Design is their passion
„Jeanjacket Designs“ create bespoke one-off hand-painted recycled art on jean jackets. All jackets are in vintage condition and faded. Their selection of jackets has been collected from all over Europe. They are working with brands like Levi´s, Lee Copper and Wrangler. Many celebrities are their clients. On September 20, 2018, two of their shows will take place at The Fairway Pavillon in London during the Alternative Fashion Week. I conducted an interview with the emerging designers.
How long have you been working as a designer?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,Josh Mayhook, 26 years, is the owner of http://www.jeanjacketdesigns.com. Josh has B.A. (hons) 3D Art. During college, because he is 6’4” with very long arms, he was unable to find clothing he liked to fit him so during his seven years at college, he started designing, making and painting his own designs on his own clothing. Josh specializes in horror, stencil-Art, Anima, Gaming and overseas all the design concepts. He works with two like-minded Artists RaunchyRay; former art college, costume designer student and cocktail waitress and flare-bartender in the 90’s-2000, specializing in fantasy portraits, roses, LGBT art, winged-persons, little person’s jackets (Dwarisms)-believing fashion should cater for all sizes, including sizes 6 – 24, and all the gem work. DeviousD, former graffiti artist, break-dancer and BMX freestyler, who specializes in cartoon, comic-book, hiphop and graffiti and all the logos. They started making jackets for themselves, then family and friends. They all loved them so much. RaunchyRay would be followed round shop in her coats and people would stop driving to ask about her coats in the street. The artist decided to branch out specializing in ‚one-off custom bespoke hand-painted and hand-gemmed designs with Swarovski Crystals‘.“
Have you always liked working with colours?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,We all love colours: Josh prefers purple and black, most of his clothes reflect this, RauchyRay likes all vintage colours and pinks, DeviousD loves luminous, glowing in the dark, fluorescent and bold prime colours.“
Does the technique which you put the paint on your clothing have a specific name?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,No. Josh is a stencil Artist, RaunchyRay is a pointillist painter and free-flowing romantic, loves Renaissance Style Art, DeviousD is a geometric artist, uses bold clean cut images.“
What kind of colour do you use for your work?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,We use high quality fabric pastel, bold, prime paints, leather paints and glitters. RaunchyRay has over 50 of her own mixed skin tones paints.“
How long do you need to cut on average, and for example, to paint a jacket?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,The average jacket takes 100 hours from start plain jacket to finish product, not including designing, longer if client is undecided or has a lot of ideas. Some client text / emailed over 100 times discussing designs, up till 5 – 7 am, due to time zones. After heat curing, they need a week to rest before bring dispatched in box wrapped in tissue, with secure courier.“
Where did the t-shirts, jackets, shoes etc. that you use for your works come from? What materials are the garments made of?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,All our jackets / dresses / shoes / bags are denim and recycled. We live in Essex (UK) which has lots of excellent boot sales and charity shops. We only use garments in excellent conditions; not ripped and all buttons. We collect lots of vintage brands; Levi´s, Lee, Wrangler.“
Do you have designers who serve you as a role model?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,Josh is heavily influenced by gaming and Anima, RaunchyRay was obsessed with Zandra Rhodes at Art College.“
How did you work with Ed Fielding? How did you get to know him?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,After one year of collecting, washing and ironing recycled jackets, then one year of painting and gemming, this year we started uploading video / photos of our jackets to our Instagram @jeanjacketdesigns, Twitter #jeanjacketdesigns and fb #jeanjacketdesigns. Ed Fielding saw our jackets on Social Media then messaged in about March 2018 to ask about making him one of our custom jackets. RaunchyRay runs all the Social Media/ Client communications and really loved all Ed’s breath-taking portraits of the Music Industry on his http://www.Edfielding.co.uk, especially his photographs of his sponsor Paloma Faith on her Architect Tour. RaunchyRay painted Paloma’s pink Portrait for Ed with his and our logo on his trademark black Levis jacket. Paloma even loved it so much, she signed it later in the year.
After that, we painted “Whitesnake” Dave Coverdale, Eds own photo from ,,The Purple“ album, which Ed took the photographs, for Ed’s next jacket. Ed was so impressed, even Dave Coverdale loved it! We are currently working on a “Queen” jacket for Ed.
Ed Fielding linked us up with Equal Fashion Magazine, owner Shelley Rodger and Kieran Shelley, whom Ed had produced many stunning photographs for their editions.
Ed Fielding recommending us to his long-term friend Musician Jayce Lewis, whom Ed had photographed many times. Ed photographed Jayce Lewis current tour photo. We liked it so much we collaborated with Jayce and Ed to design Jayce Lewis tour jacket.
Jayce Lewis loved it and Jeanjacket Designs are so excited to be invited to attend Jayce Lewis tour at Borderline, Soho, London 15.9.2018.
Equal Magazine advertises and focuses on commercial and alternative artistic trends, bursting into life with live Alternative Fashion Shows called Alternative Fashion Week. They have been greatly acclaimed in Belfast 2016, London 2017, Edinburgh 2018, all gaining prime time television and mainstream newspaper coverage with sold out shows attracting celebrities such as British 80´s Pop Icon Sinitta, who modeled and presented an award in the London 2017. The Alternative Commercial Equal Agency ACE makes high quality videos adverts promoting talents sharing online.
We are being featured in both “Equal Extra” fashion magazine, after the show and on the back cover of “Now That’s What I Call Equal” magazine, being sold at the show.
After presenting our debut Catwalk Show at Suede Nightclub in Windsor, with http://www.Equal.com, we have been invited to show our designs at the sold out London Alternative Fashion Week 2018 at The Fairway Pavillion at The West Middlesex Golf Club, Greenford Rd, Southall, London UB13EE. Sinitta will be one of our guest judges.
