Pensole Lewis College, Detroit’s only HBCU, blends history and design innovation

Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design (PLC) in Detroit is the only historically Black college/university (HBCU) in the U.S. focused specifically on design fashion, footwear, apparel.

PLC recently hosted the 2025 National Black Footwear Forum, which brought together Black and brown professionals, emerging brands, and industry leaders in footwear design and retail.

At this event, PLC unveiled the Ruth E. Carter Apparel Creation Stu/deo, backed by Adidas. The studio provides students and designers with industry‐grade tools and technology.

Ruth Carter, an Academy Award-winning costume designer films such as Black Panther and Malcolm X, worked in collaboration with students Angel Buckens and Rodney Banks on the studio’s design.

The launch of this studio and its backing by major industry brand Adidas signals meaningful investment in Black design talent, especially within an HBCU design program.

It brings creative infrastructure technology, mentorship, collaboration directly into a historically under‐resourced educational setting.

It affirms that representation and access in areas like apparel, footwear design matter, not just in consumption, but in creation.

It highlights how educational institutions like PLC are evolving beyond traditional curricula into design innovation hubs.