Designer, April Walker makes a Home in Detroit's fashion landscape.

A new apparel design studio opened in Detroit’s Pensole Lewis College {PLC}; urging Black shoe and fashion designers to be their true selves.

The space pays homage to iconic hip hop streetwear brand Walker Wear and its founder April Walker was in Detroit for its ribbon cutting ceremony. In her career that spans over four decades, Walker spoke to Stylists Suite's Darralynn Hutson on her impact in hip hop fashion.

“One of the biggest things that have changed since I started in the game is technology. Technology has really really changed the game in terms of us being allowed to have access to more information. Because time is moving expeditiously and it’s changing daily which means that if we’re starting a business today, we have to be thinking about ten years from now,” voices April Walker. “I’m thinking the same way in my business, right? Where are the pain points, where is the world heading and how are we being solution-driven. I’m thinking about across the planet, especially for those in my economic culture, a system of Black and brown people. That’s really important to me because our dollar still has so much value. I still see an under-representation of us in spaces where there is a plethora of us already but we don’t have the resources and we don’t have the access still. I have to be a part of that solution.”

STREETWEAR

As the visionary designer behind Walker Wear, April Walker has etched her name as one of the pivotal figures helping to define the very essence of streetwear. In the early 1990s, Walker’s Brooklyn-based brick-and-mortar store became the birthplace of what we now recognize as modern streetwear. At a time when fashion was dominated by high-end brands, Walker saw an opportunity to craft a uniform that reflected the urban culture, drawing from hip-hop’s growing influence. Her designs fused practicality with bold aesthetics, rooted in the experiences of the people she saw around her every day.

“With all of the experience that I’ve had now, what I’m focused on is how I can be of service to the next generation of designers. And I’m unlearning some of the things that no longer serve me. And I’m really leaning into that uncomfortable zone but being OK with that,” says Walker. “I’m learning to really re-listen to my own voice in terms of always chin-checking myself when it comes to ideas because I feel like society has one narrative but we don’t need to always feed into society’s narrative.”

Walker Wear became best known for her oversized cuts, vibrant colors, and bold logos — trademarks that would come to define the streetwear movement.

Mural by Sydney James of April Walker.