Young Black Entrepreneurs

The black lives matter movement has inspired many young black entrepreneurs to chase their dreams, shining a light on black talent and opening doors for them all over the globe. And the owner of new sneaker brand school, is looking to make his way into the sneaker market.

The school footwear (@schoolfootwear) brand was born from the mind of Tom Young. A Londoner of Caribbean descent, is a shoe designer heavily influenced by 80’s and 90’s all-american nostalgia. The varsity jackets, the denim, the music but especially, the sneakers.

So much so, that as a kid, when he couldn’t afford the pairs he wanted, he’d resort to making them from old socks, inner soles and masking tape.

Years later, not much has changed. Except now he’s creating actual sneakers. Sneakers that echo the golden-era aesthetic of the bigger brands but, at a much fairer more accessible price point.

This is a brand built out of a desire to disrupt the chokehold on golden era throwbacks by creating a version that everyone can get their hands on. A version that holds its quality, has a steady supply and doesn’t cost you hundreds of dollars.

The first shoe set to emerge from school and it’s ethos will be the Marathon 1. A beautifully crafted sneaker that takes you back to that golden era, timeless aesthetic. It takes influences from the Huarache, Air Max 90, Reebok classic and the ‘waffle runner’ made famous by Nike back in the day. The school name comes from the designer’s love of the old school but also, the era in which he fell in love with sneakers as a school kid and also the influence of 80’s American high school culture. It’s an amalgamation of different nostalgic influences merged into a single recognisable brand name and logo. It took little over a year for this show to be born and Tom has fallen in love with the process. And this is just the beginning. When these first shoes hit the market there will be more to come as school aims to expand to high tops and other styles of sneakers as the brand progresses in the market.

But it’s their affordability without compromising on quality of build.

It will be a slow start from this brand new sneaker startup but with a goal to produce lots of sneakers for the masses so everyone can get a chance to own a pair.

So if you want well made, timeless sneakers, that are supremely comfortable, lightweight and won’t punk your pocket money, then school is a brand you’ll want to get behind.