We recently connected with Jerra Whittaker and have shared our conversation below.
Jerra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
My path to the Fashion Industry is an amazing story, and I have a lot of amazing memories. I honestly knew when my Great Grandmother Nina and my Great Great Aunt Mabel taught me how to sew when I was a very young child, around 7 or 8. The first thing I sewed were these fabric squares, fabric stuffed pin cushions for them, my Grandmother and my Mom for Christmas presents. You know, cute kid stuff, hand sewn and made with pure love. That all led to my high-school days and Home Economics class, and my teacher Mrs. Linda Whitter taught me sewing, on a then modern serger type machine. I was absolutely taken with that knowledge. I was ready to take on the world but design school was extremely expensive back then.
I am a Gen Xer that knew very early on that I wanted to be a part of the Fashion Industry. I watched the industry from a small farm house in Central Illinois, that seemed like a million miles away, but I knew I was going to be a part of it. I have older siblings that were always into the big books like Vogue and Seventeen, so I had a lot of study materials available to me then.
To the child me back then, New York City Los Angeles and Miami seemed like mysterious places that I would never see, they only existed in the magazines. That was an amazing era and I got to be a part of that. The best thing then, was watching the beginning of the rise of the O.G. Supermodels. The Fashion and Beauty industries were expanding faster than the universe and we were taken up in the tides of that moment. As a model I worked a lot of runway, paying the bills with Magazine shoots and walking more runway to get to the next gig. You learn how to budget money very well. The internet and social media were not a thing then, it was hard pics and editorials that got your name out there.
I have a lot of amazing stories and memories of those days, I have seen a lot change in the industry for sure. I have walked runways with the icons from that Era like Stella Tennant, most recently Lauren Foster from Miami and Daniel DiCriscio from Los Angeles. I just closed a show in Tribeca at NYFW when I walked with Victoria Henley at a private event. She is so adorable and absolutely beautiful inside and out.
Jerra, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hello everyone, I am Fashion Designer Jerra Kaitlynn Whittaker, Founder of Toxik Fashion. I am planning a brand Launch at NYFW this September with a whole new look and new branding.
Okay so onward we go. So I needed a way to pay for a higher education, so I served in the Air Force for 8 years to build up money for college. I was stationed in Homestead, Florida and attended the Community College of the Air Force through Miami Dade College. I took Fashion Design actually to fill my art requirement but knew it was my first love. During my coursework, we were required to shadow a local designer. The instructor gave me a list of designers in the local area that I could go out and apply to. So I was going through the list and I found this designer. I asked my instructor I said who’s this Versace company. My instructor came back and said well they’re an Italian company they just moved to Miami Beach and they have a design studio there. We can make the contact and we’ll get you in the door. So all the arrangements were made and I went to South Beach and walked up to the front door and knocked. I was met by Gianni’s assistant, “bulldog.” We had a small conversation and I was led up to the drafting room. He told me to illustrate what I was going to design. About 5:00 that afternoon he came back in and I had everything illustrated and he led me over to the closet that had rolls of muslin in it. He pulled off several yards of muslin and he said okay go ahead and start cutting and you can sew over here in the sewing room. About 8:00 that night, I was sewing and he walked in. He said yes you’ll do, you’re hired. I turn around and said I’m just a college student I’m not here for a job I’m supposed to be shadowing you. So I stayed with them until I left Homestead Air Force Base two years later. I was actually initially trained by Gianni himself and the rest of the design staff. Those were amazing days, and that cemented my decision to be a designer.
I modeled a couple of times in the Air Force and honed my design skills. I sewed on the side to earn extra money and kept putting money away. Life happened and my first two children were born. I went to Creighton University and my third son came along. I applied to FIT and finally got myself formally educated. Like a lot of designers I dropped out and became an associate designer with several houses. I went on my own until I had health problems in 2017. I retooled
and modeled for a company in Toledo for 4 years, becoming their Model Coordinator and Associate Designer. In the Spring of 2022 I resigned and reopened my label TOXIK Fashion. Toxik has been featured at NYFW and recently in Costa Rica. As a designer I have dressed TV and Recording Artist Daniel DiCriscio from Los Angeles. Toxik has been selected to dress Supermodel Victoria Henley for the 2023 season and I just returned from the Journey Awards where I dressed Victoria, as she was the host for the event. I would be remiss not to mention that Toxik Fashion has an amazing Executive Model. Ms. Hannah Stratton has been my lifesaver and we are taking Toxik to the next level. Hannah is my voice of reason when thing get overwhelming and she has been there through some rough waters. I have also say Hannah just signed with Westhaven Management in NYC, Huge shout out to Hannah, JOB WELL DONE!
As the Founder of Toxik, I am concentrating on womenswear, specifically I love to design fun dresses. My goal as a designer in this next collection, is to provide garments that are transitional. A garment that can be worn to a professional setting such as work, then to an after work dinner or cocktails with friends. Secondly my designs focus on fitment. A lot of designers don’t understand the differences in human body types. I focus on grading to fit more people. I incorporate stretch materials that making wearing easier even when our bodies change from time to time. Toxik sets itself apart by pushing the edge and setting trends, not following them.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social Media is interesting to me. Watching the space expansion is essential for any creative for brand building. I started sharing my creativity with 200 people on my friends list. Over time I have attended events and networked. You have to put your brand and ultimately yourself out there to get started. Connecting with people in your industry is paramount and sharing ideas is so absolutely important. Social media is instantaneous and hits so differently. The media landscape is evolving exponentially and creatives that are looking to brand build have to engage this area to engage with customers and their industry. After I built my personal audience I partnered recently with Data Genomix in Cleveland, OH to provide a professional website and build the business pages on social media networks. It is paramount to define the audience, the demographic and the buying style of that subset. As I build the Toxik brand I want to always incorporate influencers in my industry. Amazing people like Hannah Stratton, Victoria Henley, Daniel DiCriscio, Maggie Williams, Isabella Barette, and Lauren Rathbun to name a few. People that I consider peers. Folks thatare known and that you become friends with over time and all lift up the audience and ultimately the brand. I have to give credit to a Netflix series “Emily in Paris.” That show went beyond entertainment, it’s a business plan for brand building in the Social Media environment.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Toxik was a dream come true that grew from an import to e commerce business that was growing. In 2011, it was a new business that grew until 2017. I suffered a near life ending pulmonary embolism and subsequently a heart attack. I was devastated, my family was impacted, and I was feeling pretty bad. After two weeks in the hospital, I had no choice but to shelve the business. I was told I wouldn’t walk again from the side effects.
The first night in the hospital after the “event”, I called the nurse and asked for paper. I had a designer’s pencil in my purse, and I started to illustrate a design. I started thinking of my time in South Beach, and I just kept drawing. At 6pm. that night, I unplugged my monitors and grabbed my IV pole, and went for a walk around the CPCU ward. The reaction from the staff as I passed the nurses station was kind of interesting. They had no idea what was going on at first, I just kept walking. I didn’t stop, no matter how much it hurt or how weak I got. I had to move and stay in motion. I have not quite since then, and don’t have any plans to in the near future! I am TOXIK !!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: [email protected]
- Facebook: Toxik Fashion
- Linkedin: Jerra Whittaker
Image Credits
Pic 1 Weston Mosburg Pic 2 Robb Cobb Pic 3 Weston Mosburg Pic 4 X2ArtPhoto Pic 5 Lynn Henley Photography