Driven Since 2002
Javae’ & Francinna Wright
Leadaz… A product of a vision brought forth by Owner & CEO Javae Wright who fared well as point guard at both the High School and College level. Stricken with a torn ACL injury, going pro was not very likely, however having his own athletic footwear and apparel line would be the perfect alternative in keeping him close to the game of basketball that he loves. It was in 2002 that Leadaz was established as the vision and this Leadaz epic journey began!
Then named Leadaz International Sportswear - The first products for sale were headbands and wristbands which were very popular due to Wilt Chamberlain and Donald Earl Watts who were the first players in the NBA to consistently wear them. However during the early 2000’s, it was Allen Iverson who started a new headband trend that spilled over to popular culture and rappers like Nelly made it advantageous for Leadaz to produce and market headbands to the general public. Shortly following the headbands were T-shirts with a message printed on the back to match our then slogan – “Leadaz On You, Represents the Leader In You!” Our niche was to awaken the leader within each person who wore our products. By creating Leaders on and off the playing fields, we would inspire consumers to tap into their inner character.
Leadaz aimed to deliver high quality products at a competitive price so we were selective about the manufacturing of our merchandise. Javae’ took multiple flights to China in search for the best textile factories to produce the Leadaz Brand Clothing. Through building relationships and having faith in the process, manufacturers were secured and opportunities for trade shows, vendor events, and face to face sales came about. For example, the Leadaz Brand was well-received by hundreds of people who attended the African World Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This summer vendor event in 2003 brought lots of sales from a new market of consumers whose feedback was nothing but positive. The same was true when Leadaz participated in a trade show in Phoenix Arizona that same year. All those who visited our booth raved about our new lineup of T-shirts, pants, shorts, and the Brand name LEADAZ. This was confirmation that Leadaz would one day be in high demand as long as we stay the course and continue to develop the brand.
In 2004, Javae was able to secure a shoe manufacturer where his very own design was produced from scratch. This was a HUGE accomplishment, given the willingness of the factory to start at the ground level with a company that was not producing quantities comparable to other larger companies at this point in time. The race was on to market and distribute Leadaz footwear and Chicago Public Schools were open to embracing this new brand. At the time, Leadaz International Footwear was invited out to coaches’ meetings where networking was key to exposing Leadaz to basketball, cheerleading, and double Dutch teams.
Upon delivery of the shoe products coaches would request that Javae’ speak to the team directly so that they can connect a face to the products. The mere fact that a black man produced their shoes was a bonus for the students based on their inner-city background and limited exposure to successful male figures. The story itself was bigger than life and everyone who heard wanted to play a part in making it more of a norm. Online sales was the goal for Leadaz but purchasing goods over the internet was not as widespread as the present. A guy from Gary Indiana who started his own shoe company was of high interest, therefore the requests to speak to students grew more frequent. So much so that Lead4life (Our Sister Company, A In School Leadership & Life Skills Seminars Business) was born in 2006. Javae’ followed his own dreams and now he is a powerful testament of how others can do the same if they possess Confidence, Faith & Thanks Giving to God whom ALL of our Blessings Flow, Education and Fearless Vision.
This message served Powerful, so much that as Javae’s focus was redirected in inspiring and teaching kids the fundamental principles of “Accomplishing Your Dreams”, thus Lead4life Seminars was born in 2006. Starting from the ground up, Javae’s vision was to get into schools (During the school Day) to host motivational leadership workshops for students at the middle & high school levels. Although it was a challenging process to get into the schools, Javae refused to give up, and because of his faith, the passion that he has for uplifting kids, in addition to the remarkable feedback that was received from students and teachers alike, what began with just 7 students in the Lead4life Leadership & Life Skills Program in year one has quickly grown to Lead4life being in 7 schools, where over 1,200 participating students within the Champaign & Danville Illinois School Districts on a yearly basis are learning what it means to have Faith & Be Driven By Vision & Purpose! - www.lead4lifeseminars.com
Fast forward to 2018, Leadaz has rebranded to what is known today as Leadaz Athletic Footwear. By tapping back into our relationships that was established with key members of the Chicago Public School Sports Administration in 2004 Leadaz was able to regain its position, picking up where we had left off, to become suppliers for CPS. We look forward to being key suppliers for their many Schools & Sports Teams across the Chicago Public School District.
“We believe that being a great leader is essential to inspiring vision, providing direction & showcasing various skills and talents. We also believe that true leadership is about seeing where you are, and doing whatever it takes to lead you and your team to victory.” - Javae’ Wright, Founder & CEO, Leadaz Athletic Footwear.
