Latest news with #Gee'sBendQuilters
Forbes
03-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Adidas Understood The Assignment: How The Sports Brand Is Honoring Black Excellence
adidas 2025 HBE honoree Gee's Bend Quilters, Jaycina Almond and Sekou Thornell The city of Atlanta has long been the "Mecca" of Black American enterprise and culture. Major corporations across various industries, such as The Coca-Cola Company and Delta Air Lines, call the city home and invest millions into the local culture and economy. Adidas and creative visionaries Rog & Bee Walker of Paper Monday brought together Black cultural leaders, artists, athletes, and community voices for Honoring Black Excellence (HBE): An Experience Curated by Rog & Bee Walker—a bold and immersive capstone activation at Guardian Works. This immersive event is more than just a fleeting corporate marketing campaign for the global sportswear giant; it is an investment into Black voices, community, and historical reverence. Walking into the Guardian, attendees immediately notice Rog & Bee Walker's intent to transform the space into a living narrative. Combining the aesthetics of a gallery with audiovisual, live performances and archival elements. The journey began with a short film shown in an intimate white room, bringing complete focus and attention to the powerful stories of the HBE honorees. From there, attendees naturally flowed into an open-concept space where small interactive installations representing the story of each honoree could be seen and experienced. Launched in 2019, the HBE initiative has transformed from a one-time event to adidas's dedicated platform to celebrate Black leaders who are shaping culture and driving change nationally. This year honors a trio of Black creatives that represent a new generation of entrepreneurs focused on community and 2025 HBE honoree Gee's Bend Quilters The Enduring Legacy of The Gee's Bend Quilters To fully comprehend the gravity of this moment, one must travel to the small community of Gee's Bend, Alabama also known as "Boykin". This isolated community nestled within a bend of the Alabama River, was established by enslaved people brought by the Gee family in the 19th century. Similar to the Geechee people of the Carolinas, the women of Gee's Bend are internationally known for their quilt-making. For generations, these women have transformed scraps of common fabrics into works of art. Initially a necessity for Black families post-slavery- these quilts became symbols of resilience, ingenuity, and abstract artistic masterpieces. Adidas's inclusion of The Gee's Bend Quilters in the HBE initiative acknowledges their artistic, historical, and economic impact. With this collaboration, adidas is introducing the Gee's Bend culture to new audiences worldwide. Proving that the intricate and abstract quilts of Gee's Bend aren't just a relic of the past but a tradition that is living in the present and inspiring the New Faces of Community-Driven Entrepreneurship: Jaycina Almond and Sekou Thornel adidas 2025 HBE honoree Jaycina Almond While Gee's Bend represents the deep-seated roots of Black culture Jaycina Almond and Sekou Thornell represent the growing branches of that Black culture tree. Almond, is a model who used her visibility and platform to launch The Tender Foundation, a non-profit that provides a safety net for single mothers in Atlanta. 39.8% of the city's households are headed by single mothers, who make only 52% of what single fathers earn. Jaycina is an example of how one individual can change the lives of those around her. She has actively changed her title from model to role model. adidas 2025 HBE honoree Sekou Thronell Thornell is making space in the sports world with Kitboys Club by challenging traditional narratives in the new and growing American soccer ethos. He's reimagining the aesthetics of the sport by weaving Atlanta's vibrant and unique urban culture into the very fabric of the sport. Kitboys Club is proving to represent more than just an athletics clothing line, but a blueprint on how to make soccer more accessible and culturally relevant to underrepresented faces of the game. Together Almond and Thornel represent the intersection of authenticity and innovation leading to their well-deserved of adidas 2025 HBE Capstone Rog & Bee Walker The Art of Authentic Storytelling Centering this celebration of Black excellence is Rog & Bee Walker. Adidas has entrusted this creative duo with bringing the legacy and impact of the three honorees to life. These multidisciplinary artists are notable for their ability to authentically capture the Black American experience in all of its many facets and complexities by blending visual production, web development, and creative storytelling. Using The HBE capstone event as a medium the Walkers have given a masterclass on authentic engagement and celebration. Trusting Rog & Bee shows that adidas is willing to go beyond the normal corporate playbook. It was obvious that the global brand wanted to craft an event that was more than just branding, but an experience grounded in connection, dialogue, and investments into the Black creative ecosystem. Generating €23.7 ($27.8) billion in sales in 2024, adidas's commitment to continuing The HBE capstone shows that the company understands its responsibility to not just provide a platform but to listen and put its money where it will have maximum impact. This year's Honoring Black Excellence experience in Atlanta was one to remember and more than a capstone event. It was the collision of past and present, the new and traditional and corporate and cultural interests.
