MARTkd: Understanding Creative Entrepreneurship

Yellowbrick on June 7, 2020

Exclusive Conversation | MARTk’d Series: Episode 2 of 6

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The MARTk’d Webinar series is a 6-part series with some of the industry’s top entrepreneurs, designers, managers, and even NBA stars. Identifying a problem and creating a solution plays a major role in entrepreneurship. A lot of the businesses across industries like Sneakers, Sports, and Streetwear were created as the solution to a problem. Companies like Uber and AirBNB were the multi-million dollar solutions to everyday problems. Entrepreneurship is an option in a variety of industries, it’s just a matter of finding the “why”.

As we continue through the MARTk’d series, Episode 2 focuses on creative entrepreneurship. Host Dion Walcott sits with The Kickback Founder Jayscale (Jamal Burger) and Community Relations Programmer Mac (Macaulay Madrigal). The Kickback is a Toronto-based charity that uses sneakers to empower teenagers to do well. The shoes are not just given to them but there are activities, events, mentorship programs and DIY workshops that engage the students. Earning a pair of fresh kicks is just a perk. This is not only about sneakers but about building a community that focuses on support and encouragement to help participants navigate through life and school/work. Jayscale and Mac spoke to their journey and how they turned their passion for sneakers into an A1 organization that inspires. 

 If you missed the initial replay, drop your email in the space above for access to the replay link.

MARTKD Series | Celebrating Artists like Athletes

Yellowbrick on May 28, 2020

Webinar Series: Celebrating Artists Like Athletes (Episodes 1-6)

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Trying to stay motivated and focused is a major key during the Pandemic of 2020. With limited movement, the Internet has become a major  source for information and motivation. The Martk’d Webinar Series was carefully crafted to give you access to the information and the tools you need to stay sharp.  

This six episode series is hosted by Yellowbrick’s own Dion Walcott and includes heavy hitters like Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, Alexander John, Dee Wells, Sean Williams, Treis Hill, Katrinaa Lopes, Jayscale, Mac, Cheresse Thornhill, and Liz Connelly. 

Episode 6, has been rescheduled and a new date will be announced shortly. You can check back for update information or follow the Yellowbrick social channels for more information. In the meantime, you can register for access to the recap playlist of episodes 1-5 by adding your email to the “Register Now” field above. 

Keeping Creative During Quarantine w/ Leah McSweeney

Yellowbrick on May 18, 2020

Trying to stay busy while the world is at a standstill isn’t easy. The Coronavirus pandemic shut down major parts of the world and many people are at home, trying to figure out next steps. For creatives like Leah McSweeney, staying motivated and active in her craft isn’t easy. McSweeney is the founder of Married to the Mob, a popular streetwear brand for women. MTTM has been around since 2004. Despite the current situation, McSweeney successfully relaunched the MTTM brand last month with new designs and products. Aside from being a mom, a designer, and a RHONY, she is a contributor in the Complex x Parsons Streetwear Essentials program. She sat down and gave us a few insider tips and some solid insight into owning and running a streetwear brand.

McSweeney recently sat down for a Live ZOOM conversation with the Yellowbrick team. She discussed everything from how she launched MTTM NYC to how she stays motivated, creative, and most importantly, SANE during the current pandemic situation. If you missed the live chat, drop your email below for the full replay link. 

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Sneakerschool Grad Jae Tips Gives Us An Inside Look At His Passion for Sneakers

Yellowbrick on May 18, 2020

When you have a passion for sneakers, finding a career in the industry seems like a stretch. Sneakerschool grad John Cotton, aka @JaeTips, is a sneakerhead at heart. His love for sneakers has been a thing since he was a kid. As he got older, he found ways to turn his passion into profit so that he could potentially pursue a career in the sneaker industry. 

