First lesson of Black History Month: Roller skating was central to the Civil Rights Movement.
While you may not think of roller skating as a cornerstone of Black history and culture, it was a central aspect of Black leisure in the 1960s.
To kick off Black History Month, Urban Outfitters is honoring that legacy with an initiative dubbed Freedom of Expression: Skate Expectations, highlighting emerging Black-owned brands, creatives and artists at roller disco events that celebrate freedom of expression.
On Thursday, Urban Outfitters launched an artist-in-residence program in partnership with Black-owned apparel brands Pish Posh World, Ravie B, Troy Browne, DomoINK, BrownMill, Boy Blondey, ZTRA Shop and ADW that invites Black artists to design limited edition and exclusive collections for the retailer.
Urban Outfitters will bring exposure to the collections through community events in Philadelphia and New York. For instance, in Philadelphia, Pish Posh World will launch its Urban Renewal collection at an in-store art event.
Then on Feb. 28, Urban Outfitters will host an influencer-led skating party at The Roller Wave in New York City, a Black-owned, roller disco pop-up experience, where attendees can shop the retailer’s Black History Month collection to support Black artists and creatives.
“Skate nights or ‘Soul Night’ at roller rinks served as an outlet for Black people to express themselves by offering a way to freely express themselves, from the music they listened to, to the clothes they wore,” said Cierra Yetts, senior brand marketing, Urban Outfitters, in a press release. “Using inspiration from the past, Urban Outfitters can show up for the Black community and have them see themselves reflected in our creative and modern brand storytelling.”
The events will be supported by a digital campaign across all Urban Outfitters’ social media platforms as well as in-store.
Urban Outfitters has also partnered with the nonprofit Creatives Want Change and continues to push its commemorative Lincoln University merchandise collection, which donates all proceeds to the Historically Black College.