• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Fashion
  • Sneakers
  • Bags
  • Accessories
  • Music
  • Rihanna
  • Follow
    • INSTAGRAM
    • FACEBOOK
    • PINTEREST
    • TWITTER
    • YOUTUBE
Interview September 14, 2020
By Snobette
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Share Tweet Pin Linkedln Email Reddit
Interview

Designer J.Grant Chats With Us About Rising Streetwear Label JJGrant

JGrant By Snobette

September 14, 2020. 1 Comment

The brainchild of Bronx-born J.Grant (née Jaquaya Grant), JJGrant is a unisex streetwear brand established in 2015. Worn by Dave East and Prodigy (R.I.P.), among others, the label is rooted in telling the New York-informed stories that run through Grant’s mind as expressed through hand-drawn and airbrushed graphics.

Rooted in an artful approach, JJGrant is underpinned by love, an emotion conveyed through the perspective of three robots whose names are JJ, Ella and Amigo. Built to love, each robot interacts differently with the concept resulting in personalized outcomes that shape each of their views on emotional intimacy.

Revealing the heartfelt foundation of the brand, the tagline describes it as “a love story you can wear on your sleeves.”

While in attendance at JJGrant-hosted pop-up event in the Bronx, we had a chat with designer J.Grant as she shared the journey of creating her brand, her inspiration and upcoming drops.

JJ Grant NYC Revenge Of The Robots

Snobette: Where do you consider home to be?
J.Grant: “I’m originally from the South Bronx, my immediate family is all from New York.”

Snobette: What’s your connection to fashion? Was it a childhood interest?
J.Grant: “Even though fashion was not the focus in the house, I remember that my dad’s style stood out. He wore mink coats, coordinated sets etc. Being the eldest I was able to see style and influence from the men and women from the neighborhood.

“Living in the Bronx and being a kid, I was not allowed to travel too far on my own, hence style was what I saw around me, seeing the people who would be able to go downtown. In high school being fly was fo’ sure about standing out.”

JJ Grant NYC 1990 Hat

Snobette: How did the JJGrant brand come about?
J.Grant: “The path to create the brand is somewhat of a long story. I went to college to study criminal justice, inspired by my aunt who was a lawyer. I lost interest, the went back to study journalism at Morrisville State College. I moved on from that major and moved back to New York.

“That’s when I started working at Hollister in SoHo, I was hired for overnight stock, then made my way to the sales floor doing visual merchandising. My attention to detail made it easy for me to excel in that space. That’s when I met a colleague who had a heat press machine and a clothing brand. That was an awakening for me into the concept of printing on apparel.

JJGrant NYC
JJ Grant collection July 2020

“After leaving Hollister, I came up with the idea of a sweater with zippers all over, that opened to reveal plaid fabric. I was about 22 years old, I worked with a tailor to customize a blank crew neck sweater with zippers. Images of the sweater circulated online and as demands for the sweater rose, I knew I needed to come up with a brand name. That’s when I decided to use my email name which was JJGrant at the time. The letter J is symbolic in our family, my father and siblings all have first names that start with J.

“I was sourcing blanks and materials by myself, traveling on the subway from the garment district to the Bronx  on the subways while I worked full time at a hospital. I was taking orders day by day on Facebook and Instagram and it really got overwhelming sometimes.”

JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 13 1
Close-up of JJ.Grant “Cry Baby” sweatshirt

“At the same I was also really into vintage caps, I started to do research on ways to create my own. I found a printing shop in Harlem and that became my place to experiment with my first hat.

“I remember the resistance I faced from the printers, who thought printing on the brim was a bad idea. That design feature became my signature. The first hat I designed had 1990 printed on the brim as an affectionate nod to my mom’s favorite decade in music.”

Snobette: Love is a consistent theme in your graphics. Is it a big motivation for you?
J.Grant: “I think that the concept of love is one of the most important aspects of life, not the state of being in love, but the fact that essentially we are here on this earth to love. On the flip side, we’re still living in a time where we are afraid to show emotion. I created the ‘Cry Baby’ sweatshirt (above) as a way to express feelings through fashion.”

JJ Grant
JJ Grant airbrush t-shirts

Snobette: What are your thoughts on designers being the face of their brand?
J.Grant: “I’m naturally an introvert, however, I understand the necessity of being more visible in the industry especially as a Black woman. As much as I try, I’m not consistent in being live on Instagram for example. It’s not really my personality but again, I do believe it is important for my stance to be known and for my aesthetic and creative point of view to be fully expressed.”

“I try to not pay attention to gender too much. I did not want to make JJ.Grant, a man’s or women’s brand. In my mind the unisex aspect of the brand leaves room to focus on pure emotion, quality, storytelling, and the product.”

JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 1 1

Snobette: How did the concept of robots come about?
J.Grant: “The artist Jay West who is a dear friend, drew the first robot whose name is JJ. I wanted a robot, having gone through one of the worst breakups of my life until this day. I knew I wanted it to be not boxy and transparent so that its heart is visible.

“I wanted to express the fact that even though I can come across as  tough I’m still vulnerable.It does not matter how tough or hard the outer shell  of someone can appear to be. We’re not robots which is where the ‘I’m not a fucking robot’ slogan came from. I wanted the robot to feel futuristic but still vulnerable and warm feeling.

