Salehe Bembury & The Power of a Brand Pitch

Plus over $250K in Grants - Marketing Strategy for Creators, Vol. 4

Author

Idia Ogala
March 06, 2024

Marketing Strategy for Creators
By Idia Ogala · March 6, 2024 · Vol. 04

Good afternoon, family!

In today’s edition, we do a Deep Dive on Salehe Bembury, the most influential independent footwear designer of our day. We'll explore how a simple brand pitch to Versace on LinkedIn became a catalyst for his booming creator empire.

Plus, we've got a roundup of the top news articles focused on creators, our selection of the top five Creator Roles available right now, and over $250K in Creator Grants (easy to apply for, but with urgent deadlines).

Ready? Let’s dive in….

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🔥 CREATOR DEEP DIVE
Salehe Bembury & The Power of a Brand Pitch

From collecting unemployment to building one of the most influential sneaker empires in the game…

Here’s how Salehe Bembury’s audacious brand pitch on LinkedIn landed him a design role at Versace, and supercharged his career as a successful independent creator.

If you’re a connoisseur of culture, sneakers, or simply own a social media account, then you’re probably already familiar with Salehe Bembury – one of the most influential designers of our generation.

Saleh’s work can be seen courtside at NBA games, on fashion week runways, and gracing your favorite celebrities – from Kendrick Lamar and 2Chainz to Drake and LeBron James. But equally as impressive is that his technical expertise is respected by legendary creators such as Kanye West, Donatella Versace, and Dame Dash and household global brands like Crocs, New Balance and Moncler.

So what does the process of becoming a household name in your industry entail? For Salehe, it involved marrying a God-given ability and learned skills with the power of partnership to amplify his work. 

In this Deep Dive, we’ll talk through the LinkedIn brand pitch that helped Salehe supercharge his career, and share thoughts on how you could run the same play for your creator business.

The Outreach

via IG / @salehebembury

In 2016, Salehe was coming off an extreme high after landing a dream role at YEEZY, and relocating to LA to work with Kanye West. When he moved on from this opportunity, though, he found himself out of work, collecting unemployment and second-guessing his journey as a creator.  

One day, Salehe was browsing on LinkedIn when he came across a profile for the Design Director at Versace in his “People You May Know” section – an act of exploring profiles and connecting with like-minded strangers that he calls “Digital Fishing”.

Salehe then decided to message the Director and pitch the idea of Versace diving into the sneaker business, citing the “massive opportunity” it could offer the traditional fashion house.

For context, sneakers alone were a multibillion dollar business dominated by traditional brands like Nike, Reebok, and Adidas. But with the recent introduction (and success) of sneakers into the luxury sector – from Balenciaga and Comme des Garçons to Raf Simmons – there was a shift taking place.

Competing fashion houses were experimenting with footwear in ways they hadn’t before, and traditional sneakerheads were taking notice – there was a ton of interest for new releases and collaborations within the niche.

Given Salehe’s diverse set of skills (an industrial design degree holder with a unique approach to apparel construction), passion (as a sneakerhead growing up in NYC), and experiences (working with some of the biggest names in design), Salehe said he felt he was “the person to make it happen” for Versace. 

After that initial LinkedIn pitch message, Donatella Versace (the iconic fashion mogul and $400M businesswoman) replied within a few days saying she loved the idea and wanted to meet in Milan to dive deeper. 

The Pitch

via IG / @salehebembury

In preparation for the most important meeting and pitch of his life, Salehe said had some influential conversations with mentors and peers. The three takeaways that stuck with him:

  • The opportunity is bigger than you – “You’re paving the way for a lot of people within the high fashion space.. So take it seriously”

  • Do your market research – ‘Go see what’s selling in stores and in the marketplace.. And understand the Versace brand’

  • Do some sample design work – “Don’t assume they know you can design”

What started as a “three or four” page presentation turned into 40 pages, and after pitching to Donatella, Salehe was hired on the spot. 

His first shoe with Versace (The “Chain Reaction”, pictured above) was co-designed by Jeff Henderson and debuted in 2018. It became a top seller for the brand and was deemed an instant success.

The Elevation

via Crocs.com

Versace served as an added layer of foundation to the career Salehe has built as an independent creator.

Since departing his role as VP of Sneakers & Men’s Footwear in 2020, he’s launched Spunge, an independent, self-funded design firm focused on apparel (“streetwear”) and footwear. Salehe says it’s his way of having fun with no rules, and serving his niche audience with practical, high-fashion wear.

In just three years, he’s executed multiple high-profile, design partnerships with brands including Moncler, Crocs, New Balance, and Canada Goose – all wildly successful among sneakerhead, athlete and celebrity communities around the world.

More importantly, at least in my opinion, Salehe serves as THE example of independence within the footwear industry. He retains creative freedom to work with whoever he wants, earns royalties on his design work (which is pretty groundbreaking), and has built a truly direct-to-consumer (DTC) relationship with his community (an ultimate leverage point in today’s marketing ecosystem). 

Creator Takeaways

So what can you learn from this story? Here are a few takeaways I hope sticks with you as you navigate the world of brand partnerships.

1. Identify Your Zone of Genius…

Despite going through a rough patch in his career, and experiencing imposter’s syndrome, Salehe didn’t lose sight of his credentials and was able to communicate belief in why his skills and previous experiences made him the right person to help Versace navigate unknown territory in the sneaker industry. 

Remember — Each creator possesses something that sets them apart, and makes them valuable in the marketplace. It’s up to you to identify it. People will only believe in you as much as YOU believe in you.

