There’s a shift happening in the business of creativity and it’s intentional, strategic, and long overdue. For years, access to design education has lived behind gates: tuition costs, geographic limitations, and industry networks that often felt out of reach for the very voices shaping culture in real time. But what happens when education, corporate power, and cultural authority decide to collaborate instead of operate in silos? You get a model that doesn’t just teach creativity, you scale it.
That’s just what’s unfolding through the partnership between Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design, Adidas, and two-time Academy Award–winning and five-time Academy Award–nominated costume designer, Ruth E. Carter. Make no mistake, this is more than a course launch; it’s a power move.
At the center of it all is ePLC, a digital learning platform designed to remove barriers and reimagine who gets to participate in the design industry. Free. Global. Accessible. Three words that disrupt an entire system. PLC Detroit has always positioned itself differently. As the nation’s only design-focused HBCU, its mission has always been about access with intention.
With the launch of the Ruth E. Carter Costume Design program by Adidas, that mission evolves into something even more expansive: a borderless classroom where creativity is no longer limited by zip code or financial status. A four-part masterclass led by Ruth E. Carter doesn’t just teach costume design; it reframes it as storytelling, cultural preservation, and future-building all at once. Her approach to Afrofuturism challenges students to think beyond aesthetics and into narrative responsibility. It’s about understanding the past, honoring identity, and designing worlds that reflect both.
Now let’s talk about alignment, because partnerships like this don’t happen by accident. Adidas isn’t new to culture, but this investment signals something deeper than brand visibility. Instead of simply outfitting creatives, Adidas is now helping to develop them. That distinction matters. Because when a global brand shifts from product to purpose, it changes the conversation. Supporting creative education, especially through an HBCU, positions Adidas not just as a participant in culture, but as a stakeholder in its future.
Photo Courtesy: Scrill Davis
And then there’s Ruth E. Carter, whose name alone carries weight, credibility, and cultural significance. From Black Panther to Sinners, her work has consistently shaped how stories are seen, felt, and remembered. As the first Black person to win an Academy Award for Best Costume Design and the first Black woman to win multiple, her legacy is already cemented. But what makes this moment powerful is how she’s choosing to extend that legacy. In today’s economy, expertise is currency. And Carter is investing hers back into the next generation.
This initiative opens doors for aspiring designers who may never have imagined themselves in these spaces, let alone learning directly from someone who helped redefine them. The global reach of ePLC turns what was once exclusive into something expansive. A student in Detroit, Lagos, London, or Atlanta now has the same front-row access to knowledge, process, and perspective.
The design industry is competitive, fast-moving, and often gatekept. By creating free, high-level learning opportunities, PLC Detroit, Adidas, and Ruth E. Carter are actively widening the pipeline. Not through performative initiatives, but through strategic partnerships that understand the value of investing in people before profits.
The business of creativity has always been about vision and the future of design will be shaped by those who are given the tools to participate in it.
About PLC Detroit
PLC Detroit, Michigan’s only HBCU and the nation’s only design-focused HBCU, is an institution dedicated to providing education in design offering a comprehensive curriculum, industry partnerships, and hands-on learning experiences to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in the design industry.
Photo Courtesy: Scrill Davis
About Ruth E. Carter
Ruth E. Carter is the two-time Academy Award–winning and five-time Academy Award–nominated costume designer celebrated for her work on “Malcolm X,” “Amistad,” “Black Panther,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and “Sinners.” With a career spanning more than three decades and over 70 credits across film, television, and theatre, Carter has become one of the most influential visual storytellers in cinema. Her work has helped shape the cultural identity of some of the most powerful films of our time, preserving history, celebrating identity, and imagining the future of Black culture on screen. Ruth E. Carter’s contributions to costume design are a national treasure, preserving history, celebrating identity, and reimagining the future of Black culture on screen.
About Adidas
Adidas is a global leader in the sporting goods industry. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the company employs more than 62,000 people worldwide and generated sales of €23.7 billion in 2024.
