The Women's Collective is a cohort dedicated to sharing expertise, learning, and defining new legacies.
BY DONYA MOMENIAN
This Women’s History Month, Jordan Brand is announcing a new project called The Women’s Collective. The group is made up of 33 women from around the world in various industries brought together by Jordan. Together, they will redefine the Jumpman logo and what it stands for, offering a modern twist on the classic icon.
Vice President and General Manager of Women’s Jordan Andrea Perez tells Teen Vogue, “It is Jordan Brand’s priority to prepare the now and next generation for their future. In doing so, we’ve selected a group of leaders, from diverse spaces of influence already equipped to change the world and many of whom had connections to the Brand already, whether that was through participating in a photo campaign, being an illustrator for a project, leading community work, and even sneaker collecting.”
Among the group, there are skaters, designers, photographers, stylists, DJs, visual artists, and business owners who are major players in their respective fields and communities. They all come from different cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, London, Shanghai, and Paris.
Each of the women will coordinate and participate in retreats, panels, and other events over the course of six months to bring new perspectives to the Jordan Brand. They will also receive grants to use in their own communities and industries as they see fit. It is Jordan’s hope that the grants will allow the members to use expertise and bring their goals and dreams to fruition.
“So much of what we do is rooted in the community which in turn necessitates that we listen to the community and acknowledge that there are learnings to be had,” Perez shares. “The Women’s Collective is particularly exciting as it will give us an opportunity to learn from the women in our community while they simultaneously learn from one another.”
With this project, Jordan aims to address an ongoing issue in the world of basketball. Perez explains, “While there has been gender equity advancement in the world of professional sports, basketball culture is lagging and remains a male-dominated and elitist space, perpetuated by brands and collectors alike. Women continue to fight to be seen, heard, and too often are pitted against one another for a seat at the table.”
While this will be Jordan’s first collective of women, after their six-month program comes to an end, they will select the next round of women to join. Per a press release, Jordan aims to exemplify “that there is indeed room for all women at the table” through this process.
As a sportswear label dedicated to basketball culture, Jordan strives to push boundaries and further establish new legacies. According to the brand, this latest project is just the beginning of their upcoming initiatives. It will set the tone for further missions and movements for causes close to the brand with legacy being a theme.
Photographer Dana Scruggs resonates with the notion, sharing how it translates in pictures, “Legacy is something that I think about a lot. Wanting my work to be memorable and remembered has been a driving force for me since I started creating images.”
Perez continues, “While much of the work that Jordan Brand does is proudly rooted in basketball culture, our Jordan Family extends beyond those who ball. Basketball culture as we see it is about community, it’s about legacy, it’s a reflection of culture as a whole, and basketball is one conduit, an important one surely, to accessing that. The Women’s Collective and its members represent these sentiments, expanding the reach of the Jumpman to be a symbol for opportunity, connection, and equity across a diverse range of cultures, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds.”
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