2. Proactivity Breeds Opportunity

Salehe understood this and spent a lot of time networking online – gig searching on Craigslist, doing his homework on LinkedIn, sharing his design concepts for feedback, pitching opportunities, and meeting people to learn what they do. In a 2022 interview with Bloomberg, Salehe talked about how listening to his dad conduct business as a kid was key to understanding how important networking was as a Creator:

“I knew a part of his job was outreach — managing relationships and making himself seen in a time where you couldn’t just post a picture to be seen”.

Remember — People need to know that you, and your unique service offering or content skill, actually exists. Every Creator needs to actively tell the world what they bring to the table, and this could be achieved through Playing in Traffic – putting yourself in the crossfire of opportunity, through will and hustle (more on the concept of “Playing in Traffic” by my friend Pauleanna Reid).

Creators in 2024 have ALL the resources to easily be seen.. so it’s more important now than ever before to prioritize making sure your presence is felt. And that comes with sharing context about your story and your value. 

4. Do Your Research!

In order to have out of the box ideas, you need to be engaged with what’s happening around you. What’s are the 2024 predictions in your industry? What’s the biggest story of the month and how does it impact the content you create? What are similar Creators doing in the marketplace? What is the campaign focus of your favorite brands?

In the case of Salehe, he took time to understand what sneaker competitors were releasing in the marketplace, and evaluated Versace’s iconic brand elements (like the Medusa and Barocco print) to see how it translates to footwear.

5. Decks are the Road to Checks! 

Communicating your vision and your value as a Creator could be intimidating. You can reduce this tension, and increase your likelihood of success, by using Pitch Decks.

Pitch Decks serve as a way to bridge the communication gap between you and your intended audience — the brands and executives making decisions and controlling budgets — by using words and compelling visuals.

Per Salehe, pitch decks help you secure more opportunities, gain more resources, build bigger communities and…. earn more checks!

[Bonus] All You Need is One 🤞🏾

There were many times throughout Salehe’s journey where he had his back against the wall and was grinding for an opportunity to create at a higher level. 

One concept he constantly referenced for self-motivation was “0 to 1” – referring to the moment you receive that one email that could be a transformational opportunity. 

As a Creator, you need to continue sowing seeds and remain persistent. All it takes is one brand partner that understands you, supports your mission, and is willing to invest in your growth for things to take off in a real way.

To read the rest of this post, including our Tips for Crafting A Perfect Brand Pitch Deck, click here:

For 1:1 support with building your brand pitches, let’s connect!

Crafting A Perfect Brand Pitch Deck

Here are some questions to consider as you build your deck!

Defining What Makes You Unique

  • Who are you?

  • What are you passionate about?

  • What does your community know you best for?

  • What makes you stand out compared to other creators?

  • What’s your unique storytelling approach / content creation style?

Compiling Audience Insights & Engagement Metrics

  • What community do you serve?

  • What’s the demographic and psychographic breakdown?

  • What’s your engagement like?

  • What additional insights (surveys, social media polls) do you have to further validate your audiences’ behaviors and interests? 

Researching Potential Partners

  • What are some brands you already know and love?

  • Which companies have products or services that align with your values, mission, and current audience?

  • Are there any dream partnerships that you’re extremely passionate about?

  • What are the goals of these potential partners and how can your creator brand help them achieve this?

  • Are there any industry trends or breaking news that you can use to your advantage when communicating with these partners?

Develop Your Pitch

What’s your collaboration idea? Clearly communicate what you can offer, using visual aids and words to paint the picture of how you bridge the gap between a problem and the solution with your opportunity. 

Include a few concrete ideas and a high-level overview of what it could look like fully-executed (content examples, visual mock-ups, supporting data).

What popular, successful campaigns (from other brands or creators) can you reference to help drive your point home?

Begin Outreach 

For outreach, here are a few proven methods that I’ve personally used with my Creator clients:

  • The Social Play – Reach out to respective brands on social media (DM) to request a contact email for the Partnerships or Sponsorship lead at the brand.

  • The Warm Intro Play – Reach out to other Creators (friends and mutual followers) that have worked with the specific brand in the past, and request that they facilitate a warm introduction.

  • The Old Reliable – Use a tool like LinkedIn to do research on company decision-makers based on title (think, Partnerships, Influencer Relations, Sponsorship, Buyers, Creator Partnerships, etc.). Then leverage platforms like RocketReach to get email addresses for your outreach. 

As evidenced by Salehe’s story, a LinkedIn DM could also work to generate interest in your ideas, or to request contact information for decision makers at a specific company. My preference, though, is email because it’s the preferred communication method in corporate and it’s easier to track/follow-up on.

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For 1:1 support building your brand pitches, let’s connect!

💰️ CREATOR GRANTS
Top Creator Grants 

  • UPS Small Biz Challenge (<$35K) — 3/8

  • Black Girl Ventures ($5K) — 3/11

  • AI Innovation Grant ($10K) — 3/15

  • Pink With Purpose Grant ($25K) — 3/17

  • Jack Daniels Classic Grant (<$100K) — 3/18

  • IFW Cosmetic Grant ($25K) — 3/19

  • BeyGOOD Salon Grant ($10K) — 3/20

  • Bayer Foundation Award (€25K) — 3/27

  • L’Oreal Beauty Fund Grant ($10K) — 3/29

  • Papaya Grant for Women ($10K) — 3/31

  • Amber Grants for Women ($10K) — N/A

💼 CREATOR CAREER CORNER
Top Creator Roles 

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