In his hometown of New Orleans, Toussaint King was a community advocate, helping neighbors and friends find jobs and other opportunities. While working for a marketing company he got the chance to live his dreams of becoming a sneaker designer when he was selected to be in the first cohort of the Serena Williams Design Crew (SWDC), an apprenticeship program that grants a group of talented designers the opportunity to work in collaboration with the tennis star over the course of six months.

King ranked as one of the star designers of the first SWDC x Nike collection working on Williams’ Australian Open 2021 footwear as well as the Air Max Koko sandal and the Air Force 1 series. He was among seven of ten members of the Design Crew to land a full-time job as a footwear designer for the Jordan Kids brand.

A self-taught designer, King has always had a passion for design and draws inspiration from people–real people with real stories. Regarded as one of the most talented sneaker designers in his generation, Toussaint says he never thought it would be possible to make shoes as cool and niche as the ones he makes; in his own words, “I’ve always been fascinated with creating something that doesn’t exist.”

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