When Kicks Lounge hosted the “Seoul, Soul, Sole” event in Akron, Ohio, May 16, Dominque Waters knew he made the right decision to start his nonprofit Akron Sneaker Academy right in his hometown. Around the world, Akron is synonymous with the NBA-great LeBron James and being the capital of rubber. Very few recognize it for its sneaker culture.
“Akron has an underrated history of sneaker culture. There’s LeBron and PF flyers, but also Chuck Taylor. Taylor got his claim to fame here. He played for the Akron Firestone Non-Skids basketball team and was a salesperson for Converse,” says Waters on Taylor’s impact on basketball and sneaker culture.
Akron’s Kicks Lounge was one of approximately a dozen stores nationwide to receive the highly-anticipated and limited Air Jordan 3 “Seoul 2.0,” a shoe that pays homage to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. To celebrate the exclusivity, Kicks Lounge founder Thomas Kim, a Korean-American, launched a cultural playground for the city, featuring immersive experiences and collective storytelling.
Photo Credit: Mitti Hicks
Inside Kicks Lounge’s reimagined warehouse were guests you typically don’t see in the Rubber City. NFL players Jerome Baker, a linebacker for the Cleveland Browns, and Justin Layne, a cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, showed love at the event. Dusty Ball, the artist responsible for the six-foot Air Jordan 3 Seoul 2.0 replica, as well as Nike executives responsible for bringing Air Jordans into physical stores, were also in attendance.
All these people in one room solidified Waters’ belief that sneakers can create the perfect pathway to introduce inner-city youth to STEM programs and careers. Baker agreed.
“It’s important for young people to witness something like this because it shows them what’s possible. A pair of shoes might seem small, but it represents hard work, creativity, and a dream brought to life,” he told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “When kids see that, especially coming from someone who looks like them or comes from where they come from, it can spark their own ambition. It’s about showing them that they can make their mark too.”
How The Akron Sneaker Academy Introduces Youth To STEM
Waters is an Akron native and a graduate of a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). He graduated from Central State University, where he majored in the arts. After graduating, he eventually moved to New York City and had the opportunity to work for Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and even under Virgil Abloh.
However, through his nonprofit, Waters wants students to take a different path than his. He hopes to inspire young people to invest in their communities earlier and show them that there are plenty of opportunities outside of major cities, where the cost of living continues to rise and people are having a harder time getting financially ahead.
Studies show a lack of access to technology, education, and opportunities is fueling a desire for youth to leave smaller communities for larger cities. With events like Seoul, Soul, Sole, Waters is honing in on his point that opportunities in smaller towns are there.
His nonprofit is bigger than designing shoes. Sneakers are the draw because it’s culturally relevant for a significant number of youth, but his nonprofit introduces young participants to design, science, and engineering.
“The city of Akron has a polymer initiative now, which is material science, but a lot of our kids in the inner city don’t know what polymers are,” said Waters, acknowledging that the University of Akron has a top-ranked polymer science and plastics engineering program.
Since Waters started the Akron Sneaker Academy in January 2024, he’s helped more than 800 students through workshops and summer camps. He’s just getting started and already has sights on expanding the nonprofit to serve more youth. His five-year plan is to create a Global Innovation Center around sneakers in Akron.
For more information on workshops or how to support the nonprofit, visit akronsneakeracademy.org
