NBA Veteran Langston Galloway and wife Sabrina share experience building company after taking Sneaker Essentials course

Sarah Wahl on December 13, 2022

Langston and Sabrina Galloway visited the Business of Sports School, a public career-based high school in New York City, to share their journey creating their sneaker brand, Ethics, and to hold a basketball clinic for students.

Langston started his NBA career with the New York Knicks in 2015 and has played for several NBA and NBA G League teams since, including three years with the Detroit Pistons. 

Just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, Langston took the FIT x Complex Sneaker Essentials course which inspired him to launch his brand.

Learn more about how Langston and Sabrina are giving back to the community in the video below, produced by CloseUp360.

How FIT x Complex Sneaker Essentials helped launch Ethics sneaker brand

On his experience taking Sneaker Essentials, Langston says, “[Yellowbrick was] one of the experiences that changed my life in business for the better. While finishing up the program, we had a scheduled meeting with a school in NYC. And at that exact timing, our whole world shut down. Really made me realize that tomorrow isn’t promised, and that I want to leave a legacy behind that my kids will be able to be a part of going forward in their life. The idea was born of Ethics and building a new lane! Something different that the Underdogs In This World Can Believe In!”

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After going to law school, Sabrina switched gears and headed to business school to become better prepared for building their own company. Sabrina credits the FIT x Complex Sneaker Essentials course for teaching Langston shoe design and how to break down the different parts that go into each shoe.

What is FIT x Complex Sneaker Essentials?

Sneaker Essentials is an online certificate course from the Fashion Institute of Technology. The course features experts from Complex and other professionals across the sneaker industry. Sneaker Essentials helps students build expertise in all aspects of the sneaker industry.

The video-based course includes lessons on:

  • Sneaker design and functionality
  • Manufacturing and distribution
  • Brand strategy and marketing
  • Publicity and media
  • Sneaker law

Sneakers Essentials is 100% online and can be taken on demand from anywhere, so students can study at their own pace. Graduates earn a certificate of completion from Fashion Institute of Technology.

Sneaker School Grad Gets A Nod From Forbes 30 Under 30

Yellowbrick on March 18, 2021

Naz, a Sneaker Essentials graduate, recently launched MIDSOLE MAG. MIDSOLE MAG is a women’s digital sneaker-based fashion magazine based in Turkey. She launched the magazine after taking the course and realizing there was an opportunity to tell the stories behind sneakers in Turkey. Naz is a candidate for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. She wrote about her experience in the article below. 

In May 2020, I created an online sneaker-based fashion magazine called
“MIDSOLE MAG”. My biggest reason for creating this magazine was to support women in the sneaker industry and spreading that culture. I started this business with zero budget and in the midst of a pandemic, it became
extremely successful. There is a common misconception that women are not as involved in sneaker culture as men, but that is not true. We have
proven that through having a staff made up entirely of women. Therefore,
I wish to use my career as a tool to highlight that women have long been
a part of the sneaker scene and to give them the recognition that they
deserve.

MIDSOLE MAG is an online magazine (www.midsolemag.com). As a Gen Z’er, I wanted to design something that speaks to my generation and highlights the issues that we face. My generation is known for being “Born with technology,” so an “e-mag” seemed like the perfect place to start. We
have a very active Website and Instagram audience, along with a magazine application called “Dergilik”. Dergilik only accepts well-known
magazines like Vogue, Elle and now MIDSOLE MAG is amongst them. Also, it is the only streetwear magazine in Turkey and without any paid promotion we gained a total of 14K followers in less than six months.

Furthermore, shortly after the first issue, we started to collaborate on
creative projects with global brands such as Nike, Reebok, Converse,
Lacoste and local brands / sneaker stores such as Wunder and Les
Benjamins. Our creative projects include editorials, special edition
issues, collage artworks and illustrations, which showcases how strong
we are on the creative side. We also have commercial arrangements with
Dior, Louis Vuitton, adidas, North Face, Vans and many other global
brands. In our regular issues, there are sections from History to
Beauty. Our mission is to spread the culture and describe what that
means to the communities around us.

Lastly, I was requested to be a panelist for a Complex Networks and
Fashion Institute of Technology partnered a program called “Yellowbrick
Sneaker Essentials.” On October 20th I hosted a webinar about the
“International Woman In The Sneaker Industry” and shared my experiences
as a woman in this industry and gave advice to others who wish to create
a meaningful impact in the sneaker world.

I am beyond proud and honored to be so accomplished in such a short period of time. Also, I am thankful for the people who have supported me along the way.

