Dirty Soles Footwear Group: Walk the Walk
Dirty Soles Footwear Group has created a solid ecosystem of support for aspiring students and the community by using the “Art of Shoe Making” to ensure that younger generations are able to walk the walk in the footwear industry, and beyond. Dirty Soles made their footprint in the city of Newark, and continue to leave an impact on future entrepreneurs and business men/women.
Check out our interview with T.Strong, Co-Founder and CEO of Dirty Soles Footwear Group to see how they do it!
Photo credit: T. Strong, Co-Founder & CEO - Dirty Soles Footwear Group
When did you discover your passion for fashion?
Throughout my childhood and college years, I was drawn to fashion and style. I always instinctively knew I would have a career in the industry. When I was about 8 years old, I told my Mother I wanted to be “a shopper” for a living. Fast forward about 15 years, ironically one of my first career experiences was as a Corporate Retail Buyer in NYC, which essentially allowed me to “shop” for a living. My words became manifest and I’ve been dedicated to building a legacy in this space for the majority of my professional career. From modeling and fashion journalism to building merchandising teams, diversity equity and inclusion work for fashion brands, I feel fortunate to still be able to see so many of my career dreams coming true every day.
Photo credit: Cory Strong, Co-Founder & CFO - Dirty Soles Footwear Group
How has the “Art of Shoe Making” impacted the black community?
The "Art of Shoe Making” is an educational program created by Dirty Soles Footwear Group (DSFG) in 2019. When we developed the curriculum, we knew that by providing this knowledge we would open a doorway for others striving towards a career in footwear design and manufacturing—an industry that black and brown people have been historically left out of. This inequality is not a new challenge within the fashion and footwear industries so we created our course in an effort to be the change. We have learned that by offering a learning experience that expresses and encourages individuality through the physical art of shoe making, our students dare to dream bigger. That is the ultimate goal.
We use our love of shoes and over two decades of professional experience to teach the next generation of students in our community about the footwear industry. At the same time, we have been able to reignite our students' creativity, helping them find inspiration and new potential career pathways. Through our programs and initiatives, we inspire imagination, promote critical thinking, and work to develop business acumen and entrepreneurship while teaching our students an exciting, new skill.
NSFD Student and Marco Hall
What has been the most rewarding aspect of hosting sneaker making classes at the Newark School of Fashion and Design powered by Parsons?
There are so many rewarding aspects. The Principal, the staff and our partners at Newark Board of Education are amazing and the students are some of the most creative people we’ve ever met. One of the more recent moments I am really proud of was seeing the completion of our very first, hand-made footwear project inspired byDirty Soles Footwear Group’s very own Lead Instructor, Professor G, of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Expanding on the idea, we brought in Marco Hall, a successful Newark based fashion designer who is also one of the esteemed Dirty Soles Instructors to walk students through the sewing process. There’s something magical about seeing those who look like you and who also call Newark home, physically doing this work in their everyday lives. Because we know representation matters, it is our duty to show up for our students as well as bring others to the table who are committed to the same level of purpose work.
Photo Credit: VFiles
How have you applied “the incub8tor” mentality to your everyday life?
"The incub8tor" is a concept we designed to identify and support emerging business talent. The goal here is to mentor, provide leadership, and sponsorship to creatives for their respective projects as needed. I meet aspiring entrepreneurs and career professionals regularly so when I feel synergy and matching energy with them, I tend to look for ways that we can build together. My Husband/Business Partner and I apply the “each one, teach one” mentality to each potential incub8tor inductee. This allows the selected new or future entrepreneur to move at their own learning pace while continually nurturing the growth of their goals and initiatives through access to our knowledge, resources and relationships. Essentially, they become part of the Dirty Soles family and we dedicate ourselves to helping them reach their highest potential. This incub8tor concept of support bleeds into our immediate family as well. It is evident in the ACRES brand concept, which is the brainchild of our son RaShaad who was 1 of 7 inaugural Vogue VFiles Lab Grant Winners in 2020.
Has becoming the first Black-owned sneaker consignment shop in the city of Newark, New Jersey been everything you’ve imagined?
Becoming the first in anything comes with its own set of challenges and rewards. For me, being one of the owners of Studio Sole, the first Black-owned sneaker consignment shop in the city of Newark was a daunting, yet beautiful experience. We opened in 2020 — in the middle of a pandemic which has been a massive business pivot and a myriad of unexpected changes in tech, supply chain and the retail industry as a whole. Though there were many bumps in the road for us, just as there have been for many small, Black-owned businesses over the past 2 years, the experience allowed us to work on and complete a project as a family. For that, I am eternally grateful.
Both my Husband and our eldest Son held significant roles in bringing Studio Sole to fruition and we could not have accomplished that goal without our collective efforts. It has been really dope to see a number of Black-owned shops, both sneaker and clothing related, open up in Newark since then. We’ve taken our learnings from the experience and continued to build on larger projects we are looking forward to announcing and sharing with our community later this year.
Mini doc of Studio Sole by Amandla Baraka
How did you create the perfect design for the New Jersey Devils (NJD) x DSFG customized Adidas sneaker project?
One of the things I pride myself in is providing opportunities for others, especially for graduates of our program. For the NJD x DSFG customized adidas sneaker project in conjunction with the launch of the NJD 3rd Jersey, we were excited to bring on two of our previous “Art of Shoe Making” (AOSM) students; Kevin Cristancho and Angel Rivera. I am proud to have been able to offer their inclusion in this unique opportunity and use the experience as an introduction to the DSFG pre-apprenticeship program currently under development. Collectively as a team, inclusive of the project liaisons and stakeholders at NJD, we embodied the true definition of collaboration — regularly corresponding and sharing design concepts to finally land on the perfect design. It was truly a team effort that included numerous discussions, tons of thought hours, customization time and energy that ultimately resulted in an amazing, first of its kind experience for us all. I am also happy NJD filmed and produced the mini-documentary for the 3rd Jersey/Sneaker launch at the Newark School of Fashion & Design because it provided our current AOSM students with a first hand, behind the scenes view of what participating in an opportunity like this looks like.
Photo: (l to r) Angel Rivera, T. Strong, Cory Strong, Kevin Cristancho
If there was one piece of advice you would give to young children who aspired to be an entrepreneur, what would it be?
Dream big and stay focused on the belief that you will accomplish your goals. Knowing you can do it, without any doubt in your mind is more than half the battle won.
Diamond Cheek, Digital Marketing Coordinator
Diamond Cheek is currently studying Digital Marketing in the Masters Program at Rutgers University-Newark. She has also received her Bachelors of Science at Rutgers in Leadership and Management. Over the years, digital marketing and content creation, have become a passion of hers which has lead her to apply her skills to the virtual and physical business world.