Delivering Positive Messages Through Clothing: Behind Yvonne Jewnell New York
Art is LIFE. I choose this industry because of my gut feeling. I believe that if more people focused their careers in what they were genuinely excited about the world would be a better place. I have been an artist since I was a child and through education and influence I have evolved into a RTW (Ready-to-Wear) Women’s Designer. At YVONNE JEWNELL NEW YORK we create garments with an ethnically inspired message of overcoming obstacles and revitalizing strength. Our use of bold colors, fun prints, nontraditional fabrics and unexpected silhouettes celebrate women of all colors. As a company we strive to create a market that celebrates the culture of women from around the world.
Thus far, this has been an awesome experience. There have been lots of crazy roller coasters and curve balls but I’m a lot stronger. My team, my mother and I are a lot stronger and are so much more strategic in our choices. I was 17 years old when we first started this business and now at the age of 23, I’ve matured and I am constantly growing. I enjoy waking up and knowing that I have the ability to impact the world by delivering positive messages through clothing. There’s something so uplifting about creating products with your own two hands that you later see on people in photographs, press articles and more.
One of the biggest challenges I experienced was openly displaying my inner most feelings through art to a public audience. Giving them the ability and the opportunity to critique but also embrace the story I developed through my work has been a challenge. My friends and family have been a driving force of support .Being that our company is run by a mother daughter team (my mom and I), we have been fortunate to even gain support from other family owned businesses. The most import lesson I’ve learned so far is: “To thine own self be true”. Yes, a Shakespeare quote that best defines why we do what we do. It is the uniqueness of our aesthetic and nature of our brand that appeals to such a great audience. Altering it in hopes to become mainstream would be self-destructive, so as a brand we will keep our original ideas fresh, while evolving.
Web: http://www.yvonnejewnelldesigns.com
IG: @yvonne_jewnell