He decided to try his hand at sneaker design and headed over to the Nike Bespoke lab in New York City. There, with the help of the designers (who are also Sneakerschool students),  he brought his sneaker idea to life. He created his iconic 1 of 1 shoe. His “Air Tips” design is one for the books and has been the talk of the town since its creation. As a final project, students have to create an unboxing video and Jae Tips used his famed Bespoke 1 of 1 for his presentation. We bumped into John at ComplexCon Chicago this past summer (pre-Air Tips) and watching him grow through his sneaker passion into potential designer status is dope. 

In this live ZOOM, he tells us all about his sneaker journey, shows off his unboxing final Sneakerschool project, and answers viewer questions about how to turn your passion into a career. ICYMI, drop your email in the section below to hear the whole convo. If a career in the sneaker industry is something you want to know more about, visit Yellowbrick.co/sneakers for info. 

Students get insider access to key areas of the industry with 45+ on-demand video lessons, and build real-world skills through self-paced projects and simulations.

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Ayesha Curry Talks “Following Your Passion” with Chris ‘Coseezy’ Strachan

Yellowbrick on May 18, 2020

Exclusive Conversation: Pursue Your Passion w/ Ayesha Curry and Chris ‘Coseezy’ Strachan.

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Ayesha Curry is a very busy woman. From cooking shows to restaurants to baby shoes to a new magazine, she is truly the personification of the phrase “pursue your passion.” In addition to her many personal projects popping off, she is super-focused when it comes to giving back to the community of Oakland and she stays true to her goals at all times. 

Mrs. Curry recently spoke with Chris ‘Coseezy’ Strachan and gave us all some gems to consider when pursuing your passion.  Throughout the conversation, she gave us quite a few tips. She talked everything from her favorite recipes to launching her magazine “Sweet July” to her Fempire series on EllenTube to all of the workings of eatlearnplay.org, and balancing family with work. Speaking of which, Stephen Curry dropped in for a mid-conversation cameo as well. Oh and Ayesha may or may not be dropping a new cookbook in September….stay tuned!

Thanks to Ayesha and Coseezy for this entertaining conversation, and for giving us all inspiration to “pursue your passion.” If you missed the live stream, drop your email address above to get a link to the full replay.

Sharifa Murdock Shares Her Journey to ENVSN

Yellowbrick on May 12, 2020

Planning and organizing a large scale event is not an easy task. ENVSNFest co-founder, Sharifa Murdock is one of the best in the business. She is responsible for planning, organizing, and executing a variety of large events and trade shows around the country. Events and trade shows cover a small area in the hospitality industry that caters to M.I.C.E., meetings, incentives, conferencing, and exhibitions. M.I.C.E. is a niche area in the hospitality industry that focuses a variety of events and ENVSNFest falls into that category.  

Sharifa has solid experience in the fashion, music, and hospitality (event planning) industries with an insane ability to bring her visions to life. She recently sat down with us to discuss what her journey to creating ENVSNFest was like and how she was able to make it happen. If you missed it, submit your email below to get the webinar recap of Journey to ENVSNFest w/ Sharifa Murdock.

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Offset Debuts For LAUNDERED WORKS CORP | FW2020

Yellowbrick on March 4, 2020

Fashion Week presentations give us an inside look at season’s hottest looks. This week’s FW Paris lineup included an A-list crowd with plenty of fashionably fresh fits. Brands like LAUNDERED WORKS CORP.  had a few runway tricks up their sleeve. Their show delivered an impressive capsule that featured a ready-to-wear collection designed by Grammy-nominated rapper, Offset. Offset put his footprint in the fashion world by lending his creativity to design pieces for this collection.

