Serena Williams Design Crew: Past, Present and Future
Behind the Design
SWDC apprentices Touissant, Emiko and Sandra share how their experiences influence their designs and allow them to empower future designers.
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Paving the Way
With more than a decade of experience in the fashion industry, apparel designer Emiko McCoy knows where fashion has been and where it needs to go. “I’ve been in those rooms,” she says. Having more diversity in those spaces is very important, “Especially right now,” she says.
Emiko’s experience in fashion is what drew her to the Serena Williams Design Crew—she saw a chance to change her industry for the better: “You are paving a way for others that are coming behind you. I want to speak for them, and I want to open up opportunities for them, too.” Emiko knows the talent is out there, it’s just about bringing them to the table.
“We’re the black designers. We’ve been here the entire time, but people didn’t know.”
Emiko McCoy
Apparel Designer
A Blank Slate
Toussaint King, an artist from New Orleans, reps the present—the people SWDC hopes to reach and represent. Touissant’s storytelling skills, sneakerhead enthusiasm and beautiful sketches caught Serena’s attention. She chose him to design an imaginative, modern take on the Air Force One.
“My design is a microcosm of where I'm from. I take real-life experiences and jumble that all up in a gumbo pot and eventually land on a design.”
Toussaint King
Footwear Designer
Without any formal training, his newbie status in the industry gives him an edge when it comes to fresh thinking, and reminds him of his ultimate goal.
“We tell stories of the Black community but we don't often enough go into the heart and soul of it and get the real answers. That's what drives me,” Toussaint says. “I want to talk to the people just like me. I want to bring them to the platform and give them a voice.”
A Look Forward
Fresh out of college, designer Sandra Cruz emphasizes the importance of seeing people like herself in the design world. And she’s eager to help build the future of design.
“You can't have a future without knowing what happened in the past.”
Sandra Cruz
Apparel Color Designer
Sandra adds that part of that future involves more seats at the table for those who don’t yet see themselves represented in design. “When you see people like you, it gives you some positivity, a goal to attain, and it just feels really good.”
Explore Emiko, Toussaint and Sandra's designs and shop the SWDC collection.
The Serena Williams Design Crew is a collective of dreamers, innovators and creators. Each year, a group of apprentices partner with Serena and Nike—with the aim to develop and inspire the next generation of talent. The result? Game-changing work and a brighter future for design.
