Lanny Smith, a former professional basketball player, founded Actively Black in 2020. A career-ending knee injury during his NBA rookie season pivoted him towards entrepreneurship. Actively Black is a premium athleisure wear brand dedicated to uplifting and reinvesting in the Black community.
In under five years, the brand has achieved exponential growth, earning recognition as one of America’s fastest-growing athleisure and Black-owned brands. Actively Black has been featured in major publications like Fast Company, Forbes, LA Times, NY Times, Business Insider, and Essence. Ad Age has recognized it as a Breakout Brand Leader, and Inc. Magazine included it in its “Best in Business” list.
The brand has secured notable collaboration partnerships with entities such as Disney, Marvel, the Muhammad Ali Estate, the Bob Marley Estate, the Tupac Shakur Estate, and FUBU. Most recently, Actively Black designed the official outfits for Team Nigeria at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Lanny’s vision extends to creating a global brand that connects and empowers the entire Diaspora. His driving philosophy is, “It is time to stop asking for a seat at the table and to build our own table.
Lanny Smith, a former professional basketball player, founded Actively Black in 2020. A career-ending knee injury during his NBA rookie season pivoted him towards entrepreneurship. Actively Black is a premium athleisure wear brand dedicated to uplifting and reinvesting in the Black community.
In under five years, the brand has achieved exponential growth, earning recognition as one of America’s fastest-growing athleisure and Black-owned brands. Actively Black has been featured in major publications like Fast Company, Forbes, LA Times, NY Times, Business Insider, and Essence. Ad Age has recognized it as a Breakout Brand Leader, and Inc. Magazine included it in its “Best in Business” list.
The brand has secured notable collaboration partnerships with entities such as Disney, Marvel, the Muhammad Ali Estate, the Bob Marley Estate, the Tupac Shakur Estate, and FUBU. Most recently, Actively Black designed the official outfits for Team Nigeria at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Lanny’s vision extends to creating a global brand that connects and empowers the entire Diaspora. His driving philosophy is, “It is time to stop asking for a seat at the table and to build our own table.
