On Feb. 24, adidas Cornerstone Community and WISH Atlanta, a premier streetwear clothing and shoes boutique, partnered to celebrate Black History Month and give flowers to today’s Black women leaders who positively impact their communities. Aeshia Devore of Pretty Girls Sweat was the woman who was given flowers as she hosted a workout session during the community event. During the event, WISH Atlanta CEO Julie Hogg and project manager Julia Campbell donated $5,000 to Devore’s nonprofit organization, Sweat Makes Scents.
Hogg and Campbell spoke with rolling out about the community event and their mission at WISH Atlanta.
How was it seeing all the women come out in part of this collaboration with adidas and Pretty Girls Sweat?
Julie Hogg: We were presented with the idea from adidas to recognize outstanding Black women in Atlanta, and we chose Aeshia from Pretty Girls Sweat, because of her energy and what she’s doing to impact the community. We were so excited to partner with her and it’s amazing to be able to work with Georgia State, Spelman College, and all of the women that are a part of her community and merge the two, so we couldn’t be more excited.
Julia Campbell: A lot of the community that we even like brought out from our WISH friends are people who went to Georgia State or Spelman, as well. It was cool to see the blend of all of these worlds come together authentically because we’re all in the same neighborhood anyway.
Why is community important to the WISH brand?
JH: Community is the biggest part of our business. Sneaker culture in general is a community, so we like to tap into different avenues to expand our community, reach people, and amplify voices for everybody within a like-minded space. I’m an athlete at heart, so anything that has to do with sports, I’m game. Seeing adidas is really cool because someone who may not be as into sports as me can still find something to participate in and enjoy.
JC: I grew up running track and just trying to stay active as part of my lifestyle, as well. I think another thing is how important fitness is for just mental health and balancing your lifestyle. It goes hand in hand with what we’re already doing internally. I think it was an easy connection for us.
What did you want people to take away from this event?
JH: Recognizing what Aeshia has created and the community that she’s built on her own. Wish is fortunate to be able to amplify her voice on our community channel. I think the takeaway would just be that people are doing some amazing things in our city, and we’re happy to be a part of it.
JC: I think it would push a lot of women in here to start that workout journey. It’s not easy, but we have a little bit of time before summer. The perfect time to get in there and get on a good routine, so I hope it’s a good jumpstart.
