By Obi Anyanwu YahooLife as seen here
Foot Locker on Wednesday launched a new partnership with HGC Apparel at Foot Locker, Footaction and Champs Sports stores.
The 12-piece men’s and women’s collection ranging in price from $34.99 to $99.99 includes T-shirts, tank tops, board shorts, joggers and hoodies bearing phrases that pay homage to the “Black and Proud” movement of the ’90s such as “Black by Popular Demand,” “It’s a Great Day to Be Black” and “Protect the Love.” The phrases feature Afrocentric design that hearkens back to early ’90s Black television shows, according to HGC Apparel founder Marcia Smith.
The Howard University alumna and veteran started HGC before joining the military and managed the brand while stationed in Germany and on missions in Poland, Italy and Hawaii. Smith moved to the States in 2018 to operate the brand full time and worked remotely during lockdowns due to COVID-19, but believes she was better prepared after building the brand in different time zones.
Smith added that Foot Locker reached out to carry HGC as part of its pledge to support Black businesses. The footwear retailer pledged $200 million over five years to its Black team members and customers by investing in youth-centric Black-owned businesses, increasing its marketing spend with Black-owned companies and entrepreneurs and donating to organizations creating economic development and advancement for people of color.
“They reached out and said they’d love to have HGC Apparel part of this initiative,” Smith said. “This is the first collaboration with Foot Locker.”
Smith added that this collection is its largest order ever and the biggest with Foot Locker.