At The Line Up our mission is to inspire joy, confidence, and connection within our Line Up family – both customers and employees alike. As a small business we have the opportunity to encourage our employees in their creative endeavors outside of work. Today we are highlighting one of our employees to learn more about his creativity outside of his role at The Line Up.
Tell us who you are and what you do at The Line Up?
My name is Jordan Carpenter, and I am a Pre-Production Specialist at The Line Up.
As a Pre-Preproduction Specialist I am responsible for moving orders to production and making markers. Markers are the plan for cutting out fabric in the most efficient way possible. Another important part of my job is inspecting orders, making sure everything is prefect before sending it to the customers.
My favorite part about working in a creative environment is being around others that have similar interests to me. I love being around a group of people that have brains that work in a similar way to mine – the creativity is overflowing here!
I am the owner and head designer at “Jordan Carpenter Fashion”. We are a small couture gown company that creates high quality special occasion garments for custom clients and fashion shows throughout the Twin Cities (Minnesota) and in New York City.
Inspiration is everywhere, but I tend to be inspired by color and texture. I love bringing an interesting texture and color story to my designs. The devil is in the details - every choice when creating a custom piece matters.
I began sewing cosplay costumes for myself and my friends when I was in high school. Usually, these costumes involved a large gown or opulent special occasion garment, which we would then wear for photoshoots and various events. I went about sewing and designing this way for several years before realizing that I wasn’t being fulfilled creatively by constructing a replica of an existing design, or even being heavily inspired by another’s work. This led to me only creating designs from my own imagination. I’ve always loved a fabulous dress, but I found that couture gown construction was where my true passion was. I then decide to make them my signature.
What makes Jordan Carpenter Fashion unique is the attention to detail and fit! There isn’t a body type that is turned down. I LOVE creating a breathtaking fit on every form available - there are many brands that will not design for plus size or curvy bodies – REAL BODIES!
My favorite memory from attending NYFW hosted by Studio 7 this past season was my billboard in Time Square! Seeing my fashion show advertised on some of the largest screens I’ve ever seen was a surreal and emotionally overwhelming experience.
Another highlight of my fashion career was when I was scouted to show in Paris Fashion Week while I was showing in NYFW.
Bows, definitely bows! My NYFW collection featured many bows that helped create the youthful and romantic feel that I was looking for.
I’m most excited for the opportunities to grow and truly make an impact in the industry. Moving forward we need to embrace slow fashion in an effort to be sustainable. We need to support smaller companies where our dollars will truly make an impact on someone’s life.
Some advice that I would give other creatives/designers is to trust the process and don’t be afraid to change things up as you go along. The creative process doesn’t have set rules – you decide what is possible and then let yourself have it!
My work, as well as information on upcoming shows can be found on my Instagram @jordancarpenterfashion.
NYFW photos courtesy of Solwazi Afi Olusola