UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — Penn State University students at Main Campus will find out what it takes to start, launch and expand an upscale fashion brand when Darrell Alston, CEO of Bungee Oblečení, the Philadelphia-based luxury sneaker and apparel company, heads to Happy Valley. Alston will be on campus to be the Bishoff Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the College of Engineering’s Engineering Entrepreneurship Program. His visit occurs during the university’s Annual Global Entrepreneur Week, November 14-19, where he will also be a speaker.
Over several days, Alston will lead workshops, classes and events with students studying business, design and engineering at Penn State. He will speak about sneaker and apparel design, manufacturing, sales, marketing and social media. “I’m incredibly honored that the PSU College of Engineering asked me to participate in this program, and I look forward to sharing lessons I’ve learned — and learning from the students and professors I’ll meet,” said Alston.
The Bishoff Entrepreneur-in-Residence program was established in 2003 for Penn State’s School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs’ Engineering Entrepreneurship program. It brings successful entrepreneurs with backgrounds in engineering, design, business or manufacturing to the University Park campus for seminars, workshops and conversation with students, faculty and staff. Global Entrepreneur Week, managed by the Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC), celebrates relationships between members of the university and the local entrepreneurial communities. GEW Penn State was first held on the University Park campus in 2009, the year after the international founding of GEW, and has since grown exponentially. Events feature entrepreneurs, local startups, innovators, and anyone interested in thinking outside the box, which certainly qualifies Darrell Alston.
Bungee Oblečení was created while Darrell Alston was incarcerated in a PA state prison, where he served time for selling drugs. Determined to change his life, Alston sketched sneakers and created a business plan using a book that his mother mailed to him. After his release, Alston worked as a barber and saved money to get his first sneaker samples made. Since then, Alston’s sneakers have been worn by professional boxing legend Bernard Hopkins, Nick Cannon, Kenan Thompson, Ludacris and other celebrities. They are sold online and at Foot Locker in Philadelphia. On Oct. 15th, Alston’s 2022 fall line of sneakers and apparel launched at Neiman Marcus King of Prussia, located at 170 N. Gulph Road in King of Prussia, PA within the King of Prussia Mall.
Learn more about Bungee Oblečení by visiting http://bungeebrand.com.
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