Dr. D’Wayne Edwards of Pensole Lewis College on Sneaker Design, Educating Others, and Innovation

Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, Founder and President of the Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design, joins this week’s Consensus in Conversation. 

Edwards is a legendary footwear designer. He rose to prominence in early sneakerhead culture as the head designer for Nike’s Jordan brand, where he designed over 500 styles for Michael Jordan, Tupac, the Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, multiple Olympians, and countless other sports stars. 

In 2010, Edwards began a path mentoring and educating other aspiring designers, creating Pensole Footwear Design Academy, a first of its type in the nation. Later, Edwards reopened the Lewis College of Business, a formerly defunct HBCU in Detroit, Michigan, founding the Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design in 2021.

Today, Edwards is working on new and exciting ways to advance footwear design and education. The school recently announced JEMS by Pensole, the nation’s first Black-owned footwear factory. Dr. D’Wayne Edwards is an icon in the footwear industry, and even if you aren’t a sneakerhead, you’ve definitely seen his designs on famous musicians, athletes, or celebrities. 

For an inspiring conversation covering sneakers, self-taught schooling, business, launching a college(!), and so much more, listen now on your favorite podcast platform. 

More on the episode:

• Learn more about Jems by Pensole at https://jemsbypensole.com/ or on Instagram at @jemsbypensole 

Time Stamps!

• (0:00) - D’Wayne’s cold open
• (1:02) - Intro on Dr. Edwards, Pensole Lewis College, and JEMS
• (2:56) - Background: growing up, footwear, and California
• (8:23) - Sneaker culture and the footwear industry
• (12:51) - A big break into footwear design
• (19:03) - Nike, MJ, and D’Wayne’s legendary career
• (24:09) - Launching Pensole, a footwear design academy
• (33:22) - Launching Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design
• (37:39) - Creating JEMS, the footwear factory
• (40:38) - Sustainability and creating a positive impact
• (44:52) - Mentorship, students, and legacy
• (47:58) - Advice for younger self
• (51:00) - Conclusion and end credits