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Friday, September 19
Today was officially the final day of Pensole x Adidas “Earn Your Stripes” Prorgram. Today started a little differently than usual, as D’Wayne didn’t provide us with his daily quote, book, and inspiration. Instead we raced to finish designs to take to the Adidas Village for our presentations. The majority of us stayed at Pensole over night to ensure all materials were complete for the big event. The moments leading up to our presentation became a blur as each hour disappeared right before us.
We arrived at the Adidas campus roughly around 12:00 PM. As I took my first step into the Village I was reminded of the magnitude of the situation and the importance of this event. The purpose of this program was for us to showcase our creativity and our unique perspective on Adidas product. We were to explore footwear without the confines of corporate marketing and to showcase innovative concepts that could help shape the future of footwear!
The day began with us meeting up with Lucy Nobles, as she invited us to a luncheon at The Adidas Village. We were all somewhat nervous as we got closer to the big event. The duration of lunch was fairly quite as we weren’t sure what to expect in our near futures. We eventually made our way to the presentation room and began to formulate our presentation layouts. As we got closer to the 3:00 PM start time D’Wayne called a final meeting with us to discuss the event.
The final meeting was actually a motivational tactic by D’Wayne, as he waited until the last minute to ensure us that we were mentally prepared for the presentation. It also became an award ceremony for those who completed the “Earn Your Stripes” event. D’Wayne and Suzette gave us each a certificate, which symbolized our completion of the crash course accompanied by a gold metallic pencil and a card with the poem “Believe In Yourself” by Emily Matthews. D’Wayne went on to tell us that his mother gave him this poem when he was 16, and it has served as a source of inspiration throughout his life. At this particular moment I began to realize that conquering any dream or goal is totally possible if you believe in yourself and have faith in your endeavors. This poem will forever serve as a source of inspiration for me through my life and desired goals.
As the event started the room began to fill with the “who’s who” of Adidas. There were some familiar faces in the crowd as we met various designers and directors during our three weeks in Portland. The presentations went very well and all three groups presented their perspective on designated Adidas categories. I really enjoyed discussing my project with members of the Adidas group as they provided awesome feedback and insight on product.
As the Adidas event ended the majority of the crew and I went to celebrate at Tilt, a local restaurant known for their handcrafted burgers and large servings. It was awesome to relax and hear everyone’s highlights of the final day and their overall experience in Portland. My experience at “Earn Your Stripes” was absolutely AMAZING as I enjoyed learning about the history of the brand and the ingenuity of Adi Dassler. I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life as I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to partake in the event.
I would like to thank D’Wayne, Suzette, Lucy and Adidas for making this possible.
Thanks,
-Xavier Jones
