In the final exciting chapter of our journey through Black History Month stories, we have the honor to explore the lively universe belonging to Jeremy Sallee.
Being a distinguished business founder and expert in design; Jeremy’s story provides an engaging look at how passion combines with intention.
Explore the path of his artistic development, starting from the early glow of dreams he had as a child and going up to the complex narratives that are part of his pioneering series.
With family ties and cultural traditions in the background, Jeremy’s progress is a source of encouragement, showing how design can change individual and shared identity.
Read the interview below!
Who is Jeremy Sallee?
First and foremost, blessed to be a husband, father, and a vessel for positivity. Other than that I’m the owner of Freeman Plat and the Head of Design at Puma basketball. (I can give you a full history if you want…)
Can you share a memory of the moment you knew you wanted to be a designer?
I was 11 years old and the Reebok Questions had just come out and I wanted the red toe or blue toe colorway… unfortunately, they sold out and I was stuck with the black and gold pair smh. I was headed to an AAU tournament and I opened the box, looked at my best friend George, and said “I could make Reebok better.” And the rest is history.
Describe your creative process when designing for your brand.
Freeman Plat has always been a way for me to attempt to make a REAL difference in the world. When I was younger I never really was much of a speaker so the easiest way for me to have a positive effect on society was through design and storytelling. Enter Freeman Plat …. “Freeman” stems from a man or woman free from the constraints of society to strive, adapt, and succeed in all walks of life. “Plat” stems from the root word “platypus” and is a metaphor for being a modern Renaissance man. The big message behind this part of the brand is said best via the DaVinci quote “God sells us all things at the price of labor”. So a lot of the product I designed was based on what I would like to wear to a business meeting. So there was a focus on dress/sportswear hybrid footwear and apparel that could be dressed up or down. With that said I moved away from this part of the brand back in 2018 after my son was born…
Then in early 2021 in the midst of COVID, the brand took a major shift. Now I have a collection within Freeman Plat called Earl Grey. It’s based on doing stuff that makes you feel calm. During COVID and the months of social unrest during the BLM movement, I was getting kind of down and started to develop a bit of anxiety. I tried painting to calm my nerves and I realized, “Oh, I can actually paint.” It was therapeutic, and at the same time, it was something I could use in my product to tell a story and get a positive message out into the world. So every season, I do a painting and put it on the product. And that painting serves as the basis for the seasonal collection. In terms of actual product, it’s much more on the casual side of things. I do stuff that I just like to wear, like hats, hoodies, socks, tees, etc. It also kind of depends on what the seasonal theme is….
What do you want your legacy to be?
To be honest, I’m not really motivated by public legacy. My goal is to love God, walk in divine purpose, and use all of the gifts that He has given me to positively affect others. What’s dope is that God has put me in a position to be a bridge to one of our most vulnerable demographics, young people(via the sneaker/fashion industry). I want to be a light that motivates and inspires and I also want to be an “attainable” example of what is possible. My secondary goal is to create generational wealth and stability for my family’s future.
What does Black History mean to you?
Black history is the ever-rising step ladder of our predecessors who have walked so that we could run, whispered so that we could speak, and imagined so that we could believe. Not only that, but I’m a big proponent of perspective. So it is very important to see someone that looks like you succeed. This makes the dream seem much more reachable. Shoutout to Obama haha.
How do you see your role in the streetwear industry contributing to the celebration of Black Culture?
Welp, first and foremost, I’m black so whatever successes I experience, ideally, help the cause as a whole. To keep it 100, our goal should be to transcend race. I dream that one day we won’t need a month to talk about what “we’ve” done because we’ll be a part of history EVERY DAY. Yes, I am fully aware that we aren’t there yet, but that should be the goal. How do we get there…? Keep striving and providing perspective to the next generation by being so good that your talent, gifts, and value are undeniable.
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Interview By Jasmine Cordew & Intro Written By Parker Hargens
