Posted by Actively Black
on September 25, 2026
theGrio interviewed Actively Black founder Lanny Smith for “Lanny Smith can’t believe how quickly Actively Black has grown either,” a May 2026 Q&A by Kay Wicker about how the Black-owned athleisure brand he launched in 2020 became a cultural movement. Lanny talked about the September 2025 New York Fashion Week show that moved audiences to tears, the collaborations honoring Black icons, and why this moment is drawing more people to rally around a brand built unapologetically for us. It is the fullest look yet at where the Tribe has come in nearly six years.
Key takeaways
- theGrio reported that Actively Black’s September 2025 New York Fashion Week show featured Ruby Bridges, the daughters of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and photographer Cecil Williams on the runway.
- Lanny told theGrio that the brand’s John Carlos collaboration was created so the revenue could financially support Carlos, part of an effort to honor living civil rights legends.
- theGrio highlighted collaborations and drops including a Cecil Williams capsule, Michael Jackson releases, a “Love Black Women” collection with proceeds benefiting UJIMA, quarter zips and “Tenderism” grill aprons.
- Lanny told theGrio that Actively Black outfitted Team Nigeria at the Summer Olympics in Paris with fewer than five employees, after launching from his apartment in Los Angeles.
- Lanny told theGrio the brand plans to expand onto the African continent, calling Actively Black a diaspora brand that is not just for Black America.
- Lanny told theGrio that Actively Black has customers of all backgrounds, including white, Hispanic and Asian customers.
In Lanny’s words
“We’re not just an apparel brand. The clothes are just a uniform for the movement.”
— Lanny Smith, to theGrio (May 2026)
“Being pro-Black does not mean that we’re anti anybody else.”
— Lanny Smith, to theGrio (May 2026)
“I believe that we have to be active in our own liberation.”
— Lanny Smith, to theGrio (May 2026)
Why it matters
In the interview, Lanny explained that he saw the corporate statements of 2020 as performative, and that the choice was simple: keep asking others to do right by us, or build our own. Actively Black was built to reinvest in and uplift the Black community, and theGrio’s reporting shows what that looks like years later, from supporting civil rights legends like John Carlos to directing proceeds from the “Love Black Women” collection to UJIMA.
Lanny also told theGrio that being part of the culture lets a lean team react in real time, because the conversations happening in our homes and at the cookout are the ones we are already having. And as Black people face new attacks on voting rights and on how our history is taught, he said the brand’s name is galvanizing people more than ever. Our tagline says it plainly: there’s greatness in our DNA.
Shop the story
Relive the runway in the NYFW 2025 Collection, celebrate a legend in the Michael Jackson x Actively Black collection, and rep the Paris moment with the Team Nigeria Kit.
Frequently asked questions
Who founded Actively Black?
Actively Black was founded in 2020 by Lanny Smith, a former professional basketball player who played at the University of Houston, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the national reckoning after George Floyd’s killing.
What did theGrio say about Actively Black?
In May 2026, theGrio described Actively Black as a Black-owned athleisure brand that has grown into a global cultural movement, with collaborations honoring Black icons, Olympic partnerships and a loyal community.
Is Actively Black only for Black customers?
No. Lanny Smith told theGrio that being pro-Black does not mean being anti anybody else, and that the brand has customers of all colors and nationalities.
Who walked in Actively Black’s 2025 New York Fashion Week show?
theGrio reported that Ruby Bridges, the daughters of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and photographer Cecil Williams walked the runway at the September 2025 show.
Read the full feature: Lanny Smith can’t believe how quickly Actively Black has grown either, theGrio (May 2026)
