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BMW and Louis Vuitton’s 2014 collaboration is reportedly considered the most sought-after brand collaboration ever. Through its research, women’s online retailer Public Desire determined the top 10 collaborations by analyzing various factors, including original price, resale value , price growth, accessibility, and public interest. According to information provided to AFROTECH™, the company then calculated a composite score for each collaboration, which was ranked in descending order based on its performance across these criteria. With a composite score of 98.0, the BMX x Louis Vuitton collaboration, which produced highly exclusive luxury luggage, had the highest growth in resale value. When BMW announced the collaboration, Adrian van Hooydonk, senior vice president of BMW Group Design, highlighted the use of CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced polymer) in the company’s i8 sports car as an example of its “intelligent lightweight construction philosophy.” “BMW and Louis Vuitton share both...
Aaron Walton is the CEO and founder of the award-winning ad agency Walton Isaacson. He is celebrated for his extensive work with renowned brands and celebrities, establishing himself as a true trailblazer in the art of collaboration. Walton began his career as a marketing executive for the food and beverage giant Pepsico and went on to create his own company, Aaron Walton Entertainment (AWE). He later sold AWE in 2002 to Omnicom Group’s DAS Division. This transaction resulted in Walton being appointed president of Omnicom’s Radiate Entertainment Group, driving exponential growth across numerous agencies. With his knowledge, Walton shared how he successfully created major opportunities to transform traditional advertising practices by embedding them with cultural insight and innovation. On Nov. 14, during the AFROTECH 2024 Conference, Walton spoke about challenging the practice of collaborating with the same people within the same industries. While aligning with brands for successful...
The founders of Eastside Golf continue to build on their momentum in the golf apparel space while staying true to their roots. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, Morehouse College graduates Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper founded the brand without a fashion background in 2019 after working full-time in corporate America. The company boasts products such as polo shirts, sweatshirts, pants, shoes, and accessories including bags, all tailored towards men and women. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eastside Golf (@eastsidegolf) Beyond the product offerings, the founders have continued to pave their own way through their mission that centers moving the sport forward among the youth and non-golfers while increasing diversity in a predominantly white sport. Their vision has led to an increase in support as they scaled their annual revenue from $100,000 in their first year to $4 million in 2023. They kicked off 2024 with a $3.4 million raise led by EP Golf Ventures, and the...
Jackie Aina has inked the first co-branded collaboration for her lifestyle company, Forvr Mood. Aina’s Forvr Mood and Canadian whisky brand Crown Royal have created a limited-edition Crown Royal Blackberry x Forvr Mood candle, which will be available for purchase online and at the Crown Royal Blackberry Stand (a lemonade stand, but make it adult ), per a press release. Throughout her career as an influencer, Aina has amassed more than 3.5 million YouTube subscribers. She has also worked with major beauty brands, from Anastasia Beverly Hills and Sephora to Fenty Beauty. Aina’s made a name for herself as a Black woman within an extremely competitive industry. However, she will rarely turn down the opportunity to use her platform to amplify and support other Black women, and this recent partnership is no different. While attendees sip Crown Royal Blackberry and shop the Forvr Mood candle, Crown Royal is also collaborating the nonprofit Black Girl Ventures Foundation by providing a...
At the center of Gap’s ethos is a commitment to individuality, creativity and self-expression. And while the company points to one’s fashion sense as a surefire way to incorporate all three into one’s life, it has also intentionally sought ways to ensure that consumers can see their style and values reflected in the brand as well. The Hip-Hop generation will likely recall first becoming aware of Gap’s desire to connect with the culture in 1997, with the iconic LL Cool J commercial. Today, the company continues to foster those cultural moments through unique brand collaborations, and by making sure that those tasked with spearheading these initiatives are people who truly get what these moments can mean when properly executed. “Gap is one of the world’s most beloved brands. People know and love Gap because at our best, we do more than sell clothes. We create conversations,” says Brigid Andrews, who leads the company’s partnerships and collaborations. “By blending creativity with...
Superstar will.i.am and Mercedes-AMG corporation have prepared to take the innovation of vehicles — and students of disadvantaged communities — to the next level. During the Formula 1™ Grand Prix USA Weekend, the two have reimagined collaboration through “The Flip,” a revolutionary automotive structure. With the one-off vehicle — named WILL.I.AMG — Mercedes AMG and will.i.am are putting the visual behind pushing boundaries to drive new ideas forward. “I grew up in a ghetto. I grew up with hip hop. I watched legendary hip hop artist rap about Mercedes, so it was always a dream to own a Mercedes. For a lot of inner-city kids, owning a Mercedes is a symbol of progress and advancing out of struggle,” said will.i.am in an exclusive statement. “Now I’ve reached my goal and pushed even higher by re-imagining and creating my own vision of an AMG model. But I didn’t touch the engine, because AMG really does make the best engines. The story of the founders of AMG truly inspires me and it is...
If you’ve been tapped into the news for any amount of time, you’ve seen performative moments by companies and cultural figures that are good in spirit but don’t move the needle toward advancing equity for all. Whether it’s kneeling with Kente cloth or singing the Black National Anthem, these moments are appreciated but are rarely the type of progress desired for the cause of social justice. Medallia , however, isn’t lining up with the model of performative allyship. Support for underrepresented communities must be more than mere expressions and ill-guided funding. It must be intentional. Medallia is committed to this work with internal programming like ERGs and collaboration with external partners to offer necessary resources to its employees. A recent partnership Medallia has engaged in is with Mandy Bynum , co-creator of the Race Equ(al)ity Index and CEO of BLCK VC. AfroTech had the opportunity to gather some keen insight from Bynum to learn more about this progressive asset. The...
When the world of toys and fashion collide, one might find Barbie sporting Balmain! The New York Times reports that French high fashion house Balmain and the world’s favorite plastic doll Barbie will team up for its very own non-fungible token (NFT) collection. This marks new territory in the digital space, designed with toys in mind, but there isn’t a doll involved.