Actively Black in ESSENCE: The Black-Owned Athleisure Brand Taking On Lululemon

ESSENCE profiled Actively Black, the Black-owned athleisure brand founded by Lanny Smith in 2020, in a February 2022 conversation titled “Meet The Black-Owned Athleisure Brand Taking On Lululemon.” Writer Kimberly Wilson spoke with Lanny about why he built the brand, why representation in fitness apparel matters, and the Pioneer Collection honoring the first Black players in the NBA. It is one of the earliest national features on what the Tribe has been building since our Black Friday launch.

Key takeaways

• ESSENCE reported that Lanny Smith launched Actively Black on Black Friday in 2020 to uplift Black people and reinvest in Black communities and organizations around the world.
• According to ESSENCE, Lanny’s University of Houston classmate Dr. Seun Adigun, Team Nigeria’s flag bearer, asked him to outfit the country’s Olympians for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
• Lanny told ESSENCE that his earlier company, Active Faith Sports, had generated more than $20 million in sales with customers in more than 65 countries, and that he still owns it as a separate company.
• The feature covered the Pioneer Collection, created with the families of Nat Clifton, Earl Lloyd and Chuck Cooper, the first Black players to break the NBA color barrier in 1950, and launched during NBA All-Star Weekend.
• Lanny named Rich Dennis and Kwame Anku as investors in Actively Black in the ESSENCE interview.
• He told ESSENCE he sees Actively Black growing into a global brand that connects the diaspora and expands into content and events.

In Lanny’s words

“Actively Black represents the greatness in our DNA.”

— Lanny Smith, to ESSENCE (February 2022)

“For too long, our culture has been profited off of but not represented.”

— Lanny Smith, to ESSENCE (February 2022)

“I see Actively Black becoming a global brand that connects the entire Diaspora.”

— Lanny Smith, to ESSENCE (February 2022)

Why it matters

The ESSENCE conversation captures the thesis we still build on: Black culture drives what the mainstream calls cool, yet too little of that value flows back into the communities that create it. Lanny told ESSENCE that Black entrepreneurs are no longer asking for a seat at the table and are building their own, and that Black-owned labels can fund organizations and programs that give Black creatives, athletes, scholars and entrepreneurs the resources to succeed. That is the whole point of ownership. When the brand is ours, the reinvestment is ours to direct.

The Pioneer Collection shows the other half of the mission: telling our history with care. Lanny told ESSENCE that, even as a lifelong fan and a former player, he did not know the stories of Clifton, Lloyd and Cooper, so he partnered with their families to tell them authentically. Outfitting Team Nigeria months after launch pointed to where the brand was headed, a uniform for the movement that reaches the whole diaspora, not just one country.

Shop the story

Rep the Olympic legacy that started with Team Nigeria in the Team Nigeria Kit and the Actively Black Olympic Collection, or start with the pieces the Tribe wears most in our men’s and unisex best sellers. Learn more in our story.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Actively Black?

Actively Black was founded by Lanny Smith, a former professional basketball player who played at the University of Houston. ESSENCE reported that he launched the brand on Black Friday in 2020.

Is Actively Black Black-owned?

Yes. ESSENCE described Actively Black as a Black-owned, premium athleisure and sports apparel brand designed by us, for us.

What did ESSENCE say about Actively Black?

In February 2022, ESSENCE profiled the brand as a Black-owned athleisure company taking on Lululemon, covering its mission to reinvest in Black communities, its Team Nigeria Olympic partnership and its Pioneer Collection.

What is the Actively Black Pioneer Collection?

According to ESSENCE, the Pioneer Collection honors Nat Clifton, Earl Lloyd and Chuck Cooper, the first Black players to break the NBA color barrier in 1950. Lanny Smith created it in partnership with the players’ families, and it launched during NBA All-Star Weekend.

Read the full feature: Meet The Black-Owned Athleisure Brand Taking On Lululemon, ESSENCE (February 2022)