Technology
D’Wayne Edwards is releasing a line of adjustable footwear with Target
Edwards has created an modern shoe that solves many problems.
Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, footwear designer, founder and president of Pensole Lewis College, an HBCU in Detroit, teamed up with Target to launch ÜNOS by Szline of adjustable footwear for youngsters and adults.
ÜNOS by Sz means “You Need One Size”. Patented technology allows the shoes to be enlarged to half size for youngsters and full size for adults. Offering over 15 styles, the shoes are priced at just below $50.
“For a long time, my goal was always to do something that would be much cheaper for people who could afford everyday things,” Edwards said in an interview Afrotech.
“I just felt like everyday things, if you put the same intention into them as some of the more elevated, more expensive items, I think you could create something special, so what we did with ÜNOS by Sz was created this technology thanks to which the shoe grows with the foot.”
Edwards noted that designed the shoe solve a “business problem”. Shoe inventory often takes up a lot of space. One shoe that will be adjusted to suit a variety of foot sizes helps reduce the space needed to accommodate goods, but it surely does present some challenges.
“You really need to know more about construction, materials and pricing because every penny decision matters,” he said in an interview Fast Company.
Edwards has a profession spanning over 30 years cooperated with significant brands equivalent to Gear from Los Angeles and Nike. He has designed footwear for hip-hop royalty equivalent to Tupac, Notorious BIG Nas and Snoop Dogg. He has also made shoes for athletes equivalent to Carmelo Anthony, Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan.
Edwards too founded the JEMS companythe primary black-owned athletic shoe factory within the United States. factory, named after a black shoemaker Jan Ernst Matzeliger, opened its doors in 2023.
In February Edwards made history by reopening Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design (PLC), the primary design-focused HBCU.
ÜNOS by Sz is available for purchase at Target, each in-store and online.