Designer Jolo

Terry Jolo took a vintage sewing machine she wasn't using and jazzed it up.

“It was old and made too much noise, but I liked it and wanted to add some style to it to make it stand out,” says Jolo, owner of Terry Jolo Brand, a women's clothing boutique on the South Side. “So I spray-painted it gold.”

That gold machine signifies Jolo. She creates clothing that is head-turning and made onsite in her studio located in the back of the store. But having a brick-and-mortar shop adds another dimension to her business.

“A retail store is the perfect way to serve customers better because I can listen to them about what they like and what they don't like and I can go in the back and change up a garment,” she says. “They give us opinions. It's about catering to them.”

The opportunity to open the shop came at the perfect time. Jolo's lease was up at her East Liberty studio and space was available on the South Side.

“The South Side is such a cool area,” says Jolo, of Washington, Pa. “For me, the minute I saw the space, I fell in love with it. It gives me the opportunity to have both my studio and my store in the same place. I had always wanted to open a brick-and-mortar store.”

Kevin Coulter, Jolo's fiance, is business manager for the 1,200-square-foot store. They purposely decided to open Nov. 29 — Small Business Saturday.

“What sets Terry apart is her designs are creative,” Coulter says. “She also has a magnetic personality, and she builds relationships. She offers a different experience for the customer. You get to meet the designer when you come to her store. There aren't many stores where you can meet the person who designed and made collections sold in the store.”

With so much competition in the fashion industry, designers have to do something different, Jolo says. They have to be able to offer the customer a fun experience, which helps sell the brand. For example, a large-screen television plays professional runway shows, adding to the shopping ambiance.

“I want to offer the best quality designs without breaking the bank,” Jolo says. “My collections are for an edgier businesswoman, who is also very social. I want her to stand out and to wear something that turns heads because it shows off a woman's body, her curves, but doesn't expose her. I want to create head-turning pieces that make people look twice when they see a woman wearing one of my garments.”

Jolo's collections fit sizes extra small to extra large. She makes dresses, skirts, jackets, pants and shirts. Most items are $59 to $250.

She designs items so women will be able to wear them again and again. Her high-low jacket, for example, can be worn to work, as well as to a party or lunch with girlfriends. Some of her pieces have two-in-one versatility with a zipper that takes a long jacket and turns it into a short one.

Customer and test model Veronica Olo Fernandez of Baldwin says Jolo's designs are unlike what you will find in other stores, because she infuses culture and her sense of style into every garment.

“I know how hard she has worked for this,” Fernandez says. “There have been some sleepless nights. But she will be successful, because she has the perfect personality and she is so talented. I love to wear Terry's designs. People will ask me, ‘Wow, where did you get that?'

“I would describe them as sexy, classy, because you can wear them to work and then out to dinner. That's great because women often don't have time to go home and change before going out at night.”

Jolo started designing clothes for her Barbie dolls as a child and got her first sewing machine in high school. A native of Liberia, she came to the United States in July 2002. She graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2012 with a degree in fashion design.

Jolo plans to launch a fragrance in January, called Centric, one scent for women and another for men. She's in the process of creating a makeup line and plans to sell footwear in the upcoming months. Jolo hopes to host art shows and have the works available for sale, as well as sponsor community events and fashion shows.

“I want to be able to offer a client styling — from the outfit to the shoes to the makeup and even the perfume,” Jolo says. “I am so excited about the new year and helping women express their fashion style.”

You should also see:

http://www.marticles.net/article/dooniites-don-t-visit-delhi-lucknow-for-designer-wear

http://erinbrowne.abarblog.ir/post/19/Fashion+Forecast.html