Full Back Liberty

Snobette: What upcoming releases can we look forward to?
J.Grant: “I have a ‘Freedom’ capsule releasing on September 17th. The design concept was to transform the Statue of Liberty into a robot. It speaks to the energy of New York in a very direct way. The quote printed on the tee says ‘Give Us Liberty or Give Us Death.’ It’s very serious, but I think many of us will be able to relate on multiple levels.”

JJ.Grant apparel, accessories and wall art are available at jjgrantnyc.com.

Check out images from the pop-up event below.

JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 16 Copy
1 of 9
JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 2 Copy
2 of 9
JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 19 Copy
3 of 9
JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 10
4 of 9
JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 6 Copy
5 of 9
JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 22 Copy
6 of 9
JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 18 Copy
7 of 9
JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 4 Copy
8 of 9
JJ Grant Love Is In The Air Pop Up 8 22 2020 Snobette 5 Copy
9 of 9

Interview Fashion Streetwear J.Grant JJGrant

What To Read Next

Read More
Interview

Interview With Jordan Mack Aka 13 Stitches, The Designer Crafting Music-Inspired Beanies

South Carolina-based artist Jordan Mack, also known as 13 Stitches styled as @Xiiist on Instagram, has captured the

Read More ...
by Samia Grand Pierre on January 8, 2025
SHARE
Read More
Interview

Stylist Caitlyn Martinez’s Chats With Us On The Key To Styling Tokischa: ‘It Has to Give Cunt’

New York-based Stylist Caitlyn Martinez is renowned for crafting looks that embody the badass spirit of her clients,

Read More ...
by Samia Grand Pierre on December 14, 2024
SHARE
Read More
Interview

Exclusive: Chrishabana On Crafting Erykah Badu’s Custom CFDA Headpiece

Music and fashion icon Erykah Badu was honored with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)'s Fashion

Read More ...
by Samia Grand Pierre on October 29, 2024
SHARE
Puma and New York-based fashion brand LaQuan Smith Puma and New York-based fashion brand LaQuan Smith are back with their second collaboration, this time inspired by the glitz and grit of the boxing ring. 

The campaign stars Ming Lee Simmons, dressed in satin-finished boxing shorts, cropped jackets, and tear-away pants with luxe details.

The capsule also includes two Speedcat silhouettes, including the Speedcat Mid, a high-ankle boxing sneaker. 

Priced between $80-$100, the Puma x LaQuan Smith collection launches on March 15 on puma.com, the Puma NYC and Las Vegas flagship stores, and select retailers including Foot Locker and Shoe Palace.
Artist Sue Tsai brought her signature whimsical de Artist Sue Tsai brought her signature whimsical designs to a capsule collection of earrings in collaboration with New York jeweler Greg Yüna. The statement earrings are now on display at Greg Yüna's Soho boutique and  now available on gregyuna.com.

The pair previously dropped a perfect match necklace set in 2021 that was 🔥. 

#gregyuna
#suetsai
For fall winter 2025 KNWLS opted to forego a runwa For fall winter 2025 KNWLS opted to forego a runway show and present their collection in a styled lookbook.

Taking inspiration from a feminine Y2K aesthetic, the collection embodies designers Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault’s ability to balance sexy and cool. 

In an interview with Vogue, the pair shared that they are currently working on a new design director role in Europe and have several other projects in the pipeline, including another denim project, a collaboration with a jewelry brand, and a menswear capsule for an e-commerce site.

Commenting on the lookbook styling, they shared, "Obviously in the lookbooks it's styled in a quite extreme way, but if you break it down into individual pieces, we've been thinking about merchandising and the customer more than ever before," said Arsenault. "We've seen the team in the studio wearing the pieces differently too, and we've taken that into account. It's a nice challenge to say: 'Okay, we want to make a sweatshirt, but it still has this silhouette or wash or rib detail that makes it feel really Knwls."

#knwls
Reason a million why Rihanna has her own tab on s Reason a million why Rihanna has her own tab on  snobette.com: Her effortless ability to find humor during her J'adore Dior audio rehearsal video. 

Rihanna was appointed as J'Adore Dior fragrance ambassador in 2024, replacing Charlize Theron, who held the role for 20 years. She has a long-standing relationship with the brand, having been named as their first Black brand ambassador in 2015. 

#rihanna
Atlanta-based Pluto and YK Niece released Whim Wha Atlanta-based Pluto and YK Niece released Whim Whamiee single a few weeks ago, and the track is now trending on TikTok as the "Lululemon Song". 

Rapper JT shared that she's hooked on the song, especially the "Lulu" verse.

To witness an athletic apparel brand being name-dropped in hip-hop by emerging women rappers highlights how much women love their fitness/athleisure wear but also the fact that there is a flex that comes with wearing Lululemon in certain circles.

 Male rappers Jbeezy.Lfg and Lil Scoom89
respectively dropped singles titled Lululemon last year referencing women wearing the brand. 

Whim Whamiee by is now streaming on all DSPs. 

Thoughts? 

#lululemon 
#lululemonsong
Alessandro's Michele's latest Valentino runway col Alessandro's Michele's latest Valentino runway collection for fall 2025 featured a  collaboration with  none other than Vans.

Stay tuned for more updates!

#vans
#valentino 
#valentinoxvans
INSTAGRAMFACEBOOKPINTERESTTWITTERYOUTUBE
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop

Copyright © Snobette - Privacy Policy

Asset 1
Asset 1
Asset 1
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Fashion
  • Sneakers
  • Bags
  • Accessories
  • Music
  • Rihanna