Meet the artist behind the work

Haute: What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Why?

Jillian: Sheetwear (featured below) is easily my favorite project! Throughout school, I tried to do something different every semester and tried to go down different avenues to find my niche. In fashion, there is an unimaginable amount of paths you can take, so I always found it silly to do one thing and assume I knew what I liked so early in my career. It’s all about exploration. The one thing that always stuck was my interest in lingerie. No matter what I was exploring or experimenting with, I found lingerie playing a part, and trying to integrate it in different ways. It wasn’t always easy, and it honestly didn’t feel natural- that’s how I knew I hadn’t 100% found my design identity yet.

Aside from lingerie, I design with the intention of people wearing my clothes every day. I want my garments to be what you reach for in your closet for any and every occasion. With that being said, I have continuously tried to find the connection between lingerie and streetwear in an innovative way. It never felt right, until my senior year. I always felt so frustrated…like I just couldn’t find my voice, and then it all came together in my latest collection. All elements of different things I love blended together so seamlessly and effortlessly. It was the most fun I’ve had with a collection, along with the most rewarding. 

Have you ever had an “aha” moment with your work? Tell me more about that.

My “aha” moment was possibly the most relieving and happiest day in my fashion career thus far! It’s not so much an isolated incident as a change in my approach and process. It came when I stopped stressing about the final product so much and really let go. I let my intuition guide me through my designs rather than putting pressure on the outcome. This mindset has completely changed my relationship with fashion design for the better. Your designs will come to life and feel so true to you when you’re having fun and letting everything fall into place along the way! 

When we first spoke, you were excited about Haute’s commitment to encourage sustainability. What is one thing you wish you knew about sustainability sooner that you can pass on to people today?

It’s impossible to be truly sustainable while things are still being created. I think this is really important to remember! I feel designers should be taking responsibility and putting thought into upcycling, using anything we may already have from past projects, and educating ourselves on fabric fibers to understand our impact. It’s not realistic to expect all creation to come to an end, and it’s not fair to ask anyone to stop creating, which is why we need to be more mindful in the process and educate the masses about overconsumption. Focusing on consumption is just as significant, and should be stressed in sustainability conversations.

I love all the bucket hats you’ve been making recently. Can you tell me more about why you chose bucket hats?

I made a bucket hat last minute as an accessory for Sheetwear. It was made using scrap fabric from my pair of painted jeans, and I ended up getting a lot of interest in it! I was eventually asked to make a custom one, which I am eternally grateful for!!! I was in a bit of a post-graduation slump and this was the perfect opportunity to get my creative juices flowing again. Not having access to a studio space was hard for me, so I found that getting creative on a smaller scale has been perfect. It doesn’t require a whole lot of space and allows me to focus on my prints and textiles. Lastly, sustainability is very important to me, so the hats also give me an opportunity to utilize fabrics and scraps I’ve accumulated throughout the years, upcycle garments, and experiment with natural dye techniques. My hats are also reversible, so I typically try to make one side more subdued and the other more print heavy: this way, it can be versatile and used for different occasions. I construct them with intention; when someone buys a hat from me, they are receiving 2-in-1 and reducing their consumption.

With Haute, we’re thinking a lot about the future of fashion. What changes do you hope to see in the industry in the next decade? How do you want to contribute to those changes?

I hope products will become longer lasting and we can stop the cycle of fast fashion. Fast fashion caters to a world of trends and instant gratification that is killing our planet. If we start at the root and focus on more thoughtful construction and fabrication, our garments will stop being seen as replaceable, temporary, and ultimately only worn a handful of times. I design with this in mind and hope to create lasting garments that are true to me and my customer, as opposed to designing for relevancy and currency.

What’s your favorite song to listen to when designing?

Music has helped me get through so many long and draining studio days and is so influential to my process. Soul, funk, and disco always put me in a good mood and help me get in the zone. Two of my favorite songs to listen to are Take Your Time (Do It Right) by S.O.S Band and I’m Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair) by Inner Life. If I’m not in the mood for that, I’ll gravitate towards R&B- my two favorite artists are Brent Faiyaz and Snoh Aalegra!