Posted by Actively Black
on September 25, 2026
Black Tech Green Money, the AfroTech podcast hosted by Will Lucas, featured Actively Black founder Lanny Smith in episode 168, released in June 2024. Actively Black is the Black-owned athleisure brand Smith launched in 2020. Smith covered the athleisure market, why a brand centered on Black culture has a large enough audience, how he found manufacturers, and why the brand turns down partnerships that don’t fit its mission.
Key takeaways
- In the episode intro, Will Lucas said Smith’s brands earned $100,000 in their first year of business and were now doing $7 million.
- Smith said he was told that naming the brand Actively Black would shrink its market, and answered that Actively Black is a global brand built for the entire diaspora, not only Black Americans.
- Smith cited a McKinsey report projecting that Black consumers in the U.S. will spend $70 billion a year on apparel and footwear by 2030.
- Smith said Actively Black turned down a Peloton collaboration because the brand was asked to tone down its boldness and Blackness.
- Smith explained that he found his first factory through a tour guide he met on an NBA Asia tour, and that sourcing for his first brand took eight months of samples.
- Smith said Actively Black has funded Black Mamas Matter, donated to efforts that give Black kids access to tech and STEM, and held mental health events for the Black community.
In Lanny's words
“we're not actually building an apparel brand. The clothes are just the uniform for the movement.”
— Lanny Smith, Black Tech Green Money (June 2024)
“We're not building this for Black Americans.”
— Lanny Smith on building a brand for the whole diaspora, Black Tech Green Money
“money is not the motivation for me.”
— Lanny Smith, Black Tech Green Money
Why it matters
This conversation takes on a question we hear often: is a brand built for Black people big enough? Smith’s answer is that the world’s biggest companies already have entire teams working out how to sell to Black consumers. If our buying power is big enough for them, it is big enough for a brand we own.
Smith also explained why selling directly to the Tribe matters. Without a retail chain as gatekeeper, the brand never has to quiet its Blackness to get on a shelf. What the Tribe spends goes into hiring Black talent and funding programs, which is how we build our own table instead of waiting for someone else to set one.
Shop the story
Smith described Actively Black as a true athleisure and sports apparel brand. Shop our performance collection, the Pinnacle Performance collection, and the Team Nigeria kit from the Paris Olympics he mentions on the episode.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Actively Black?
Lanny Smith founded Actively Black and launched it on Black Friday, November 27, 2020. He also founded the faith-based apparel brand Active Faith.
What did Black Tech Green Money say about Actively Black?
Host Will Lucas introduced Smith as the founder of two successful athleisure brands and said they had grown from $100,000 in first-year revenue to $7 million.
Is Actively Black Black-owned?
Yes. Actively Black is a Black-owned athleisure and sports apparel brand founded by former professional basketball player Lanny Smith.
Why did Actively Black turn down Peloton?
Smith said Peloton wanted the brand to minimize the boldness and Blackness it is known for, and he refused to compromise the brand for any amount of money.
Listen to the full episode: Lanny Smith of Actively Black on his fashion movement, market segmentation, and tips for securing major partnerships, Black Tech Green Money (June 2024)
