For 20+ years I've used design as a force for change: launching streetwear brands, building Iowa's first fashion house, and turning one hoodie into a national movement. I bring that story to your stage, your classroom and your boardroom, and I leave people believing they have the power to change their world.
I'm a designer, an activist, a founder and an educator, and I speak from all four. I didn't study a movement; I built one. Audiences hear how a kid from Iowa turned a hoodie into a symbol of dignity, landed a national retail deal, partnered with Warner Music Group, and opened Iowa's first fashion house to make sure the next generation of creatives doesn't have to wait for permission.
Every session is real, practical and personal. Students walk out with a plan. Educators walk out with tools. Teams walk out with a new way of seeing the people they serve. My goal is simple: spark a small moment of revolution in every room I walk into.
My flagship keynote. From growing up through the War on Drugs to the 2020 uprisings, how fashion became my tool for healing, resistance and building something that lasts. Fearless, courageous, hopeful, and built to leave a legacy.
The history of the hoodie, the bias it carries, and how a single product concept grew into a national movement confronting racism and reclaiming the narrative around Black and Indigenous identity.
How I turned a 6,000 sq. ft. former dry cleaner into a creative hub, built a nonprofit from the ground up, and assembled partners from city hall to Warner Music Group. Vision, grit and community, step by step.
Starting a fashion line, running a profitable screen printing company, and landing a national retail contract. The real lessons on brand, money, manufacturing and staying true to your purpose.
For students: find your voice, create as only you can, and use art, design and fashion to change your school, your community and your future.
A workshop that builds cultural competency and gives teachers and staff practical tools to support marginalized students, drawn from years of teaching in Iowa classrooms.
Convocations, heritage months, entrepreneurship and design programs, student unions and career weeks.
Inspirational assemblies, leadership sessions and hands-on workshops for middle school, high school and youth programs.
DEI and culture conversations, creativity and brand storytelling, employee resource group events and leadership summits.
Festivals, summits, museums, libraries, nonprofits and city events that want a speaker who moves people to act.
Education is the engine of everything I build. Schools and universities book me because I know their students: I'm in classrooms every week, designing curriculum and mentoring young creatives.
Andre' Wright is a creative entrepreneur, activist and community builder who has dedicated his life to the underrepresented. He launched his first streetwear line, Born Leaders United, out of Iowa City and took it to New York Fashion Week and four national publications.
As co-founder of Humanize My Hoodie, he grew a single design into a nationally recognized fashion activism movement, landing a Foot Locker contract in 285+ stores and producing a documentary selected by the Paris International Film Festival and New York Independent Film Festival. His work has been featured or promoted by Politico, NPR, Essence, The Guardian, Target, Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group.
In 2021 he founded Wright House of Fashion, Iowa's first fashion house, a 501(c)(3) that empowers underrepresented youth through design, creative direction and professional development. He also runs Get Wright Consulting, a profitable screen printing and creative services company. Having traveled to 30+ countries, he speaks with a global lens and an unshakable commitment to justice, dignity and the next generation.
“I wanted to create something that gave young people an actual skill set and a window into a world they might never have seen.”
Tell me about your event, your audience and what you want them to walk away with. I'll follow up within a few business days to talk dates, format and fees.
