NEW ORLEANS — A definition of "culture" is: "the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time."
There is no bigger place or time in the United States than the Super Bowl and Atlanta-based athletic and streetwear retailer The Athlete's Foot knows what it means to create, celebrate and further culture. The company, which has three stores and a strong presence in New Orleans, was busy during the week of Super Bowl LIX. They brought people together through music, sneakers and sport — all key elements of everyday existence.
"We’re a big part of the community. ... It’s a great time, a great opportunity for us," Darius Billings, Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement for The Athlete’s Foot, told Kick The Concrete.
The Athlete's Foot has a franchise business model that makes it more personal and a commitment to authenticity woven into its DNA. What they're doing is working. According to SGB Media, the company reported $555 million in revenue in 2022 for a 10.2 percent growth over the last year.
The Athlete's Foot location on Canal Street is what the company calls a TAF 3.0 store, meaning it's a larger space that offers local brands and hosts community events. The shop was close to the New Year's Day attack on Bourbon Street where 14 people were killed. One of the events that was held during Super Bowl week was called "Party With a Purpose." The Athlete's Foot partnered with New Orleans legend Master P and, per a company representative, raised $20,000 for the No Limit boss's Team Hope Foundation. There was a live painting of The Athlete's Foot logo filled with New Orleans motifs done by local artists Jay Mckay and Jerin “Jerk” Beasley, who was part of the NFL's Origins program.
"Our store was really right down the street from where everything happened and it really touched us," Billings said. "We’ve always been kind of the fabric of the community. That’s one of the good things about our model as The Athlete’s Foot. We are a franchise model, so our store owners are a part of the community and it affected them in a way and it was a great thing for us to do. We always think about community first. If you take care of the community, they’ll take care of you."
The Athlete's Foot showed how the sport of football has a bright future by honoring the De La Salle Cavaliers girls flag football team. With a co-sign from the New Orleans Saints, the state of Louisiana is in the process of sanctioning girls flag football as an official high school sport. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr and former Washington Commanders assistant coach Jennifer King, who was the first Black woman to be a coach in the NFL, spoke to the athletes.
There was also a personalization party with Nike where people could get airbrushed Air Force Ones and pick out custom sneaker charms from Coastal Caviar. There was a deejay and saxophone player and drinks and laughs. Emmanuel Acho, Jamaal Williams and Offset all made an appearance.
"Our industry, being in that kind of sneaker lifestyle industry, it’s made up of fashion, music, art, sneakers, it’s all related," Billings said. "So we do a lot of things when it comes to music and just the music industry plays such an important part in the sneaker culture with different hip-hop artists having sneaker collabs and all of that. So it’s always been a part of what we do."
At the heart of The Athlete's Foot is authenticity. Even though DEI programs are being shuttered at corporations across the country, the company has uplifted the Black and Brown people who created sneaker and streetwear culture since the beginning. Billings has been a part of the company's initiatives including the StAART (Strategic African American Retail Track) program to promote Black ownership in the sneaker industry.
The mission continues to show the next generation that opportunities are possible in the industry not only from the obvious role of sneaker designer, but also as a lawyer, accountant and so much more.
"We as an organization, we’ve always been diverse. So we’ve really never had to have that from an organization like a whole DEI team and all that," Billings said. "... But, for me and some of the programs, I was just looking out at the proportion or disproportion of certain African-Americans where they’re in this industry, ‘cause African-Americans, they played such a huge role in building the sneaker culture. But when you look at some of the ownership within the culture itself, you don’t see a lot of African-Americans in that culture, and then, just within the industry. So it’s what we always try to do is really educate and show pathways to people how to get in this industry, which a lot of people don’t know. ... It’s very important to really educate and show there are people that look like you within these positions."
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