“Designing my own clothes has been a fulfilling experience to express my love for fashion. My collection represents success from scratch, meaning starting from poverty was a part of my path to luxury. Never forget where you come from.” – Offset

This FW 2020 endeavor was designed in collaboration with creative director Chaz A. Jordan and ØPUS Brand Studios founder and head of luxury streetwear brand IH NOM UH NIT, OmarJohnson. The end result is a perfect marriage of Hip-Hop and luxury fashion. The trio came together for a myriad of reasons but the most important was to bring business, music, and design together. The simplicity of these designs make these pieces the perfect addition to Fall 2020 closets. The neutral colorway makes the collection easy to style and integrate into an existing wardrobe. The collection includes staple pieces like t-shirts and sweatshirts but shows love to more elaborate pieces like fur coats and two-piece suits. There was close attention to detail when it came to material selection. Since sustainability is a thing, they implemented a recycled cotton basics program into the design construction as well. 

“The F/W 2020 collection serves as a visual and tangible representation of my life’s work until now. The balance of my experiences and world travels over the past 10 years expressed through what we are defining as the new luxury ready-to-wear.” – Chaz A. Jordan

What is a good fit without accessories?

The fellas know that accessories are a must so they incorporated them into the collection as well. They worked with Their Italian factories to design a selection of hats, footwear, and a handbag to compliment the looks. Check out some of the collection below and visit launderedworkscorp.com to shop.

“Both Offset and Chaz have unbelievable creative taste and the influence to seismically move culture. Partnering with them to build a fashion brand from the ground up is why we started Opus. They have the ability to understand what the community wants. We’re here to build the business behind it.” – Omar Johnson

Taking design ideas and bringing them to life is no easy task. Visit Yellowbrick.co/streetwear to find out how you can get started.

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Otis x Jeff Staple Launch Investment Shares of the Nike SB Dunks Collection

Yellowbrick on March 4, 2020

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Sneaker Culture comes with a lot of moving parts. It’s not just about what’s trending and what’s dropping at the moment. The sneaker industry is a booming business and there are a lot of ways to cash in. When you mix history and actual factual epic moments in, these are the things that make sneaker culture what it is. There are many players involved, brands behind the madness and stories to be told. We’ve watched buying sneakers turn into a “thing”, sneaker releases become like holidays and feelings described as being “like Jordans on Saturdays”. When did that happen? Sneaker culture is evident in all aspects of our lives and it is important to keep up with its evolution. Jeff and Otis have teamed up to take sneaker culture to another level. 

Jeff Staple, the founder and creative director of Staple Design, plays an integral role in sneaker culture, and so does Otis. They both are pioneers in areas of sneaker culture that have pushed the needle up on the culture-o-meter. The two have paired up to launch shares of the Nike SB Dunks Collection. 

Wait. Shares? 

Yep. Shares!

The Nike SB Dunks Collection is now available for purchase via the Otis App. The collection includes 5 famed Nike SB lows that have impacted sneaker history in some way shape or form. The NYC Pigeon, Heineken Dunks, What the Dunk, Raygun Dunks, and the first all suede Bison dunks are all available at $25 per share and there are 1,000 shares available for purchase. Jeff is a major Sneakerhead and he handpicked the pairs for this collection. 

Aside from the actual sneakers, the Otis x fnnch collection is also up for grabs. Each share costs $40 and there are 1,000 shares up for grabs. This collection is a series of custom-commissioned artworks by San Francisco’s street artist fnnch. His works include Three Cans of LaCroix, Greatest Hits, and Sneakers. Oddly enough, the Sneakers paintings are his personal rendition of the Nike SB Dunks from the collection. 

Sneakers have become more than just footwear, they are an investment. Whether it’s a purchase of shares on the Otis app or getting a job in the sneaker industry, there’s more to sneaker culture than meets the eye. For more information on how you can turn your passion for sneakers into cash, visit Sneaker Essentials dot com. 

_Template – Webinar Recap

Yellowbrick on March 2, 2020

Exclusive Conversation: Exploring the Intersection Between Hospitality and Sneakers.

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Explore all angles of the sneaker business – from design through sale – with this online program from FIT, featuring Complex and leaders from across the sneaker world.

Students get insider access to key areas of the industry with 45+ on-demand video lessons, and build real-world skills through self-paced projects and simulations.

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