Owensboro’s Western Academy is launching a new clothing brand called WANwear, designed to teach young men leadership, entrepreneurship, and marketing skills while also supporting the program’s mission.
Western Academy Director Olga McKissic said WANwear grew out of a need to keep older students engaged while providing real-world learning opportunities.
“We have to make sure that we prepare our young men to be leaders, that they will be trained on how to be entrepreneurs,” McKissic said. “If we’re not teaching each other, then who’s teaching us?”
The clothing line concept stems from programs McKissic developed at a previous position in Louisville, including financial literacy and entrepreneurship camps for children.
At Western Academy, students will design and market T-shirts as part of competitions and projects, learning not only how to create but also how to sell.
WANwear’s designs incorporate messages of empowerment and cultural pride. One shirt carries the phrase “You are becoming someone’s history” — a nod to Black history and the impact of young men charting their own futures, McKissic said. Each collection will be released in seasonal phases, with new designs planned after each cycle.
“This could possibly be a sustainability piece for Western Academy,” McKissic said. “When someone looks at a WANwear shirt, they know it is imparting knowledge.”
The project also introduces students to e-commerce and digital marketing. The shirts are sold through a website integrated with Shopify, and McKissic said students are learning about social media strategy, audience targeting and branding.
WANwear partnered with Owensboro High School’s Red and Black Shack, where students help produce apparel such as hats and keychains. She said the collaboration is the first of its kind for the student-run store.
“It takes a village, and I’m going to keep saying that,” McKissic said. “It takes a village in order for us to support and lift up, not only just the community, but our kids.”
Scholars from Western Academy also serve as models for the brand, with photo shoots and marketing plans developed alongside local creatives.
McKissic said the initiative has already energized students.
“They really are enjoying it,” she said. “It’s all education at its root, but it’s also something they’re excited about. They’re learning how to market, how to design, and how to be ambitious.”
WANwear apparel goes on sale September 15 and is available online at wanwear.org.
