Aside from being the world’s greatest tennis player, an activist for her community, and a proponent of diversity and giving back, Serena Williams is also launching her own design apprenticeship in partner with Nike called Serena Design Crew.
In order to make it to the apprenticeship, forty hopefuls must first battle against each other in a design apprenticeship at Nike’s New York Headquarters. Those who make it to the end will voyage to Nike’s Global Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon for seven months to create a capsule collection with Williams herself and several other Nike designers. Williams says, “I wanted to introduce a special collection and with my role in Nike and what I do just in general, I always want to make sure that we are able to increase diversity and inclusiveness. I thought it was a great way to partner with them.”
Besides creating a beautiful and unique collection with some of fashion’s best newcomers, the goal of the apprenticeship is really to encourage more diversity in the industry. John Hoke, Nike’s Chief Design Officer, says, “Diversity is our advantage. So we will continue to build the most diverse creative network we can possibly find.”