We have James Kennedy and Nick Celino playing live at our London show, wearing our jackets and logo t-shirts. We designed both artists collaboration jackets.
We made exceptionally talented welsh singer/ songwriter/ guitarist James Kennedy, former frontman of Kyshera, owner of Konic Records and http://www.jameskennedystuff.com, his collaboration “This is a Movement” tour jacket. James wanted to incorporate his Misfits, his fan club “The Misfits”, his motto “This Is A Movement” “Konic” name and logo, with a rock and rustic feel. James wore his jacket on his tour of India, where DJMaryjane saw it.
James is a totally lovely chap and invited Jeanjacket Designs to see his European Tour, at The Musician in Leicester.
We were asked by Nick Celino, a long-term friend of Fay Purdham, to collaborate a tour jacket. Nick wanted an 80’s vibe, with lots of colour and Swarovski Crystals. We designed his “Beverly Hills” (where Nick lives) fantasy portrait jacket.
Nick Celino, invited Jeanjacket Designs to a photoshoot at The Wut Club for The Pride London After Party, with artist and owner Josh.
Also we are doing a photoshoot in Paris, 12th October and a catwalk show in Cannes, May 2019.
All the show and shoots are hosted by Draganlady Productions owned by outrageous Artist Aleah Leagh of @AleahLeaghDesigns. We collaborated with Aleagh to design her trademark jacket.
Outrageous LGBT activist, model, actor, performer , part-owner of “Now That’s What I Call Equal” LGBT / Diverse Magazine and host of LGBT / Diverse “Now That’s What I call A Talk Show” Fay Purdham @iamfayelouise is presenting our London show. We collaborated to make Faye’s trademark jacket.
We collaborated with Equal Fashion Magazine to design three jackets with their Logo.
“Mascarade” and “Lips” will be auctioned at LAFW18 along with our “Avicii” fantasy portrait jacket, all full Swarovski Crystals for @theCALMzone charity that supports prevention male suicide.“
Are your clothes available for purchase?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,We have just launched our website http://www.jeanjacketdesigns.com.
We will be selling our first collection after our show. We also make custom luxury hand-painted and hand-gemmed denim clothing for the music industry and luxury clients.
We have our own stunning logo t-shirts, pattern-pending, that all our models will be wearing, will be also be added to the London Goodies Bags with Equal Fashion Magazine, and will be on sale shortly.
Models we have had the pleasure of working with are wearing our logo t-shirts. Models from DragonLady Production, and actors; singer: Eleni Christofi @elenicmusic , Faith Elizabeth @lilfaif , Bollywood Model: Nasir Ghaffir @Nasogaffar . Nasir will be modelling at our show in London.
Top left; Aleah Leah, Actress Rebecca Mayook, now Pooley, was in the 1992 Tom Clancy film “Patriot Games” with Harrison Ford and child actress, former student of Sylvia Young Stage School, Corona Theatre School London, Studio Dance College, The Disney Club in 80’s, Weight Watchers Advertising Campaign 1992. Georgia A. Rankin @MakeupJunkieG , from the Channel 5 Documentary “30 inches tall and turning 18”. Georgia is a beautiful disabled professional makeup artist and successful youtuber. Ed Fielding. Aleah and Ed will be attending our show in London, Rebecca and Georgia will be modelling at our show in London.
We collaborated with Rebecca Mayhook to design her own “Rebecca Fantasy Portrait” on a recycled mid-length denim fitted coat, which Rebecca will be wearing on our catwalk in London.“
On September 20, 2018, two of your shows will take place at the The Fairway Pavillion in London during the Alternative Fashion Week. Are you very excited?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,Wow! What a question!! We are so unbelievably excited! We literally started posting our collaborating tour jackets for International DJs and Music Artists on Social Media in March 2018 and now our own stunning website, pattern-pending on our logo, two shows at LAFW18, two magazines articles, shoot in Paris and Cannes and now your interview!“
Could you already give away a few small details from the show?
Jeanjacket Designs: ,,Yes, we have been very lucky to be offered two shows with DragonLady Productions; one with standard models and one diverse show, with disabled and LGBT models. We embrace diversity, so was very excited. As well as presenting our first collection of denim coats and jackets, we also have our shoe collection, denim hats and denim clothes.
We also designed four denim ball gowns outfits complete with denim Swarovski top hats and Swarovski jeweled denim accessories. One ball gown is replica 1860’s dress, with double corsets, has been specially designed with bold fun LGBT designs for our LGBT presenter Fay Purdham. One is a Gothic design Ball Gown, specially designed with fake corset from and a-symmetrical hem line, and skull and roses designs, for Georgia A Rankin, whom we also collaborated two jackets for, after seeing Georgia’s documentary complaining that no one make adult themed small clothes for little people.
Our final piece ball gown, to close our show, is corseted with rose and tattoo designed front and a 5 x 4 foot “Love” designs on the 8 foot train. This will be paired with our denim one-shoulder-capped man’s “Cavalier” coat. The cavalier coat is completely hand stitched with thick thread in medieval style stitching. Both dress and coat have purple satin linings and will be wearing Josh and RaunchyRay’s denim top hats.
One ball gown is a vintage punk theme, in a 50’s style with a corset and matching puff-petticoat, knee high design with sexy bright tattoo designs for Artist RauchyRay to wear to the After Party.
All the ball gowns and coat have matching shoes, and were designed by http://www.JeanjacketDesigns.com over six months, using over 150 pairs of recycled jeans.“
Thank you for your time and the interview.
Interview: Christina Angrabeit
Links:
angrabyte.journalism 