alumni notables
I F TH E S H O E FITS
Seitu Oronde
Evan Chisholm, Fashion Merchandising Management ’14, uses consumer insights to help evolve styles at Nike
Gwendolyn Black, right, with a concert attendee and jazz vocalist Rochelle Thompson.
BRUSHSTROK ES A ND GR ACE NOTES Gwendolyn Black, Illustration ’84, has made a life blending art and music
Although the pandemic has put Evan Chisholm’s globetrotting on indefinite hold, it hasn’t stopped him from making sure Nike’s offerings match what people around the world want. Before COVID-19 hit, Chisholm had been visiting Nike’s partners in various geographic regions. As the global merchandising manager for women’s lifestyle footwear, Chisholm gathers information from consumer and influencer focus groups about their lifestyles and preferences. Then he and Nike’s product team use those insights to develop new product lines. For example, Nike wanted to revisit some key styles from 25 years ago with a retro basketball shoe, and Chisholm discovered that consumers found these looks antiquated. He helped devise a solution.
One bright September day on Governors Island, the 18th Annual Visual Arts and Jazzfest NYC celebrated the complementary rhythms of jazz and visual art. Founded and produced by Gwendolyn Black, the festival is a convergence of the artist’s main passions: making connections between music and painting, building community, and healing others through art. During the various performances, the audience listened to a range of contemporary jazz styles. Black’s paintings were displayed around the site, portraying musicians such as the legendary Charlie Parker. In her work, the play of shadow, shape, and material mirror the improvisation of jazz. Black thinks of painting and making music in the same terms, as explorations of composition and movement. Over the years, she has moved away from representational art and evolved into using tissue paper to create work based more on color than line. Black attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and then studied Illustration at FIT, where she began to experiment with collage, incorporating images of instruments into her artwork. Shortly afterward, Black left fashion illustration to become more involved in fine art. She saw herself
in the struggles and triumphs of other women attempting to make a name for themselves in the art world, and of visual artists collaborating with musicians. She also identified with the attempts at racial and class uplift she witnessed in her hometown of Pittsburgh—and realized she had a deep desire to participate in community development. She forged a multifaceted career that brings together all her interests. She began using music therapy to help those suffering from loss and lack of motivation. She views art as a powerful tool for healing and encourages her students to produce their own art while processing their past experiences and thinking hopefully about the future. “Seeing others find inspiration through that work has been life changing” for Black, who has run workshops for senior citizens, individuals with disabilities, and others through the AHRC, Healing Arts Initiative, Yaffa Cultural Arts, and Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement. In her many endeavors, Black finds meaning in the “interconnectedness of all art forms and in the empowering of others to use their own voices as instruments for positive change.” —Carmelo Larose
“We introduced a never-before-seen upper pattern for the Air Foamposite One,” he says. “By giving the shoe a new feature, we allowed the consumer to reset the value of something they previously considered old and outdated.” To develop a product that will be successful around the world, Chisholm relies on the relationships he has built with Nike’s partners. “You have to truly listen,” he says. “All partners represent a different region of the world and may have very different views on new product opportunities. It’s my job to find the commonalities so we can satisfy the needs of the global consumer with our designs.” Fashion has always been an important part of Chisholm’s life. Early in his career, he founded an urban contemporary clothing company, FamCo Clothing, centered on his love of hip hop and streetwear. He modeled the styles of his favorite artists and athletes—from rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West to basketball stars LeBron James and Allen Iverson. When he closed his company, Chisholm applied to FIT, because it was “in the heart of New York City—the streetwear and fashion capital.” In his final year, he received the National Retail Federation Foundation’s prestigious Ray Greenly Scholarship. The $25,000 scholarship is awarded to students pursuing degrees related to digital retail and who push the boundaries of what is possible now and in the future. “What excites me about the field of digital retailing is just the endless possibilities,” he says. —Ashley Festa
30 Spring 2022
Hue39_interiors_m21.indd 30
3/3/22 1:05 PM