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About

Jessica Rowell is a poly-disciplinary conceptual artist with origins in traditional art. Her great-grandmother, an immigrant of Sicily, worked as a factory garment laborer in the United States sewing military uniforms, and later documented herself as a self-employed seamstress via consensus record. Her great-grandmother’s brief presence immensely affected Jessica’s life as a child, and she regards her work within the scope of fashion as an extension and continuation of her great-grandmother’s passion. Jessica’s first project as a seamstress occurred around age 8, where she found joy in the solitary process of creating and designing a tangible piece. Later on, Jessica used fashion to experiment with self-expression through altering and repurposing garments then eventually started sewing clothing. Her evolution of work has spanned over 15 years with origins in traditional art. She’s cultivated knowledge and experience via independent study while navigating and creating solutions within the unknown and in moments of trial-and-error. Weaving through various mediums within the realm of fashion, she has joined skill-set in garment design, garment construction, embroidery, beading, draping, painting, sculpture, makeup artistry, hair styling, art direction, set design, visual media, production and photography. Creating a repertoire of upcycled fashion via textile waste from deadstock, reclaimed, recycled, salvaged, donated and thrifted materials, she has since shifted into sustainable fashion utilizing ethically sourced organic certified eco-textiles and natural plant-based dyes. Jessica’s creative process is intentional, meditative and ritualistic in approach bypassing the traditional and technical processes associated with garment design and construction. Merging her experiences collectively into a singular channel via fashion in an ongoing effort to inspire, inform, and impact through visual storytelling and activism.  

Press excerpts:

"A force to be reckoned with." – COILHOUSE Magazine, San Francisco, CA

“Not one to run with the pack, Rowell has a singular design aesthetic uniquely her own, one that was quietly bred in Aurora, Colorado, to erupt onto the fashion scene in a most-welcomed sensory sneak attack.” - IN Magazine, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

"When given a choice, designer Jessica Rowell chooses to go bold." -JUTE Magazine, Denver, CO

"A quiet and different child once, Jessica Rowell grew up to become one of Colorado's best alternative fashion and costume designers..." - Chasseur Magazine, London, UK

"...She takes a seemingly inanimate object and sheds new life into it by creating her bespoke designs." - Noctis Magazine, London, UK

 


Collaborated with

Institutions- Denver Art Museum, Fashion Institute of Technology, National World of WearableArt Museum. Organizations- Vocal New York, Queens Solid Waste Advisory Board, Pussy Power House, The Young Center. Publications- New York Times, Bust Magazine, Kaltblut, Afropunk, Huf, Institute, Raine, Papercut, Noctis, Coilhouse.