Check Out Jazmany Reyes’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazmany Reyes.

Hi Jazmany, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Getting here to this point in my career, feels like a dream. I am considerably grateful for everyone who continues to support my journey as I gather the skills to improve my art forms. I started off born and raised in Boston, living with my single mother of three. She remains the main inspiration to my forever evolving art form. The reason I can’t stop. We practically grew up with nothing, and while I won’t get into much detail, what I will say is that I did not become a product or statistic to my environment and I encourage others to do the same. While that period of struggling is something that still defines me, I did live a life also filled tons of joy, love, and appreciation. Especially in Chelsea. Which currently guides me. My art represents the rise out of struggle, the intense focus towards peace. Reaching for the mountain top.

When I was 15, I found a free fashion program at the Academy of Art University in San Fransisco. Where my passion for fashion sketching planted its seed. I had free housing with my aunt Rosie, so except for flights and transportation, it was completely possible to do. From there I couldn’t stop sketching. They were horrible, at first. All thanks to my dad, he helped the most to furthering my skills. He made me in love with streetwear. Collecting sneakers was almost a joint hobby. We loved to match the flyest Air Jordan 3’s and I remember people making me take off my Fire Red 5’s to see if my shoes were real. It was a good time.

Eventually during college I actually dropped out of my Principles of Design classes to join Fashion Merchandising. I felt that the classes would help me more in terms of understanding the business, plus my passion for designing was not being tapped into in the way I hoped it would. So I began juggling both throughout my school career, Whether it was not sleeping for 48 hrs straight to get a garment done, or writing a 200 page business plan while still maintaining Presidents list / Deans list residency; I made sure that I was on top of what I could achieve.

I continued to work on my design theory throughout college and what it means to me. And for now I keep that part a sacred and private practice. I think you only truly understand the art if you get to know the artist personally, and I value those relationships.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
During my childhood there was a lot of space for physical abuse, drug abuse, and addictions. But those will be things that I have yet to heal from and do not think I can open up about that. I was able to encourage change within myself and to my family, and thats something I’ll always be proud of.

Something that recently happened though was the death of my two wonderful grandmas who passed earlier last year. Losing them at the same time made me sad, angry, and lost. I dug into fashion to even more. Letting God guide me through my pain.

But my biggest struggle can be myself. I have my own limitations that I want to work through, things that make me question my ability to even continue.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m most proud of having the privilege to have the presence of my family. It is something many of us take for granted. If you have a family who supports you, even if it seems they may bother you, will always be the best blessing. You will never be alone. In terms of projects, I’m most proud of me capturing my visions and bringing them to life. I just can’t wait to continue taking my time, and creating more art pieces over time.

I think what sets me apart from others most of the time is my ability to switch between masculine and feminine energies. It gives me a bit of edge because it allows me to design/style for people on all sides of the spectrum. Many times designers get caught into the one track mind of their creative process. The idea of sticking to one ‘theme’ can hinder the bigger picture that fashion and art provides. I prefer to value the art over the business in most cases, because doing fashion from a state of pure survival need can also trap your mind from seeing the value and joy it could bring.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was fairly unlikable I would say! I was quite annoying haha. Since a young kid I always had this fear of perception or needing to change who I was / what I liked to seem relatable. But my intelligence was quite vast. While I was not the smartest in the tool box, I did things that an average 11-12 yr old wouldn’t be doing. Like learning how use 3D Minecraft modeling software or understanding what BitCoin was and why it made PC parts so expensive cause I wanted to build one of my own so bad.

Throughout high school, I gotta away from most of my attention/companion seeking behavior. I began a successful track career, breaking over I believe 5-6 records and indicted into the Track Hall of Fame. Funnily enough, listening to the rhythm of Nicki Minaj music is partly how I achieved these great things. This is where I started to take my spiritual journey more seriously. I used run in negative degree weather, fought through hail, mud, dirt, and rainstorms during my track seasons. At 17-18, I was completely transformed. I dove deeper into meditative practices, learning to tackle my conscious.

Now most say I’m really calm and a little hyper or overly energized. This pathway led me into my interest in fashion as a continuation of my spiritual practice as well as music, but thats still something I’m working on.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazjovany/
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/timmy-turnt-er

Image Credits
@ebvisions_ on Instagram (portrait photo on couch)
@Janaeee.7 on Instagram (Faith Bodysuit taken on Digital)