Mentorship was one of the prevailing themes at this week’s Black Footwear Forum in Detroit. Tracy Reese and Jaime Wynn offered insights into the complexities of these relationships.
Reese, a CFDA board member and famed fashion designer sat alongside Wynn, the president of Jimmy Choo Americas, for a panel titled “Women.IN.” The conversation was moderated by Sheena Butler-Young.
During the talk, Reese said while most have had mentors without having the mentor label, “baggage” often comes with the relationship becoming a “concrete thing.”
“I’ve had people decide that I would be their mentor and would ask me for answers. I’m thinking, ‘OK, I would love to be of service, but part of achieving is finding your path and doing your research and building your relationships,'” Reese explained. “If someone just hands it to you, then you don’t have the experience of earning it and creating it for yourself.”
She continued, “Your journey should be so much different than mine. I started my journey four decades ago. Your journey is going to be completely different. We’re in a different world. I can share my experience with you, and if there are people that I think you should know, I would love to connect you, but I want to see you creating your own path.”
Watch on FN
What’s more, Reese — who famously designed a dress that was worn by former first lady Michelle Obama — believes relationships should be reciprocal.
“I’m curious with anyone I’m mentoring right now, what are you doing today that is so different than what I did? Maybe you can teach me something about how to build a customer base through socials or whatever. These are skills that I don’t have,” Reese stated. “Each person should have something to bring to the relationship, that’s really important. We each feel valued, we feel like our time is worthwhile.”
Wynn, too, believes mentorship is a two-way street.
“I have two teenage, young adult daughters, 19 and 22. I oftentimes tap into them to understand what’s happening socially and digitally, and I learn a lot from that,” she said. “Mentorship and mentoring has been the blueprint for how I lead. It’s how I’m creating and breaking barriers within these spaces. I use it as a way to give back and to allow young leaders in the next generation a path forward within this industry.”
Before signing off, Wynn and Reese offered advice to the young women in attendance who are trying to break into the industry or advance.
“For me, it’s simple. It’s persistence and being present,” said Wynn, who was elevated to the president of North America role in February 2021. “You have to stay present and you have to put yourself in the right spaces and not give up. Being present is really important, and being resilient.”
Reese added, “Always remember why you’re in it in the first place, and hopefully it’s for the love of what you do. That’s going to pull you through time after time. If you’re in it for any other reason, it’s going to be a hard drop because when things don’t go as you would like, which is often, where do you turn? That’s why I started a third business. It’s like, ‘Wait a minute, I’m not loving it, and that’s on me.’ I had to make sure that I’m loving what I do, that’s when I can do my best work and feel the most proud of what I achieving. Do it because you love it. If you don’t love it, do something else.”
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
