Designer Eji Benson relaunches Finisher Active

New York, NY- Eji Benson is a fashion designer, entrepreneur, and manufacturer based in New York City. Born into a family of tailors, Eji showed an early affinity for fashion. Benson matriculated at both Columbia College and William Rainey Harper College, earning a degree from their prestigious fashion program. His portfolio includes a wide range of industry partnerships which includes Opening Ceremony, Vera Wang, Bill Blass, Kates Spade, Jones Apparel Group, The Moret Group, Bibhu Mohapatra Rodarte, and more. Benson went on to start Elan NYC, later reincorporating as Ennui New York. The Finisher activewear brand will be the latest of several design brands currently under his leadership. Benson is uniquely positioned for this new endeavor thanks to the practices he already employs in design, development, and manufacturing. 

Eji Benson is, at heart, a creative but one with an impeccable business sense, seeing the value in knowing the fashion world from both sides. He explains: “Growing up, I wanted to study fashion but couldn’t so I studied advertising and marketing before finally attending fashion school. I'm a designer when I create but I need to sell it. There should be a seamlessness. We, as creatives, know the inspiration so we are the best to sell it. We can create the poetry around the product and tell the story. We have already sold it to ourselves. [Now we can sell it to others.]” It is a rare combination, built out of necessity and perfected to create a streamlined and sustainable model poised to take on the activewear heavy weights. 

At the heart of this new endeavor, as with the rest of Eji Benson’s work, is a strong sense of community and a desire to create social capital in the communities in which his businesses operate. At Ennui Home LLC, Benson’s luxury hand-woven rug and home soft accessories company, he works with local loom partnerships in Swaziland and South Africa to offer exclusive hand-loomed luxury rugs that have graced homes across the United States and Europe. His work with FashionLab Africa and other African Fashion forums is focused on showcasing the business of fashion in Africa, and providing support to the African fashion community through a variety of initiatives including workshops, internships, consultation, and incubator programs. The City Junk label aims to celebrate our cities and their importance and influences on the creative community. The Finisher activewear brand will continue on this thread of commitment to the community. 

PRESS CONTACT: Adjani Jensen adjani@adjanidesign.com

New York, New York- Walk the Tulsa Spirit. What does that mean? Join us Friday April 26, 2024 at 7pm for an industry panel brought to you by Eji Benson, designer and founder of the Tulsa sneaker as he and his panelists explore how history and legacy bring about inspiration. This event is in partnership with The Narativ(https://www.thenarativ.com/)  x  W Hotel NY(https://www.instagram.com/wnytimessquare/) Style Lab popup, open from April 12- May 9th Thursdays- Sundays from 12pm to 7pm. The panel will be moderated by AmeliaisMore (https://www.instagram.com/ameliaismore/) Our esteemed panelists include Founder of Dreamleapers and former EIC of Ebony, Harriette Cole as well as recent graduate and assistant designer Noni Johnson. Burnarj Wines (https://www.burnarj.com/) will be a sponsor for the evenings events. 

The Finisher Active brand is the creator of the Tulsa line of sneakers and inspired apparel. Our first launch in the line is The Tulsa Sneaker. The shoe is a blend of fashion, sustainability, and technology, made possible by the strength, legacy, and history of the city. Education is at the core of this project, as many are unaware of the history of the iconic black community of entrepreneurs in Tulsa, Oklahoma (circa 1921.) Our brand’s vision is to honor the legacy of Black Wall Street in Tulsa by sharing its story and empowering the community to reclaim their narrative. We are dedicated to inspiring, educating, and engaging with both local and global communities.

Why now? 

 The 100 year anniversary of the Tulsa massacre (May 31th-June 1st 1921),  passed during the pandemic. This anniversary sparked renewed interest about the legacy of the community’s influence. Finisher Active embraced the opportunity to honor the rich history of ingenuity, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and regeneration.

The Product:
Past and future harmoniously meet on the shoe itself. The Tulsa shoe is marked with a technologically enhanced news- article “paper print”  from the 1920’s as a reminder of what was lost and the resilience needed to recover and reinvent. Each Tulsa sneaker is also uniquely stamped with a piece of Inversa’s leather (https://www.inversaleathers.com/)   made from the Lionfish. The lionfish is an invasive species that impacts the ocean’s coral reef. The process of sustainably harvesting the lionfish allows for regrowth and regeneration,  saving countless species that rely on the coral reef to grow and prosper. 

We invite All to #WalkTheTulsaSpirit. 

Instagram: @the.tulsaofficial

Finisher Active is a performance sports brand producing Apparel and Equipment for Basketball, Football,Soccer, Running, Tennis and Pickleball, among other sports. Designed and developed by Eji Benson with brand partner Teresa Weatherspoon, Finisher Active sits in the space where sports, fashion and community integrate. As a brand, our vision has always been to showcase the best of our global community and the diaspora. Find us at www.finisheractive.com | @finisheractive on Instagram.

Source: Adjani Jensen 

Director of Operations

Finisher Active

adjanijensen@gmail.com