story

"My name is Kalynn Terrell and I attended the Tennessee State 
University. My journey with Tennessee State actually began when I 
was about 16. I danced in high school and we would get invited to 
homecoming at Tennessee..."

"...State, like homecoming and Battle of the Bands. So my band would always get invited and we'd dance. We'd do parades and everything like that. It just drew me in. I couldn't stay away. It seemed very tight knit. They created a family..."

"...environment. They found their purpose there. It's like the campus just exudes that. This is the Tennessee State Dunk Low. I definitely chose to add the hint of red in there because our colors are actually blue and white; however, all..."

"...of our paraphernalia has the red design always hidden in there somewhere. And if it's not there, it's definitely implied. Had to add the official TSU logo on the tongue. The 1912 is the year that we were founded."

"The blue and white is just literally the staple, like the silhouette. Our insole is the tiger pride with the tiger stripe print. We do have interchangeable laces that are tiger print. Tiger pride is, I feel like it's just what..."

"...it says, just like a tiger is fierce, prideful. You take pride in your community that you have at TSU. It's like you're a tiger until you die. Working with Nike and the team, it was super amazing because I had a lot more creative control. I..."

"...thought it'd be like, "Okay, I'm just the representation for the school," but I really got to design the sneaker. Every little detail that I wanted I got. I think HBCUs are so important because they do provide a sense of community..."

"...so if you never felt like you had a place in the world. Personally as a black woman, being around like-minded people who have the same goal as me, who are on the same trajectory that I was on, it was humbling because then you do have so many people who are like..."

"...you and it's just like, wow. I just hope that young black women seeing me do this, even my peers that went to Tennessee State with me or the current students now, I just hope that they see it as if this could be you too. I never would've..."

"...thought, even while I was going to a HBCU that I could be designing a Nike Dunk Low, but I just really would just want anyone, especially young women, to know that it's possible. Nothing is farfetched. Get your degree..."

"...while you're going to these HBCUs, but follow your passions at the same time and stuff like this is what happens. This is the exclusive Behind The Design 'Tennessee State University' Dunk Low designed by yours truly, Kalynn Terrell."

Behind the Design: Dunk Low 'Tennessee State University'