BY: Marvin W. Medley Jr.
The south’s contribution to American culture is undeniably
tremendous and vast. However, when you search the landscape of
southern metropolises, you will be hard press to find a city that has
had more of an influence on American popular culture than the prize
peach of America’s peach state, Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta, Georgia
is a city that was built on the backs of entrepreneurs and has a
flair for extravagance, which creates an anything you can do I can do
better mentality amongst its native citizens. For over two decades
now, Atlanta has been at the forefront of every form of entertainment
including music, athletics, film and fashion. In the world of
fashion, Atlanta natives have exuded a unique sense of style since
the early 90’s and well into the new millennium.
It was hip hop icons like Andre 3000 and Big Boi, who form the rap
duo OutKast, who wore shoulder pads and bright suits on red carpets.
Dem Franchise Boyz inspired a generation to lean and rock with it in
their white tees. Atlanta, GA is a fashion forward city whose
entrepreneurial spirit breathes life into the next generation of
fashion designers who call the ATL home.
Thabiti Stephens,
a week after he graduated from Atlanta’s Grady High School, said to
his self “I want to start my own shoe line.” After a year and a
half, countless business plan revisions, numerous hours searching for
creditable manufactures and several sleepless nights, in December of
2011, Steps by Stephens was officially
founded. Now, I’m sure you are asking yourself, “Why should I
care about this particular shoe line when there are countless others
that I can place on my feet?” I answer that question by posing this
one to you, what other shoe can you buy and feed three
underprivileged families at the same time? The answer to this
question is Steps by Stephens.
This is why I chose to profile Thabiti Stephens. I chose to profile
Stephens because his brand is not just for the profit of his company,
but also for the benefit of the people. Stephens’s philanthropy can
be contributed to his recognition at an early age of the severe
disparity between Atlanta’s socioeconomic classes. “In the city
you really see how every type of person lives,” said Stephens “You
would have friends on Section 8 and then some who came to school in
Bentleys.”
The inspiration
for the Steps by Stephens brand also spawns
from Stephens’s own struggles growing up in a city where your
appearance symbolizes your status. “I honestly felt that I spent
too much money on shoes,” said Stephens “I felt as if I could
design, market and produce my own shoe that I would like and share
with others.” Stephens would soon realize though, that when one
attempts to do something great, even greater challenges will arise.
Napoleon Hill in
his worldwide bestselling novel, Think and Grow Rich, wrote
“A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which
the dreamer must take off.” Stephens had a burning desire to give
the world a shoe that only he could produce, but it was his
determination to do so that made his dream a reality. The struggles
endured by Stephens during the conception of the Steps by
Stephens brand are a testament to the high character of the man
behind the brand.
It took seven
months for Stephens to receive his revised business plan back from
Washington, D.C. delaying the progression of production by months,
but Stephens did not quit. Next was a search for a manufacture that
was creditable and willing to work with an upstart company. “The
hardest part of the whole process was finding a manufacture that
wasn’t a scam,” said Stephens “That process took several
months.” Still Stephens stayed the course. After solving the
manufacturing problem, soon came along stoppages in production and
how to get the shoes through customs. All the while, Stephens was
attending Morehouse College as a full time student. “The fact that
I know there is somebody out there who wants it just as bad as we
do,” said Stephens “Makes us work even harder.” The Steps
by Stephens brand is a representation of hard work
paying off.
Steps by
Stephens was released in the U.S. in the summer of
2012 and is available in men and women sizes. A partnership with
Communities in Schools, setup through Steps By
Stephens Chief Operating Officer and VP of Operations,
Malcolm Conner, allows for every pair of Steps by
Stephens you purchase to feed three underprivileged
families in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. It is a shoe that
you can feel good about wearing at anytime or at any event.
I admire Thabiti
Stephens for his entrepreneurial spirit and his giving heart. You can
purchase your pair of Steps by Stephens at
www.StepsbyStephens.com and also help to support inner city families.
I enjoy hearing stories like this. It is always a joy to root for the underdog and even better the underdog that happens to be a black entrepenuer.
ReplyDeleteBut, I am starting to grow tired of the escalating fad of "shoes for profit AND charity". We first saw it get big with Tom's shoes and now are even seeing a rebut in Sketcher's Bob's. I am all for benefiting those who are less priviledged but I am usure that shoes are the gateway. Espically, with companies like Nike and Addias doing far more volume, controlling a far greater market share, and with a far larger following.
I like how the shoe is not just about the money and you actually sell them to help not only yourself but others. With him just starting the business I hope he will be able to make a profit and become world wide.
ReplyDeleteSteps by Stephens is one of the most powerful innovations in the shoe industry! How the idea was flourished is amazing and I truly wish Thabiti and Malcolm much success!
ReplyDelete"Steps by Stephens" is amazing because unlike other shoe companies they are not about the dollar but focused more so on the impact it can have on people for the better. I know there are many organizations out there that team with Adidas, Nike, Under Armour but ask yourself when you make a purchase what did you just really do? Yes, you may have just bought the new pair of expensive soles that were made in a shop with underpaid workers. However, you do not think about that just about getting first dibs on this new shoe and how it will look with what you have at home. There are those who do not even have a home to go to but we take for granted what we have and would be willing to stand in line for hours for shoe soles when others are in line for food or opportunity for free clothes just stay warm. I have had the honor to meet Thabiti Stephens and work with him in my group in my LPD class and he is truly a genuine philanthropist and I wholeheartedly embrace "Steps by Stephens"
ReplyDeleteI support Steps By Stephens not only because my Morehouse brother had the idea to produce it but also because it is such a good cause. I was unaware that some of the proceeds went to helping underprivileged children in the Atlanta area. I recently bought my first pair of Steps and I will continue to support Mr. Stephens business
ReplyDeleteI support and commend Thabiti and Malcolm for establishing a company that not only requires their creative ideas, but makes a lasting impact in the community.Good Work Bros.
ReplyDeleteSteps by Stephens. The global stage has not yet come to know this shoe line as premier, as popular, even as existent, but what has indeed happened is that Thabiti Stephens has embarked on the journey that serves as the catalyst for the American capitalist financial system. As an entrepreneur, he is taking the necessary steps to change his financial situation. As an entrepreneur with a product that serves a social and in some ways philanthropic cause, he is representing what Morehouse desires to see out of its students. The sons of mother Morehouse should be proud of Steps By Stephens and the culture of efficacy that the shoe line represents.
ReplyDeleteI am happy that I could shed light on young African-Americans doing positive things in the community. Black Young Everything is the platform that allows me to do that. I created Black Young Everything in 2010 and have been committed to spotlighting those who are often left in the dark.
ReplyDeleteI also admire the work Mr. Stephens has done with Steps By Stephens. It's great to see that he made his vision tangible and is also serving the community at the same time.
ReplyDelete