Yellowbrick Grad Coins ‘Strange on Purpose’ Podcast

Yellowbrick on September 30, 2020

Yellowbrick grads have done some pretty cool things after course completion. They waste no time putting their talents and credentials to work. Whether it’s designing a custom drop for Nike, curating a makeup museum or getting their first writing credit on a song, YB grads are on the ground putting their skills to good use. Sneakerschool grad Izzy Lugo is another dope example. He teamed up with Quentin Allums to craft the  Strange on Purpose podcast.

Strange on Purpose – Urban Misfit Adventures is a podcast that has something for everybody. Hosted by Izzy Lugo / @itsizzylugo and Quentin Allums / @tagjustq, their pod conversations are a great way to “pick people’s brains” simply by listening. Hearing the story of someone’s journey and identifying with the parts that resonate is a key motivator. It is always interesting to hear about a person’s grind, drive and setbacks that got them to where they are today.

One of their most recent guests, Susan Boyle, is an industry expert in Sneaker Essentials. She was one of the experts that Izzy Lugo came across in the course. The 3 met up on the pod for “Women In Sneakers” Episode 9 and had a great conversation about her career experiences. Lugo also reached out to Yellowbrick and scored an episode with Dion Walcott, the VP of Brand Partnerships. Click below to listen to Episode 9 and catch up with all the shows on either Anchor, Spotify, or Apple.

If you are interested in taking your first steps towards the job of your dreams, visit yellowbrick.co to find out how.  

YB Faves: Top 5 Podcasts in Yellowbrick’s Rotation

Yellowbrick on September 29, 2020

If podcasting is something you’ve always wanted to get into, today (well, tomorrow) is the perfect time to start. While blogs and digital publications have flourished, podcasts have become a really cool alternative to sharing content. There are so many to choose from and it is easy to get hooked. When going back and forth to work was a thing, podcasts helped make the commute time a little less tedious. You could listen on the walk to the train, on the train, and on the walk to the office at the push of a button. 

Podcasts are a great way to tell a story and provide detailed information on a variety of topics. The Yellowbrick student, faculty, and industry expert community is stacked with people who are the voices of quite a few podcasts in rotation. Some of Yellowbrick grads, current students, and university faculty are lending their ideas and conversations to some very popular podcasts. Since International Podcast Day is coming up, September 30th, we took some time to compile a list of our favorites below. Each podcast comes with a description with links on where and how you can access them. All of the episodes featured in this post can be listened to at the bottom of the page.

The Complex Sneaker Podcast co-hosted by Joe La Puma, Brendan Dunne, and Matt Welty engage in heavy sneaker conversation. The trio are no strangers to sneakers nor our audience as they are seen as industry experts in the Sneaker Essentials sneaker course. Their latest episode includes an in-depth convo with Gary Aspden, the adidas OG. He talks about meeting Kanye and what it took to create the Spezial. Aside from this latest episode, they have a solid archive of conversations to choose from. Click here to listen. 

Find Your Dream Job podcast by Mac Prichard is a great way to get some solid career advice. If trying to find the job of your dreams is something you have been trying to achieve, this is the podcast for you. This weekly podcast is all about sharing insider hiring info and tips on the job search that could prove to be helpful in any career. His latest episode, How to dine the Side Door at HR features Dana Pratt, the founder of DCP Training and Talent Development. Her company is the go to to help employers with performance consulting, leadership development, and talent management. Click here to listen.

Renaissance Soul podcast hosted by Kelly “K-Fresh” Frazier is the home for all things Detroit hip-hop and music. What launched as a digital hip-hop website back in 2001, is now an audio podcast with the same content just a different output. The pod recently re-launched in August and led with Detroit’s own Dan Charnas, NYU professor and music journalist who is the go-to for all things Detroit/J-Dilla related. To check out the pod and Dan’s episode, click here.

How to Share podcast is a hospitality focused podcast that discusses storytelling, travel, and marketing in the travel industry. Host Amy Draheim is a marketing maven in the hotel industry and presents new and innovative ways to market hotels and travel destinations. Drahiem also owns and creates content for The Traveler’s Journey, which provides blogging tips, trip storytelling, and how to make the most of your IG feed when traveling. She recently sat down with Moniqua Lane to discuss how she started in hospitality, her efforts to create one-of-a-kind guest experiences, and her efforts to keep her property open despite the current vibe of the country. Click here to listen.

Unravel is a weekly podcast operated by Dana Goodin, Jasmine Helm and Joy Davis. The trio create content that is geared towards educating people about the importance of fashion in the history and current culture of the world. One of their goals is to encourage conversation about these topics within their digital platform community. They are women with a plethora of scholarly knowledge and do a great job of presenting it to their audience. Their goals are to, “collaborate with experts, in their field, to expand the conversation, speak beyond the canon of traditional fashion media and history, and be on the “frontline” of solidifying fashion history as a serious subject to study and learn”. Click here to listen.

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