COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Designer Brands
Inc. (NYSE: DBI), parent of shoe retailer DSW Designer Shoe
Warehouse, announced today an investment of $2 million into advancing action-oriented
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion through a partnership with
Pensole and legendary footwear designer Dr. D'Wayne Edwards,
President of Pensole Lewis College of
Business & Design (PLC). Located in Detroit, PLC is the first and only
Historically Black College & University (HBCU) in Michigan and the first HBCU with a focus on
design. PLC, formerly known as the Lewis
College of Business, is expected to reopen in May 2022.
In this new partnership, Designer Brands will invest in the
first Black-owned footwear factory in the
United States – JEMS by Pensole – to produce shoes designed
by PLC graduate students, to be sold exclusively at DSW.
"We see the footwear industry lacking effective representation
by people of color, specifically Blacks, and this $2 million investment will address root causes to
remove barriers," said Designer Brands Chief Executive Officer
Roger Rawlins. "Blacks
represent less than five percent of those across all design
industries, thus lacking much-needed diversity. Designer Brands and
DSW's commitment with Pensole will create a U.S.-based shoe
factory, with the goal of all work leading to the launch of Black
designers' brands inside of DSW."
"The footwear industry needs more diversity. The partnership we
are entering into with Designer Brands and DSW is a new business
model that truly empowers the consumer to influence the industry
toward that goal," said Dr. Edwards. "Together with Pensole,
Designer Brands and DSW will provide designers opportunities to
offer new products directly to consumers. Along the way we will
create careers and invest in talented aspiring designers to become
the future of our industry."
JEMS stands for "Jan Ernst Matzeliger Studio" – itself named in
honor of the Black footwear pioneer who in 1883 received a patent
that revolutionized footwear manufacturing, a process that inspired
methods the industry still uses today. With Black History Month in
February, Designer Brands has embraced "MORE THAN A MONTH" as the
symbolic theme to recognize and pay homage to Black innovators and
providing opportunities for designers of color. From now through
Matzeliger's birthday on September
15, DSW will chronicle the opening of JEMS by Pensole and
production of its first shoes.
About Designer Brands
Designer Brands is one of
North America's largest designers,
producers, and retailers of footwear and accessories. Designer
Brands operates a portfolio of retail concepts in nearly 700
locations under the DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse®, The Shoe
Company®, and Shoe Warehouse® banners. Designer Brands designs and
produces footwear and accessories through Camuto Group, a leading
manufacturer selling in more than 5,400 stores worldwide. Camuto
Group owns licensing rights for the Jessica Simpson® footwear
business and footwear and handbag licenses for Lucky Brand®. In
partnership with a joint venture with Authentic Brands Group,
Designer Brands also owns a stake in Vince Camuto®, Louise et Cie®,
and others. More information can be found at
www.designerbrands.com.
About Pensole Lewis College of
Business and Design (PLC)
The Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design will become
the nation's first-ever reinstated HBCU. Founded by Dr. D'Wayne
Edwards, the founder of the PENSOLE Design Academy in Detroit, PLC will resurrect the Lewis College of Business in Detroit. Beginning in May 2022, PENSOLE Design Academy, in
collaboration with the College for Creative
Studies (CCS), will offer programs across design,
sustainability, business, STEM, and more, serving young Black
creatives across industries. For more information, please visit
www.pensolelewiscollege.com.
For further information:
Designer Brands Media
Relations
mediarelations@dswinc.com
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995
Certain statements in this press release
may constitute forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking
statements by the use of forward-looking words such as "outlook,"
"goals," "could," "believes," "expects," "potential," "continues,"
"may," "will," "should," "would," "seeks," "approximately,"
"predicts," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "anticipates," or the
negative version of those words or other comparable words. These
statements are based on Designer Brands' current expectations and
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors
that may cause actual achievements to be materially different from
those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks
and other factors that could cause our performance and achievement
to differ materially from our expectations are described in
Designer Brands' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended January 30, 2021, and risk
factors identified in the Company's other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements
speak only as of the time when made. Except as may be required by
law, Designer Brands undertakes no obligation to update or revise
the forward-looking statements included in this press release to
reflect any future events or circumstances.
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SOURCE Designer Brands Inc.