Adidas is proud to unveil its 2025 Honoring Black Excellence (HBE) program, a dynamic celebration of Black brilliance, resilience, and creativity. This year’s initiative takes a bold step forward by blending powerful storytelling, community activations, and grants to recognize and uplift the profound impact of Black visionaries shaping culture and communities.
With a theme centered on creativity and unity, adidas HBE 2025 spotlights the transformative contributions of its honorees, including the Quilters of Gee’s Bend, Jaycina Almond, and Sekou Thornell. These individuals are more than creators; they are catalysts of change, bridging the past and present to forge a more innovative and empowered future.
Honoring the Quilters of Gee’s Bend
The Quilters of Gee’s Bend are the first honorees celebrated in this year’s program, serving as a powerful testament to the ability of art to reshape history. To highlight their unparalleled contribution to culture, adidas HBE premiered a short-form film exploring their artistry and how their work has stitched together generations of stories, traditions, and ideas. The film was brought to life by Rog & Bee Walker, founders of the renowned visual storytelling studio, Paper Monday.
In addition to celebrating their legacy, adidas HBE has donated a community grant to Sew Gee’s Bend Heritage Builders, the Quilters’ non-profit organization, ensuring that their craft and cultural preservation efforts continue for generations to come.
A Fusion of Sport and Cultural Heritage
Bringing together the worlds of sports and cultural artistry, adidas has unveiled a limited-edition NCAA basketball jersey collection inspired by the Quilters of Gee’s Bend. The jerseys reflect the bold colors, intricate patterns, and deep storytelling found in their legendary quilts, merging history with the energy of the game. A selection of these jerseys is available for purchase on adidas.com, with a portion of the proceeds supporting both the Quilters and adidas’ HBCU partners.
Adidas at the HBCU Legacy Bowl
This past weekend, adidas proudly sponsored the HBCU Legacy Bowl in New Orleans, outfitting student-athletes in uniforms that honored the deep-rooted connections within the Black community. As part of the celebration, adidas commissioned the Quilters of Gee’s Bend to create five handcrafted 7ft x 7ft quilts for HBCU partners, including Alabama State, Alcorn State, Grambling State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Prairie View A&M. Each quilt was woven from repurposed school and sports apparel, blending history and heritage in a visually stunning tribute. These quilts were presented to school representatives and student-athletes at the HBCU Legacy Bowl and will be displayed on each campus as lasting symbols of unity and pride.
Looking Ahead
As the adidas Honoring Black Excellence program continues its year-long celebration, it will soon highlight the legacies of Jaycina Almond, founder of the Tender Foundation, and Sekou Thornell, founder and creative director of Kitboys Club.
Stay tuned as adidas HBE continues to honor, uplift, and amplify Black excellence, ensuring that the legacy of past and present changemakers inspires the future.