interview
[gabriel] who is behind Jarod John Leonard, and who is the JJL team emotionally. how did the JJL team come together, and what kind of spirit or emotion connects everyone involved in the brand.
[clark] the earliest seeds of JJL were planted by Jarod, he used to hit up italian manufacturers to make mohair cardigans because he couldn’t find the perfect vintage ones with the feel he wanted, he did the same for boots etc.
Jarod and i have known each other since we were 13 on xbox, our friendship outlived just playing games and we would chat almost daily on skype about fashion, music etc.
we started a discord server for archiving fashion information, everything from number (n)ine, dior homme, balmain way before these instagram fashion pages took off and these brands became mainstream. most of the information that’s readily available stems from Jarod and i sourcing it from old forum pages.
Jarod and i launched the brand on the server and built the brand’s foundation and community through there. as of now the team is Jarod and i as the creative directors and we work alongside two formally trained young graphic designers who i connected with here in nyc. Jarod works remotely from uk for now.
all of us are connected through a shared love of wanting to create an original luxury brand inspired by rock fashion that has a refreshing feel. we want to create a true lifestyle brand that invokes warmness, nostalgia and confidence through each garment.
[gabriel] your pieces carry this lived-in confidence, like they’ve already had a story before someone even wears them. do you design from instinct, nostalgia, or a more structured vision when shaping that feeling.
[clark] all of the above. in terms of designing concepts of pieces, we work more from instinct and spontaneity. they usually come from open verbal discussions between Jarod and i. i think being able to make clothes look timelessly appealing through design, styling etc. is a skill set both Jarod and i have always had innately. the structured vision comes more into play when it comes to garment quality, fabrics used, selecting the perfect manufacturer for a piece. it also bleeds through to the world building aspects of JJL, our vision is very structured there.
[gabriel] the note symbol that looks like a J shows up across your work, almost like a quiet signature. what does music mean to you in the context of design, and how does it shape the way you see texture, rhythm, and movement in what you create.
[clark] Jarod and i are both heavily influenced by music in our design. through our garments, we want someone who purchases an item to feel that same sense of transcension someone gets when they hear a poetic, beautiful artist like van morrison, patti smith or elliot smith for the first time. you can only articulate this by refining every detail from the design, the way it was made, what it was made with and creating a universe beyond that it can live in. we're also incredibly inspired by the garments our favorite musicians wore, that's pretty apparent in pieces like our bob dylan inspired sunglasses, our "bruce" denim, inspired by bruce springsteen.
[gabriel] JJL feels like it speaks to a specific kind of person, someone who isn’t chasing trends but living in their own rhythm. who do you imagine wearing your pieces, and what do you think they understand that others might not.
[Jarod John Leonard] i believe our customers have this burning desire to form or hold a strong personal identity. our clothes support this and actually are a reminder of that notion, it’s continuous and concrete. this is a unique personality trait that can exist for 18 year olds, or 45 year olds. they can be musicians, a banker, or a ceo. the understanding is more so awareness of one self.
[gabriel] there’s a calm but cinematic energy in your visuals and materials, like everything exists in its own world. when people wear Jarod John Leonard, what do you want them to feel inside that world.
[Jarod John Leonard] dream, which is the ultimate escapism that we all attend for half of our life. these dreams get stuck in your head, they play like synchronised musical notes. dream is warmth. we also tie this in with bittersweet nostalgia. our favourite combination.