Hypebeast
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Inside adidas' Ode to Black Excellence
By Erin Ikeuchi Under the roof of a former perfumery along Atlanta's Westside Beltline, adidas gathered hundreds of artists, athletes, musicians, writers, designers and leaders for the final act of its Honoring Black Excellence (HBE) capstone – an ode to the cultural architects at the helm Black creativity, innovation and brilliance. The iconic three stripes have long understood the transformative power of teamwork and sportsmanship, and in recent years its taken its steadfast commitment to community and social impact off the pitch and into the wider cultural bloodstream. Launched in 2019, HBE initiative has become a pivtal platofrm platform for the brand, honoring Black voices shaping today's creative and social landscapes. A cross between experience and exhibition, this year's edition unfolded as an embodiment of memory and momentum. Centered around the theme of 'Pathways & Pipelines,' the event spotlighted those who not only preserve legacy, but voices who are pave the way forward. To curate the event, adidas tapped Rog & Bee Walker, the duo behind Paper Monday, to transform the sprawling, industrial space with their sublime visual language, bringing their love for narrative and storytelling into a new, experiential dimension. The night featured a tender short film directed by the Walkers, alongside a series of immersive installations — a mosaic of the honorees' iridescent worlds: A willow shades over the belles of Gee's Bend Quilters, the Alabama-based collective whose quilted odes to Black Southern life sit at the heart of American art history; testimonials from mothers who have been impacted by Jaycina Almond's Tender Foundation, a grassroots rewriting narratives around single Black motherhoods, sing from the cozy, corner nursery. Elsewhere, framed jerseys's from Sekou Thornell's label Kitboys Club sits beside a stack of lockers. Fueled by his love of the game, Thornell blends streetwear and soccer to empower the new wave of Black creatives, both on and off the field. Peppered throughout the space are portraits taken by the Walker's — tender captures screen-printed on sheer veils of fabric, catching the light as if exhaling with the room itself. The images serve as a visual throughline, threading each installation with a dignity that doesn't just captures its subjects, but holds them tight. Ahead of the HBE Capstone Experience, we caught up with Rog & Bee to discuss their practice and the vision that brought it all together. 1 of 9 2 of 9 3 of 9 4 of 9 5 of 9 6 of 9 7 of 9 8 of 9 9 of 9 'It's definitely a balancing act, and what we do together is greater than the sum of our parts.' How would you describe your practice in your own words? Rog Walker: Visual storytelling sums it up. We use photography, film and pretty much any medium to capture identity, which is at the core of our work. It's about exploring our stories and the stories of people around us. Bee Walker: Through working we've discovered other dimensions of our practice that maybe weren't initially intended, but are so beautiful to see. This whole HBE event has turned into 100's of people coming out to Atlanta to screen the film and see the photographs and meet the featured honorees – that element of our work has been really surprising. It's amplified really beautiful messages and it's become a really important part of it all. What are you respective backgrounds and how have those paths led you to where you are today? RW: Bee's been taking photos since she was like 13, whereas I started kind of late. I come from a standard, working-class family, and photography was not a choice that was even allowed. There was a lot of backlash, but it only made me want to pursue it even more – to tell my story and explore this path. BW: To be honest, I wouldn't call my background a creative one either. I did start taking pictures young because my father bought me a camera, but when I met Rog, it coalesced into something that we both loved doing and we just grew from there. It's been such an amazing journey. 