Category — jalani morgan

Guest: Jesse Jones

Who is he?: Brand Manager for Mark Ecko, Nautica and TX; Timex Group

What is he up to?: Pulling references and inspiration from what’s happening  in the music, entertainment, fashion and new media industries, he seeks out interesting ways to apply trend to his brands.  At the moment, he’s preparing for an unique approach to his TX Canadian brand launch (happening early 2010) and gearing up for the release of Nautica’s new web presence, and lots more in development for his portfolio.

Jesse is also working towards launching his latest personal venture, u-ology101.com – a program aimed at empowering and mentoring youth. Their motto: “Uncovering Passions, Actualizing Dreams”.

www.u-ology101.com

On the menu: Stewed chicken, straight out of St. Vincent, courtesy of Jalani (and his mom).

Every week at the Hermann & Audrey homestead we do a family lunch – it’s an opportunity for everyone in the studio to decompress from the work week, chill over a home cooked meal and share what we’re up to and inspired by.

This family time quickly evolved into a meeting of the minds, per se, as we began inviting select friends we know and those we don’t, to share our talents, from culinary to artistic, bounce ideas off each other and catch up on projects, new and old.

(Photos by Cory VanderPloeg)

Sometimes a simple memory can inspire an artist to create something fantastic.

With storybook references being revised for the next generation of youngsters, Jalani was compelled to revisit one of his own childhood favorites – The Cat in the Hat.

Focusing on a literal interpretation of the unforgettable character, Jalani worked closely with stylist Ryan Catney (www.judyinc.com) and hair and make up artist Gabriella Soares (www.judyinc.com) to transform Sidney (Elite Models) into a fashionable version of Seuss’s famous feline.

Check out his inspiration below, along with some outtakes from the story and some behind the scenes from the day of the shoot.

(Behind the scene photos by Stefania Sgambelluri)

Canadian singer LIGHTS is on an international tour and promoting her new LP (which dropped in September), but before she left, she and Jalani (www.jalanimorgan.com) worked on the cover and an editorial spread for Vervegirl’s Nov/Dec 2009 issue.

Check out a few of the outtakes below:

You can view the full spread at their website, www.vervegirl.com

Special thanks to Judy Inc.,  Dee Daly (hair and makeup), Shea Hurley (styling), the Vervegirl editorial team and the LIGHTS team.

For his first show in Toronto, Steve Frame had models strut down the runway in his S/S 2010 line – inspired by Heaven and Hell — on Oct 2 as a part of LG Fashion week.

Hermann & Audrey: How has the transition from overseas to Toronto fashion been?

Steve Frame: It has been difficult but rewarding. Dubai is a tough market because the support for local artists and designers is almost non-exsistent. Toronto has an amazing artistic community with progressive artists – it’s increasingly getting recognised for this and overcoming the shadow of the states.

HA: What was it like having Fashion Television document this milestone?

SF: At first it was a bit awkward to have cameras in your face, but we eventually forgot about them, especially when the show was about to start. The people at FT were natural and comforting.

HA: Did you have any pre-show jitters?

SF: We were a little nervous to begin with – uncertainty was the main feeling. [But] after receiving such a positive response, the feeling subsided and we are now really looking forward to the next season’s collection.

HA: Now that your first Toronto show is over, what are you concentrating on?

SF: We’re focusing on building a marketable company as well as entering the international sector. But, of course, we realise this will all take time and we’re up for the challenge.

In his signature editorial style Jalani documented the behind-the-scenes escapades of the show.
“Instead of coming up with an idea, Steve was the idea, and I wanted to document that for him – making sure the garments and models were ready, hair and makeup done right, and any last minute alterations. The situation around him was hectic, but Steve emanated this calming energy. He was more concerned with his crew than he was about himself.”
For more information about Frame and his collection check out: http://www.stephenframe.com/

Urban barriers are everywhere. Seriously, walk down Spadina and count how many people have intentionally placed something –a cell phone, iPod, sunglasses—between themselves and you: the faceless stranger. It’s in this light that photographer Jalani Morgan’s ‘Safety Glasses’ series uses an old pair of construction glasses in order to deconstruct big city stoicism. Adding a ‘weird layer of approachable nerd’, the glasses instantly transform the subject from a source of social threat into your new best friend. The wearer becomes member of the tribe of effortless cool, reminding us that, not only are we part of the global collective, but that we’re all hopeless geeks inside.

Jalani Morgan shoots Matthew Bissonette for Filler Magazine

For his most recent cover shoot, Jalani got to work with actress Tracy Spiridakos, who plays Becky Richards on TeleToon’s Majority Rules, for the vervegirl September 2009 issue. For the full shoot, pick up your free copy of vervegirl.