the doors are already unlocked.”

 

Jenkins stressed the importance of living in the moment to the audience before the Crown Forum ended. Afterwards in collaboration with DTLR, he hosted a block party on the steps of the Thomas Kilgore Jr. Campus center. By remaining curious, and never forgetting the experiences that made him, Jenkins has remained successful in whatever space he enters. 

 

Both shoes were released on Saturday. These shoes not only represent their institution, but the experiences gained from the matriculation of each college.

 

Copy Edited by: Auzzy Byrdsell, Editor-in-Chief