story

- "First, I want to introduce you to Emiko McCoy". 
- "My name is Emiko McCoy. Currently I am the Nike Pro Women's Designer and also Maternity".

- "And Touissant King, would you please tell us who you are?"
- "Hello everyone. My name is Touissant King. As a part of the Serena Design Crew, I am a Footwear Designer".

- "What role did you play in the Serena Williams Design Crew?" 
- "So, anything that was fitted against the body, those are the pieces that I designed. And then we also had silhouettes that were layered on top".

"I was one of two footwear designers, and I had the honour and privilege, again, of designing or redesigning the iconic Air Force One. And I also did a redesign of the Koko Sandal for runway execution for Serena".

"Serena has often said that her ultimate goal for SWDC would be for those who are currently children to be inspired by the products that you're creating and ultimately move into joining SWDC".

"I think that opportunity is something that Serena definitely wants to give. By just letting all the little future designers out there know that they are creators, they are innovators".

"I have conversations with my niece all the time and I say, 'Hey if it's something that you want to try, let's try it. If you're going to fail at it, let's fail fast so that we can keep pushing forward to get you to that spot that you want to be'".

"Serena said it in a video; so, whenever she would go into those boardrooms or those design spaces, she wouldn't see a lot of people that look like her or diversity".

"It's an opportunity for corporate structures to open the aperture as to how they find talent and to go into places that they normally don't go. They'll find something very beautiful and special that comes out of these places".

"Can you speak more about the themes behind the Autumn '21 Collection?"

"So the idea of 'protect' is you think about women, especially strong, Black women, they are protectors, they're mothers, they protect their men".

- "Also 'growth'; not only is she an athlete, she's a philanthropist, she's an investor, she's a fashion icon". 
- "I might want to give a little bit of a shout out to where I felt that she did open the aperture at one point in time".

"There was a shoe that I got to work on back in the day. Our CEO at the time, Mark Parker, said to me, 'Let her sense of style and fashion, let that lead the innovation', which was a whole new way of thinking".

- "How did you land at specific products and inspirations around Serena?"
- "The theme for the season was '90s hip hop or '90s culture, and how that influenced Serena".

"We were thinking about what was she doing at 13, 14? What was she watching, like movies, TV shows? What was she listening to?"

- "The new collection also features some Easter eggs. Can you speak more about those details a little bit, Touissant?"
- "On the Air Force 1 on the inside of the shoe, we do have the years that she did win her championships".

"As you can see, '17 is outlined because that's the year that she gave birth to her daughter, which is the most important win of her life".

"What do you hope to inspire for future generations?"

"I feel like having diverse designers in those business spaces, in those design spaces, is very important to be able to not only give that perspective and that culture, but also, you make better product".

"We're a part of Serena's legacy, right? And I think that there's a responsibility to pay it forward and to do the same".

"To me, that's more important than any product that I will ever put my hands on. Follow your purpose, let your purpose drive your actions".

"Thank you so much, Emiko McCoy. Thank you, Touissant King. It has indeed been an honour. Thank you everyone and go for it, live your dreams".

SNKRS Live Highlights: The Process: Serena Williams Design Crew