Spike Lee and Gersh’s HBCU Program Partners With Ralph Lauren to Dress Students for Success
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As a director known for his sartorial flare, it’s only fitting that Spike Lee’s fellowship program would also ensure his participants are dressed for success.
The Spike Fellows, a partnership with the filmmaker’s agency Gersh, has linked up with Ralph Lauren for an innovative initiative that will see the iconic American label providing a chic professional wardrobe for the participants.
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“What makes this cross-industry partnership so meaningful is that it’s rooted in longstanding relationships where all parties share an unwavering commitment to providing access to transformative opportunities specifically for Black talent,” said Gersh head of culture Jayson Council, who leads the program, in a statement.
Ralph Lauren has already begun working with the program, holding individual styling sessions for the inaugural cohort, announced last May, and providing them with a selection of pieces from its collection. Following the eight-week paid fellowship at Gersh’s offices in New York and Los Angeles, all five inaugural Fellows are now working full-time at the agency.
Applications for the second cohort of Spike Fellows are open now to undergraduates from the Atlanta University Center Consortium – comprised of the HBCUs Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University – who are interested in working in the entertainment industry.
“Big Thanks to the good folks at Ralph Lauren for blessing our HBCU fellowship program with fashion for the seasons,” Lee wrote in a statement. “We and the students truly appreciate it, peace and Love Ya-DIG SHO-NUFF?”
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