1 of 8 2 of 8 3 of 8 4 of 8 5 of 8 6 of 8 7 of 8 8 of 8 'True collaboration starts with the trust that someone believes in your vision, even if you've never done it before.' As both creative and life partners, how do you strike a balance when approaching a new project? RW: Just taking a step back, our personalities are so different: Bee is really outgoing and I don't like talking to people, whereas I'm really technical and she just doesn't like to fuss with that stuff. Our personalities just mesh well. But, also we fell in love with each other and with photography at a time when there was a lot of excitement. I remember running around on the street with our friends, and so many things were happening at that time, and we just loved it. We were exploring culture and having fun, which made it easy to collaborate. BW: It's definitely a balancing act, and what we do together is greater than the sum of our parts. It helps me stay focused and when I drop off a little bit, I always remember that none of this would be possible if it weren't for both of us or our whole family now being a part of it. 1 of 8 2 of 8 3 of 8 4 of 8 5 of 8 6 of 8 7 of 8 8 of 8 How has your experience running Paper Monday inform your curatorial vision for this event, and the immersive installations within them? RW: The adidas Purpose team reached to see if we wanted to curate the event, and though we'd never done this before, we saw how these stories are more than pictures, they're real narratives. It was a matter of research, we were looking at Carrie Mae Weems, Tyler Mitchell and grasping onto different elements. True collaboration starts with the trust that someone believes in your vision, even if you've never done it before. Courtesy of adidas. Event photography by Yvette Glasco. Portraits by Rog & Bee Walker.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
3rd annual Trussville Heritage Days set for April 1-6
TRUSSVILLE, Ala. (Trussville Tribune) — The Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation is getting set to host its third annual Heritage Days festival, celebrating Trussville's historic district, from April 1-6. The weeklong event will feature Alabama artists painting the historic area, the Gee's Bend Quilters, music at The Gateway, historic home tours, and more. Most events are free to the public. Heritage Days will kick off on Tuesday, April 1 with the Alabama Plein Air Artists painting scenes across the Cahaba Project neighborhood, which they will do throughout the week. Trussville will then welcome the Gee's Bend Quilters, who share a unique Great Depression origin with the Cahaba Project, for a free meet and greet at the library on Thursday, April 3 at 6 p.m. The quilters will then host a two-day quilting workshop Friday, April 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday, April 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Trussville Public Library. This year, workshop participants can choose to attend Friday only, Saturday only, or both days. Tickets are $50 per workshop day. On Friday, April 4 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., country music singer/songwriters Adam Craig, Ray Fulcher, and Jordan Walker will take the stage at the Trussville Entertainment District. Maps show when allergy season will peak in Alabama Craig has written songs recorded by Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Montgomery Gentry, Parmalee, George Strait, Kane Brown, and Cody Johnson, among others. Fulcher has co-written six No. 1 songs and has had more than 25 songs recorded by Luke Combs, along with cuts by Chris Young, Zac Brown Band, Riley Green, Kameron Marlowe, and Dillon Carmichael, among others. Walker, formerly of the country music duo Walker McGuire, has had songs recorded by Combs, Johnson, Brown, Cold Swindell, Jordan Davis, Trace Adkins, and Drew Baldridge, among others. He was a co-writer on the multi-week No. 1 single 'When It Rains, It Pours' by Combs, which has been certified by RIAA as a diamond single. On Sunday, April 6, attendees will have the chance to tour four unique Trussville homes–an original four-room cottage, a renovated one-story, a recently renovated two-story home on the Mall, and a new home that embraces its links to the past. The tours will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with parking and check-in at Cahaba Elementary School. Accent Limo will shuttle guests to the homes and back to parking. Tickets are $20 and are available through the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce's website here. This event will also feature two raffle basket giveaways, each totaling $500 worth of gift cards to local businesses. All tickets purchased for the home tour before April 5 are eligible to win the raffle baskets. Tickets may also be purchased at the home tour check-in table on April 6. For more information, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
