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VF brands unveil programme with Pensole for BIPOC students
17 Mar '21
4 min read
Pic: Shutterstock
The Timberland, Vans and The North Face brands of VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, have unveiled a new corporate apprenticeship programme in partnership with Pensole Academy. The programme - DiverCity x Design – is meant to empower Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) students.
The new corporate apprenticeship programme, marking VF Corporation’s commitment to racial equity, will provide Bipoc students access to professional design experience as they learn, create, and build a career in the footwear industry. The mission of the partnership is to invest in the industry's future and create a programme that ensures diversity of thinking and experience. Open enrolment for the programme has begun and will run through March 30, 2021.
The curriculum was developed in partnership with Pensole, a Portland-based footwear design academy, which provides students with the knowledge and experiences required to become well-rounded professional footwear designers. DiverCity x Design will equip students with footwear design principles, product creation process, hands-on experience, professional development training and brand engagement. The top performing students will be granted career mentorship with cultural experiences at each of the brand's headquarter cities.
In the Phase 1, the competitive programme will begin with 27 students attending a three-week online pre-programme that challenges their personal and professional skills. In the Phase 2, 18 of those students will be selected by the brands to enter the eight-week Pensole Masterclass. Here, students will be divided into three teams to present one capstone project that will develop their footwear and retail industry knowledge.
In the Phase 3, top 5 performing students will earn the opportunity to participate in a year-long rotational apprenticeship across each of the brands' headquarters – Timberland in Stratham, NH; Vans in Costa Mesa, CA; and The North Face in Denver, CO – to gain intimate, hands-on knowledge of different cultures and ways of working.
"I have been a consumer of Vans, Timberland and The North Face brands for decades, and it is humbling to see our relationship grow into us working together on such a meaningful programme," Pensole founder D'Wayne Edwards said. "DiverCity x Design is an amazing opportunity to reach consumers where they are and provide them a pathway into our industry unlike what they have been afforded before. Thank you to VF for being a leader in our industry and trusting Pensole with such an important programme that will help shape the future of your company and the lives of your consumers."
In addition to DiverCity x Design, this spring the Timberland brand will launch a youth programme in partnership with Constnt: Dvlpmnt and Pensole Academy. The "Creative Discovery Tools" youth programme will introduce middle-schoolers to careers within the footwear industry through a four-week online footwear and colour design programme. The goal is to scale the programme over the next five years to span middle school, high school, and post K-12 opportunities that focus on developing industry-ready designers.
"Our partnership with the Pensole Academy is part of the work to build a more inclusive and equitable future," explained Chris McGrath, vice president of Global Footwear Design, Timberland. "Through the programme, aspiring Bipoc designers will gain insight and experience that will prepare them to launch into a lifelong career. DiverCity x Design, coupled with our youth programme, creates the platform to nurture talent at a young age, and opens doors for Bipoc student to realise a dream job in a field, and with a brand, that may have felt unattainable."
"As a brand engrained in youth culture and centered around enabling creative expression, we are excited to partner again this year with D'Wayne and the Pensole team. This partnership is not only a great opportunity for us to work closely with creative students and provide them insight into what it's like to work at Vans but we are especially proud to support Pensole's important mission of growing the representation of Black creatives in the footwear industry," Mark Haskins, vice president of Global Footwear Product Design, Vans, said.
"The North Face has always been about encouraging exploration everywhere, from the highest mountains to the city streets," said Jean-Marc Djian, global vice president of Footwear for The North Face. "As we continue to invest in and expand our footwear innovations, we are excited to work with Pensole to create new opportunities for up-and-coming designers, and ensure the creativity, expertise and expression of the designers we work with is as diverse as the communities who use our footwear to explore."
The new corporate apprenticeship programme, marking VF Corporation’s commitment to racial equity, will provide Bipoc students access to professional design experience as they learn, create, and build a career in the footwear industry. The mission of the partnership is to invest in the industry's future and create a programme that ensures diversity of thinking and experience. Open enrolment for the programme has begun and will run through March 30, 2021.
The curriculum was developed in partnership with Pensole, a Portland-based footwear design academy, which provides students with the knowledge and experiences required to become well-rounded professional footwear designers. DiverCity x Design will equip students with footwear design principles, product creation process, hands-on experience, professional development training and brand engagement. The top performing students will be granted career mentorship with cultural experiences at each of the brand's headquarter cities.
In the Phase 1, the competitive programme will begin with 27 students attending a three-week online pre-programme that challenges their personal and professional skills. In the Phase 2, 18 of those students will be selected by the brands to enter the eight-week Pensole Masterclass. Here, students will be divided into three teams to present one capstone project that will develop their footwear and retail industry knowledge.
In the Phase 3, top 5 performing students will earn the opportunity to participate in a year-long rotational apprenticeship across each of the brands' headquarters – Timberland in Stratham, NH; Vans in Costa Mesa, CA; and The North Face in Denver, CO – to gain intimate, hands-on knowledge of different cultures and ways of working.
"I have been a consumer of Vans, Timberland and The North Face brands for decades, and it is humbling to see our relationship grow into us working together on such a meaningful programme," Pensole founder D'Wayne Edwards said. "DiverCity x Design is an amazing opportunity to reach consumers where they are and provide them a pathway into our industry unlike what they have been afforded before. Thank you to VF for being a leader in our industry and trusting Pensole with such an important programme that will help shape the future of your company and the lives of your consumers."
In addition to DiverCity x Design, this spring the Timberland brand will launch a youth programme in partnership with Constnt: Dvlpmnt and Pensole Academy. The "Creative Discovery Tools" youth programme will introduce middle-schoolers to careers within the footwear industry through a four-week online footwear and colour design programme. The goal is to scale the programme over the next five years to span middle school, high school, and post K-12 opportunities that focus on developing industry-ready designers.
"Our partnership with the Pensole Academy is part of the work to build a more inclusive and equitable future," explained Chris McGrath, vice president of Global Footwear Design, Timberland. "Through the programme, aspiring Bipoc designers will gain insight and experience that will prepare them to launch into a lifelong career. DiverCity x Design, coupled with our youth programme, creates the platform to nurture talent at a young age, and opens doors for Bipoc student to realise a dream job in a field, and with a brand, that may have felt unattainable."
"As a brand engrained in youth culture and centered around enabling creative expression, we are excited to partner again this year with D'Wayne and the Pensole team. This partnership is not only a great opportunity for us to work closely with creative students and provide them insight into what it's like to work at Vans but we are especially proud to support Pensole's important mission of growing the representation of Black creatives in the footwear industry," Mark Haskins, vice president of Global Footwear Product Design, Vans, said.
"The North Face has always been about encouraging exploration everywhere, from the highest mountains to the city streets," said Jean-Marc Djian, global vice president of Footwear for The North Face. "As we continue to invest in and expand our footwear innovations, we are excited to work with Pensole to create new opportunities for up-and-coming designers, and ensure the creativity, expertise and expression of the designers we work with is as diverse as the communities who use our footwear to explore."
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