DSU and Crocs develop a Hornet logo shoe design

As the result of an initiative by a DSU student, the University and its Hornet logo have gone into the footwear business.

El Hadji Mbaye, a sophomore Aviation major and the Vice President of the Campus Activities Board, attended the 2024 National Association of Student Affairs Professionals Conference in Seattle, Wash., during the past summer. He noticed a lot of the other colleges and universities represented at the conference were sporting apparel featuring their schools’ branding.

He decided he would up DSU’s game in that arena.

He made a call to Crocs, Inc.

The popular foam footwear has become an American cultural shoe item since its initial designs were put on the market in 2002. Because many DSU students traverse the campus in Crocs, Mr. Mbaye decided to pitch the idea of a DSU Hornet Croc design to the now multi-billion-dollar company.

What began as one email to Crocs Inc. became over 100 emails during the summer months and into the current school year between Mr. Mbaye and Chase Brasher, a sales manager at Crocs Inc. Ultimately a DSU Hornet Crocs design was settle upon and a limited edition were manufactured.

“We decided to do a soft launch to see if students were interested and how many people would purchase it,” Mr. Mbaye said. “We sold more than 300 Crocs to the DSU community – students, faculty, alumni and sports teams.”

Mr. Mbaye was able to negotiate a deal in which 10% of the total sales of the DSU Hornet Crocs would go into a DSU scholarship fund. He said if the DSU community’s interest in the shoe is still high, another limited edition may be developed for sale in the spring of 2025.

Mr. Brasher notes that DSU is the first HBCU to set up a Custom Crocs Team Store. He said it was an honor this year to work with the DSU team to create Custom Crocs. 

“The excitement surrounding the project was infectious, and we worked diligently to create the perfect Crocs to represent DSU and the surrounding marketing and roll out the clogs to students and community members,” Mr. Brasher said. “I hope the campus is filled with students representing their university in comfort and style with their new custom Crocs, and I hope to work with the DSU team again in the future. Go Hornets!” 

Mr. Mbaye said has learned some great lessons in this commercial adventure.

“It has increased my leadership skills. I never thought that I would be able to partner with a big company such as Crocs Inc.,” Mr. Mbaye said. “So, I learned if you want to do something, just do it.”

“Hadji was thrilled to present this incredible opportunity for DSU to create limited-edition custom Crocs. He collaborated closely with our department, ensuring the final product aligned perfectly with our brand,” said Dr. Dawn Mosley, Senior Vice President of DSU Marketing and Communications. “I’m so proud of his dedication and effort in discovering and cultivating this opportunity that also gives back to our students – we absolutely love our Hornet Crocs!”