Name: James “JB” Black
Age: 25
Occupation: Fashion Designer
Place of birth and current residence: Kingston, Jamaica
I grew up in a strict Jamaican Christian home, so every Sunday is church day. My parents have strong family values and we enjoy lots of quality time through family trips and always having dinner together.
Even though I don’t have a 9-5 job, I wake up early because I know what I have to do if I want to accomplish anything. I start the day with a cup of green tea or coffee, and then I have some fresh fruits like papaya with my cereal. I work from home so I can stay in pyjamas unless I am walking or driving down the road to fabric stores. Jamaica is extremely hot at times, so I opt for something cool and casual like shorts, shades and a loose t-shirt.
I manage my clothing line ‘YC’ (Yahdie Conscious). The line is distributed in two stores in Kingston that stock the YC clothing range and accessories. At the moment I am designing a range of hair accessories called ‘GlamHEAD’, a selection funky and affordable handmade headpieces for jazzing up outfits. I am inspired by other designers and stylists but the Jamaican dancehall scene is one of my major inspirations. I like taking elements of dancehall fashion and toning it down to create something classy and unique.
I run my business with 100% passion and put all my energy into what I do. While building my concept and expanding ideas through ‘YC’, I hope to one day have my own store, and my label becoming a household name in Jamaica and recognised internationally.
My personal style philosophy is ‘don’t take an outfit from a rack and put it straight on your back’. It’s good to experiment by mixing and matching colours and patterns or adding funky accessories. It’s important to put a piece of your personality in your outfits so that even if you end up at a party in the same dress as someone else, yours might just have that extra wow factor!
Yahdie Conscious clothing is available for purchase online at www.yahdieconscious.com.
James’ on the Jamaican party scene…
