The Global Footwear Awards is honoured to feature one of its esteemed jury members, Sissi Johnson—an influential cultural broker whose work spans the fields of fashion, academia, and the arts. With a remarkable career that began in the fashion industry and evolved into global thought leadership, she has consistently championed innovation, cross-sector collaboration, and education.
Her contributions include developing pioneering academic programmes, fostering strategic partnerships across industries, and mentoring the next generation of creatives and entrepreneurs. From engaging NASA and the NFL in cultural discourse to receiving recognition from institutions like Yale and The Anthem Awards, her impact is both far-reaching and deeply resonant.
In this exclusive interview, Sissi shares her journey, guiding philosophy, and vision for the future of design and creative education.
Modeling allowed me to observe and absorb knowledge from every corner of the fashion industry. I immersed myself in everything from the creative processes of photography and styling to the technicalities of product design, supply chain, public relations, and marketing. My goal was never fame; I sought to understand how ‘the machine’ operates, interconnects, and evolves.
While studying in China, I developed my first curriculum, ‘The Business of Modeling’, addressing a critical learning gap in fashion schools’ programs. This self-initiated project sparked a lot of academic interest and started my teaching journey.
To this day, I do not hold a PhD or possess a linear academic path or career. Yet, I have held residencies and taught my proprietary MBA courses at the world’s top fashion and business institutions. In my role as professor and mentor, I always strive to encourage learners to innovate and create impact through creative problem-solving, rather than reinventing the wheel.
“‘What you seek is seeking you’ – Rumi’s insight guides my approach as a cultural broker and matchmaker. I translate languages and concepts that allow artists, brands, industries, and institutions to find unexpected common ground.
My work uncovers hidden commonalities among seemingly contrasting entities, transforming potential friction into opportunities for impactful collaboration, social and commercial value. For instance, involving NASA and the NFL in the Berlin Fashion Film Festival’s 12th edition raised eyebrows, but to me, it was a natural fit.
NASA’s popularity in fashion and the undeniable fusion of sports and style justified this unconventional pairing. The resulting ‘Runway Exodus’ Symposium marked Kyle Smith’s first international speaking engagement as the NFL’s inaugural Fashion Editor. Smith also served as a jury member, alongside Michael Lentz, Art Director at NASA.
My classroom has always been a laboratory of mutual discovery, experiment, knowledge, and a stage for cultural diplomacy. This reciprocal relationship has been the cornerstone of my career, keeping me at the forefront of global trends, cultural shifts, consumer behavior, and innovation.
I have taught students from over 150 nationalities on every continent (except for Antarctica). In a “follower” obsessed world, what I find particularly gratifying is the expansive global network and social fabric that has emerged from these teaching experiences. I can proudly say I have former students, business collaborators, and friends in nearly every country. We are a vibrant and intentional community that continues to educate and support each other long after formal classes have ended.
Growing up, I witnessed the introduction of luxury logos in music videos and the frequent name-dropping of high-end brands in hip hop lyrics. This observation led to years of studying the complex relationship between the hip hop and luxury industries. Their complicated symbiosis involved mutual influence and reshaping, as well as resistance and resentment. My research and experience in luxury fashion, informed by this nuanced understanding and passion for disrupting academia, ultimately culminated in this course.
The program has been taught at over 32 top global business schools, including ESSEC, HEC Paris, Yale School of Management, and GNAM, reaching students from more than 80 nationalities. Its relevance in academia was further underscored when Gabriel Rossi, Assistant Dean of Faculty & Curriculum at Yale University, enrolled. Both physical and digital, my classroom welcomed executives from industry giants like Adidas, LVMH, TikTok, Kering, and Amazon Group, highlighting the course’s appeal across academic and corporate sectors, and its adaptability to various learning environments.
A significant milestone in the course’s journey was its official endorsement by The Hip Hop Museum. The museum’s founder, Rocky Bucano, contributed as a guest of honor, leading to my appointment as a Member of the Board of Trustees for the museum, set to open in NYC in 2026.
The program’s impact was further recognized in 2024 when The Anthem Awards acknowledged it for social impact excellence in education, arts and culture, literacy, and media categories. Selected from over 2,000 entries across 44 countries, this placed our Luxury Brand Management program alongside notable cultural icons like Misty Copeland and initiatives such as the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
I maintain a broad yet focused approach through connection, curiosity, and cross-sector collaboration. The international board and leadership roles I hold, ranging from museums in New York to fashion film festivals in Europe, as well as my teaching experiences, provide me with high-level strategic insights and invaluable social listening. This combination sharpens my ability to discern genuine industry shifts from fleeting trends.
In college, a friend and I used to daydream about appearing in a Maxwell music video, his rendition of ‘This Woman’s Work’ on constant repeat. Fast forward over a decade, I found myself not just appearing in the visual, but art directing and executive producing it. The project even drew from a beauty course I’d developed. It was a full-circle moment, weaving together youthful musings and my adult professional reality.
I gravitate towards designs that challenge conventions while honoring craftsmanship. To aspiring designers, I say: cultivate curiosity and skills beyond your industry, embrace risk-taking, and take a leap of faith. The net always appears, and what’s de layed is not denied.
The next big innovations will continue to emerge from collaborations with people, fields, and techniques we don’t yet associate with fashion. There lie countless opportunities to thrive, regardless of one’s background.