Today we’d like to introduce you to Jadon Grundy.
Jadon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m a Stylist/Influencer, from South Bend, Indiana. I grew up in an Arts and Athletics environment, so I have this strange mix of both. Basketball was a dominant sport in the family, so as a kid I was always into basketball and played it all my life. So naturally, I gravitated towards the gear that my favorite players were wearing. As a result, I was heavily into sneakers at a really young age. I remember always getting the newest subscription of Eastbay catalogs to see what was out. So, brands like Nike/Jordan and Adidas I was always on the top knowledge about. I used to beg my mom for the latest shoe way too often. We did not grow up with a crazy amount of money, so I knew asking for things like Jordan’s was a bit of a stretch. I do remember one day seeing a pair of Reebok Answer 6’s on sale. Allen Iverson being a heavy influence on me, I begged my mom for these, and she got them! That was my first ever name brand shoe and probably started it all.
Being heavily into sneakers always stayed with me up until high school. Then was when I really started obtaining a lot of sneakers like Jordan Retros and Player Addition Nikes. I realized that I couldn’t just have fly kicks without the clothes to go with them. This is when I really got into clothing. My style really didn’t evolve until I started skateboarding. Skating expanded my mind and made me more open to other styles and brands. Once I got into college, my style really developed. I got my first jobs around this time and would spend all my paychecks on clothes. I started taking fit pics and posting them on Instagram in 2016. My outfits started to gravitate towards people, and I started to build a following. I think I hit like 4k followers and started to take it a bit more serious. After about a year, I grew to around 20k followers and I started a YouTube channel around men’s fashion. I borrowed my grandfather’s video camera and just made videos whenever he’d let me use it. Things picked up and brands like Urban Outfitters, Calvin Klein, Forever 21 (just to name a few) gave me opportunities to collaborate through social media. One thing led to another and I moved to LA this year.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There were definitely a lot of obstacles, which I feel like is very typical to anyone chasing a dream. It sounds a bit cliché, but the city that I’m from, not too many people successfully expand from it. Especially when you’re doing something out of the ordinary. So, I faced bumps in the road when it came to people even believing in the dream I had. Making a career out of fashion and the internet was a very farfetched idea to the people around me. I had a lot to prove to myself initially because I worked two 9-5 jobs before making any type of money from fashion. I grew allergic to the idea of clocking in and doing a job that I knew I didn’t want to do just for a paycheck. I was also in college at the time, which I dreaded going to as well. I really enjoyed the college experience and the things outside of school, I just thought it really hindered my time. Once I seen that I could really make things work with fashion, I stopped going to college. I think once things started to get off the ground people understood what I was doing more. Outside of the normal everyday obstacles, things started to lift off my shoulders a bit.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I specialize in Styling. I express it the most through Instagram and YouTube. Upon moving to LA, I’ve expanded as stylist and leaned more towards personal wardrobe styling and helping people mold a fashion-forward image. Thanks to my friend (@toreno__) I’ve been able to experience a lot behind the scenes of some celebrity styling. I do a handful of other things that I’ve learned along the way like modeling, creative directing, video editing, designing and photography. I take pride in my dedication to making an idea come to life. I think my personal style and taste is what people really seem to gravitate towards.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think there’s a little bit of luck in everything. I’m a strong believer in timing, and what’s meant for you is meant for you. Sometimes things don’t go your way, but its because it wasn’t meant to. Life steers you in the direction that you’re supposed to be in, which I would say is the “good luck” side of things. There have been a few times down the road when I was bummed out that something didn’t go my way, or I didn’t land a certain job or collaboration that I was really hyped about. What I can say was it was always something more tailored to me on the other side, and I think that is the beauty in it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jadongrundy.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadongrundy/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/jadongrundy
Image Credit:
@johnwicknephew, @fostervisuals, @shotbylouu
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