Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jademan Baker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jademan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

2020 was a tough year for a lot of people and I was no exception. In September of 2020, I lost my job to COVID-related layoffs and in that moment, I had to make an immediate decision – sink or swim. I cried that night thinking how am I going to pay my bills and worried about what the future held. The next morning, I woke up with a new sense of motivation and decided to start a business . LOM & MOY is an online clothing brand that is reimagining faith-based apparel. Each one of our modern designs is woven with stories and themes from the Bible in order to empower women to express themselves and their faith. At one of my lowest points in life, this brand was a reminder that persevering in faith is all that is required to making it out of any situation. When talking about risk taking, I often think of it in the context of someone choosing to jump out on faith or making a calulated move, but with the unexpected layoff I always joke and say I was pushed to take a risk. Every day I am learning that risk taking can come in a variety of different forms – it’s how you respond that makes all the difference.

As a first time entreprenuer, I was in way over my head. I have learned hard lessons, experienced failures, lacked consistency and a whole slew of other things, but my desire to make this brand great and impactful for others is why I keep going. The moment I felt the reward outweighed the risk was when I showed LOM & MOY’s debut runway collection as part of the Brooklyn Fashion Academy’s American History En Vogue Runway Show on June 24, 2022 at the Brooklyn Public Library. The experience was a reminder that even though trials are inevitable, with perserverance triumph is right around the corner. I grew not only as an entreprenuer/designer, but in my faith as well.

Jademan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Creativity has always been in my blood. From the age of 5, I took art classes at the local art association and through painting, drawing, and sculpting, I found my voice. It wasn’t until a trip to the MET one year that I became very interested in fashion. I visited the Alexander McQueen exhibition and I was completely captivated by McQueen’s imagination and unique designs. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to become a fashion designer. When it came to picking a major in college though I decided to choose printmaking. I know you are probably wondering…what? Yes, printmaking! I learned etching, litography and most important for me screen printing. This is where I merged my love for art with my love for fashion and I began sceenprinting designs on fabric and turning those prints into clothes.

I believe fashion is about telling a story whether real or imagined and inviting people to immersed themselves in the narrative. At LOM & MOY we are designing for the Modern-day Eve – the perfectly imperfect woman of faith who uses fashion as if it’s her native language. Our dressy casual styles are comfortable, versatile, and ethically produced in order to decorate her wardrobe with long-lasting statement pieces. We launched our very first products February 2022 and hope to have more styles available for purchase soon.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The best aspect of being a creative for me is that it allows you to see from a new perspective. My designs can be inspired by a feeling, an experience, an era in time, or a part of culture and each time I create is an opportunity to see all things differently. Being able to look at things from a new perspective is not only helpful in art and design, but it’s essential for life.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Since the layoff, I have been working to build this fashion brand and as a first-time entrepreneur of course I’ve had learned a lot of hard lessons, but I’ve also seen some successes and growth. Sometimes it’s portrayed on social media that success is supposed to look like one thing. Maybe a dollar amount, a certain achievement, TV time, a post shared by a celebrity, or a design worn by a VIP, but it really doesn’t have to be any of those things. Challenging yourself to get out of your comfort zone, no matter how big or small – that is success! Taking one step toward change is what makes you a risk taker.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lomandmoy.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lomandmoy
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lomandmoy
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lomandmoy?trk=public_profile_topcard-current-company
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/lomandmoy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3g45zxNAN_yYkTTPgrWnrw