About Me
Hi! I'm Jovi-el, a BA (Hons) Fashion Design graduate at UEL
I am a Trinbagonian designer intent on empowering through conceptual yet wearable garments embedded with a message. Through my work, individuals have access to different perspectives that are often untouched or overlooked.
I design both womenswear and menswear while operating in the digital fashion space. My creative process integrates technology, innovation and heritage which makes my designs meaningful and timeless to customers. I aim to create a space for people to cultivate a greater understanding of truth, who they are, their value and the value of others through fashion in a way that is ethical, relevant and sustainable.
INSPIRATION
A retelling of a people disenfranchised using bits of genealogy passed down by my grandpa.
My Final Major Project entitled ‘History, Mystery, My-story?’, is a journey I take to discover who my enslaved ancestors were before they came to Trinidad and Tobago. I used this project as a research point to discover an identity lost, stolen and forgotten collectively by the Afrikaans brought to the Americas through the Atlantic slave trade. My first point of reference was my grandpa, whose forefathers told him that they are of the lineage of the Hebrews and this aligned with many slave records.
Through much research, I uncovered many identities that tie my ancestors to mainly Western Afrika (North to South). The tangible element that connected my West Indian, West Afrikaan and Hebrew heritage together is the "Bangle" in its varying forms, which ignited my design process. I combined this knowledge with techniques of kirigami & laser-cutting to create unique silhouettes, distinct prints and details that allow me to retell this mysterious history to form my story.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
J O V I - E L P A U L
DETAIL
Laser-cut Designs Based on the Concept of Connected Bangles
The connected bangles are symbolic of my 3 cultural references; West Indian, West Afrikaan and Hebrew heritage connected together through transaction/change. The connecting circles in the form of Borromean rings; shows the fragility of this story, when one part is missing, everything falls apart; so the bangles holds precedence in this tale.
"in whatever path you take as a creative, be a beacon of Light; create with love, create with passion, create with meaning" -Jovi-el
Graduate Fashion Week in partnership with:
