PRODG Entertainment Promotions

PROFILES

Richard Jeanty
Author & Entrepreneur

Leslie Demangles
Author & College Professor

Danielle Legros-George
Haitian Poet & Autor

Margaret Papillon
Haitian Author

Myrtelle Cherry
Haitian Artist & Painter

Carole B. Joseph
Mass Bay Community College President

Gashford Guillaume
Mozayik Drummer

Pascale Auguste
Haitian Association Against Cancer

Andy Jacques
Haitian Fashion Designer

Phillip J. Brutus
State Representative

Yvecar Momperousse
Haitian Student Alliance

The Maroons
Haitian Writers & Poets

Evans Thesee
Founder HaitianConnection.com

Abdias Charles
Founder of Repair Haiti.org

Mecca AKA Grimo
Haitian Hip Hop Artist & Activist

Fania Simon
Writer, Lecturer & Activist

Nadege Fleurimond
Owner of Fleurimond Catering

Interview: Andy Jacques

		For nearly 10 years, young Haitian-American designer, Andy Jacques has been influential in the Boston's fashion scene. Having been exposed to his father's tailoring business at the tender age of 12, Andy has been described as having fashion in his blood. Andy has graced the cover several media outlets such as the Boston Globe, NBC's "Deco Drive" in Miami, Fox News Channel 25 in Boston, ABC Channel 2 in NY and BostonFashion.com.
Prodg Entertainment Promotions representative, Carline Gelé, was able to spend some time with Andy, ask him about his work, his community and what fashion is to him:

Carline Gele: Andy, can you please give us some background information.

Andy Jacques: I was raised mainly in Boston, MA after coming to the states at the very young age of 6. I spent my challenging teenage years in Boston raised by two proud Haitian parents. My father who studied fashion design at a very young age back in Haiti started his own tailoring shop in Boston. Although I always had an interest in fashion, I was one of the lucky ones to have a support mechanism in place to nourish the talent. I also spent my undergraduate studies at Boston University majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. When people find out that I'm a fashion designer they generally ask, "Andy why aren't you in New York?" My answer has always been consistent. I think Boston is an emerging market for both talented designers and for gifted entrepreneurs.

Though there is a far less concentration of fashion industry professionals here in Boston, I was fortunate to take advantage of the exposure I received locally from statewide publications like The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, and numerous other fashion magazines and also recognition from the Massachusetts House of Representatives who awarded me the Boston's best and youngest fashion designer in 1997. I used all the local publicity to stimulate national exposure and interest from other markets like Miami and New York City. And taking advantage of my close proximity to New York City, I've have had the honor of showcasing my latest collections for New York City Fashion Week for the past 2 years. My clothes were recently featured on MTV-Tempo, and my latest collection was also featured in an on-air/live fashion show segment on CBS News (Channel 2) in New York City.

People can also visit my website at: www.musecube.com/andy-jacques, there they can browse my online portfolio of my 4 previous collections and read my brief bio.

CG: How are you inspired to create your designs?

AJ: I usually get ideas from different patterns and fabrics that I see. My inspiration comes from colors, textures, and patterns. While most designers sketch designs and then look for colors and patterns, I have to see and touch the fabric before I work on a design. CG: How old were you when you first designed your first piece?

AJ: I was 15 when I made my first pair of pants. Back then, the "preppy look" with kaki pants was on the rise so all my friends in high school were getting their pants made by me instead of buying them from Gap or Dockers.

CG: When did you decide to pursue a career in the Fashion Industry?

AJ: I decided that in my sophomore year in college. While studying pre-law at Boston University, I was also busy doing college fashion shows from NYU to Harvard. As I started to fall in love with the industry, I basically decided to switch to a business major. I felt the legal profession would place limitations on my career path and goals.

CG: What is the name of your company? What inspired the name of your company? And where is it located?

AJ: Andy Jacques Couture is the name of my company. I didn't want to stray away from branding what is my name and what I have already accomplished earlier on when I first started in this industry. Your name is something that people will always remember, so I decided to have my label self-titled after my own name and not let another word or phrase identify who I am. One thing I've learned from one of my mentors is to "take credit for everything and to put your name on everything!" The Andy Jacques Couture label is located in my home studio in Boston, Massachusetts.

Continue with Andy Jacques' Interview