Parsons School of Design graduate Jacques Agbobly, 22, has always been intrigued by the color orange. The Brooklyn-based designer’s work is inspired by colors and patterns from where he grew up in Togo, West Africa, before moving to America when he was nine. Orange is a recurring color in his personal clothing choices and designs, where his work aims to subvert the narrative around the color orange and incarceration, while being worn by Black men in particular.
Another theme running through his designs is an emphasis on patterned knitwear, inspired by the incredible craftsmanship in Togo. As a child, Agbobly often stayed with his grandmother, who rented part of her home to seamstresses. He remembers hiding under the tables to watch them do their work. “It’s custom as part of the culture in Africa to get clothes custom made,” he says. For Agbobly, fashion design seemed like a natural career path.
In addition to Togo, the women in Agbobly's life serve as inspiration for his designs. “As a queer person and someone who's inspired by Black women in my life growing up, I always wanted to be like them," he says. "I always wanted to dress like them.” Using voluminous, often more traditionally feminine, silhouettes, the designer aims to translate his inspiration from women into menswear, although he wouldn’t strictly call his designs menswear.
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