When I catch up with Dex Robinson, celebrity stylist and designer he is on the ground at his alma mater, Virginia Union University amid homecoming. He’s in Richmond to host a few events but also to reveal his newest accomplishment, a Nike Air Force 1 collaboration. The design is a culmination of one of his largest fixations—he’s been a sneakerhead for years. Robinson tells me that Nike silhouettes have been pivotal to him for years. His obsession with athletic shoes and sleek clothing has been innate rather than forced, according to him.
“I was born like this,” Robinson said when I asked him about image-making. He doesn’t feel that one can be taught how to be stylish and well-coordinated. This is a hot take that feels ripe for social media debates. He further explains that his sense of style is somewhat of a compass for him. His fascination with clothing accompanied by his grit has pushed him to execute his dreams out loud–he’s a multi-hyphenate who excels at anything he sets his mind to. It’s also allowed him to become an entrepreneur alongside a client he regularly works with, NFL player Tyrod Taylor. The duo are co-founders of Diallo, a buzzy sportswear-centric line.
Robinson is also a key stylist who is a part of the ensemble of individuals who are at the forefront of news-worthy tunnel outfits. Taylor, Jalen Hurts, and Jaylen Brown have each been able to become the flyest version of themselves due to the capabilities of their stylist. With his guidance, these athletes have become fixtures within the global fashion industry.
But most notably, it’s led to a sneaker design chapter. What he ended up with was a design that was later approved by his school, an institution that is pivotal to his creative journey. Since he was previously a part of Nike’s lauded Yardrunners debut class this opportunity landed in his lap. VUU was a major inspiration to Robinson as he worked on the shoe design–the school’s mascot the Black Panther, heavily inspired the black pony hair that covers the Air Force 1. There are other special touches throughout too; he says he added a nod to VUU’s yard. The end product is one of Nike’s most experimental designs to date.
Robinson born right outside of Philadelphia was raised in Virginia for most of his life. Hence why this reveal is such a special moment. His fixation on sneakers, being a member of the fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi, and meeting a key figure who co-created Nike’s Yardrunners campaign, Arinze Emeagwali, each played a part in bringing his design to fruition. Though he has a strong background in visual merchandising the stylist’s prowess goes beyond having an eye for clothing and footwear. It’s a knack that sticks with you. One might even venture to say each of his attributes when combined with his HBCU schooling is a formula for unmatched success.
The legacy-building shoe is slated to be released online during the holiday season. Before we hang up our video call it’s quite noticeable that Robinson is excited to be back at VUU. He and Taylor were set to host a fashion show at VUU’s “Yard Fest.” A kickback was hosted by Robinson too to further pour into students while he’s in town. He even shared that he urged Nike to include current students in the shoe’s campaign for matters of representation. Each of these elements speaks to his dedication to paying it forward and using his platform to elevate others.
Below we caught up with Dex Robinson to speak about his forthcoming Nike Air Force 1 sneaker, his HBCU experience, image-making, and more.
Is this feeling like a full circle moment for you since you attended Virginia Union University many moons ago?
Absolutely. What makes it even a step past that is that I’m from the town, I went to school. Where a lot of people aren’t from the town, I went to school. So it’s like me coming back. It’s homecoming as in your traditional homecoming for your school, but it’s homecoming like me coming home. You know what I mean? And so I feel like to bring Nike to the city is crazy, especially not throwing or catching a ball.
With such an iconic brand like Nike, it’s huge for me. I don’t know if it has sunk in yet but it’s happening now. They’re setting up for this fashion show. The boxes of Nike are coming in. So it’s a real intense moment right now being in the same buildings I was in when I didn’t know what I was about to do just in terms of career and stuff. It’s really cool.
What can you tell me about your time in college?
I was a mass communications and media art major. I was very active at my university, [I] served as a campus leader overall, [and] an orientation leader. I was in SGA, [on the] track team, and an RA at some point. I also joined the greatest community in the world, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated. I was my chapter’s president. I was the sole member at one point in my school. And then I brought back the chapter.
I was very active on campus when I was here. It’s crazy because I was the football team’s RA, and so those were my first clients when you think of when it’s time for them to get dressed. I started those engagements in school.
Do you have a history with footwear and sneakers?
History is an understatement. Sneakers have definitely been my life. There’s been times when my shoes took over my floor. That’s definitely been a way that I expressed myself. I mean, also being from Virginia when N.E.R.D existed and then you have the Yeezy shoes, they were [created by] people that were points of reference for me.
N.E.R.D has ties to the skateboard community, and so Nike SBs and Blazers and Dunks–those were the things that I wore in college when I started to really express myself through my footwear and just had access to that stuff.
As a kid going to school, I’m literally getting two pairs of shoes. There’s a white pair of Air Force 1s and black. Once Christmas comes, you might get something fancier. And so it’s wild to be a designer of such an iconic silhouette like an Air Force 1. And then also, again, me just really expressing myself in a way through sneakers and being a lover of that.
What was the design process like for you working on your Nike Air Force 1?
I started designing my shoe a little over a year ago. I had two different concepts that were presented for me, which was an overall HBCU shoe because my school is not a Nike school. So basically, we had to explore a world where if my school didn’t approve us to design I would have to just do it off of my overall HBCU experience. And so I did that. I thought of ways that I would tap into all HBCUs and the shared experiences that we all have.
I think coming to an HBCU, especially the smaller ones, you have this idea of getting out the mud and just really finding your own way. And initially kind of what the people who were the founding fathers of HBCUs where they were creating these spaces for us to thrive that didn’t exist truly. That was kind of what I leaned into. So I went with really leaning into this melanin color. I wanted it to be brown.
Then I thought of things that I felt were beautiful but aesthetically, [but], you could see that it had been through something. So I thought of a worn torn couch, and I was like, I love the idea of [that]. And so I went off of that because those leather vintage couches, they had these creases and stuff like that, but they’re beautiful still. And so that’s what I leaned into, also just a monochromatic moment felt good to me.
[Next] the way that I would express this shared experience in terms of the yard, I wanted the insole to be green like grass, so the insole and the inlining represents the yard. Also, I wanted to have all of the universities that are HBCUs imprinted inside. Long story short, my school approved it.
Image-making is a skill that appears to come naturally to you. What are the origins of this skillset?
People think that it’s something you can teach or go to school for, and I think you can tell those people who try very hard. My style is I’m very intentional about it but it is just a feeling. I dress how I feel, and again, it’s very innate and I don’t look for validation. I may ask somebody something like, does this look right? Just to do the opposite. So if they say it looks nice, I’m like, all right. Or what [do] you think about this shirt? They say that one I’m doing, pick the other one just because they picked it but I don’t want to wear it now.
I think a lot of people in fashion or who are fashionable kind of lean just into being the loudest in the room or being gaudy as a means to get attention. I think that once I learned that just throwing on a bunch of stuff is not necessarily always as impactful as we thought it was.
