Jason Bolden, fresh off launching his reimagined collections for JCPenny’s’ J.Ferrar & Worthington brands, can still see all the “work” that needs to be done when it comes to diversity in luxury fashion.
Serving as a celebrity stylist behind iconic red-carpet moments involving Zendaya, Michael B. Jordan, and Justin Timberlake, Bolden was elated to partner with a mega-retailer that served as an “anchor” to his future career in fashion.
“It’s kind of great to see so many of my like counterparts and also like loads of my celebrity clients who are screenshotting their purchases from the collection,” he tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
Bolden grew up wearing JCPenney and sees it as a “full circle moment” now that he’s teamed up with the brand and helping them score sales from A-listers. It’s a testament to the power of diverse creatives in fashion and rings true to Bolden’s 2020 outcry against the luxury brands who showed “performative solidarity” with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The JSN Studio co-founder went viral three years ago when he called out luxury brand Celine for racial bias.
“Wait really, u guys dnt dress any black celebs unless they have a white stylist @celine 🤷🏾♂️✊🏾🧐 FACTS,” he WROTE.
There were other luxury brands Bolden included in his rant: “WE SEE YOU AND WONT SUPPORT YOU UNTIL YOU SUPPORT US.”
Now, three years later, Bolden is partnered up with JCPenney and sees his reimagined collections as a “possibility” of what comes out of inclusion in fashion.
“We still got a lot of work to do!” Bolden declares. “I don’t want it to be a trend or a fad and I feel like we still got a lot a lot of work to do.”
While his partnership with JCPenney is “an example” of brands not seeing inclusion as a trend and taking action by investing in diverse creatives, Bolden notes how much work still needs to be done.
“This opportunity is so explosive for me to actually show the range and possibility for underprivileged talent, talent of other, and Black talent,” he explained.
“It shows possibility. It shows that little boy like me in the MidWest that this is possible.”
Bolden encourages other creatives and retailers to remain dedicated to reshaping the culture and welcoming talent from all walks of life.
“Be productive. Stay in front of the issues and don’t let things go by,” he says.
The J.Ferrar x Jason Bolden and Worthington x Jason Bolden collections can be shopped on JCPenney.com and in select JCPenney stores. Additional styles are coming later this month.
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