We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessie Diez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessie below.

Alright, Jessie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Jumping into my business with zero knowledge and learning as I go was costly, yet fun. I always thought it was just putting your logo on any part of a blank garment but there’s more to it. Having mentors, taking courses, reading books, watching videos, etc. helped me understand the fashion industry. It’s a never ending learning game when it comes to this. I feel when learning something and implementing it to your craft doesn’t necessarily have to be rushed. Like Salehe Bembury said “be a sponge” just being patient and soaking up as much knowledge as you can throughout your journey. The skills that were essential to me are always staying consistent, never seeking perfection (you’ll never be satisfied), and always willing to learn. There are going to be obstacles in your journey such as time management but when you have structure you can attack those tasks with ease when it is properly inputted in your day to day schedule.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Jessie Diez and I am the CEO/Creative Director or Fifty2hundred & Fifty2hundred Kids. I’ve had various brands since I was 18yrs old and this so happened to take flight and I’ve been blessed to continue to carry this brand since 2020. It all started off with mesh shorts with the brand and now upscaling to contemporary garments this upcoming Fall. I have now released a Kids line this past summer which is really fun to do because it’s an untapped market for streetwear brands. My parents influenced me through their eye for fashion. What they wore and how they would mimic their favorite artists/influencers outfits was pretty cool to see. They made the best of what they had to have that stylish “look”. Fast forward to now I look back through old albums of my parents to find inspiration when I am in the design process to see how I can remaster and story tell through them. Creating a capsule called “Faded Memories” is a place where someone or thing has impacted me in a positive or negative way that built my character and who I am today which anyone can relate to you. I can’t wait to share more of the capsule these upcoming months.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Looking back at how far I grew as a creative is probably the most rewarding. Going through many learning processes and a lot of failure, you start to dissect what works best and what doesn’t to incorporate in your craft. I’m still finding ways to become more efficient in everything I do especially with AI’s playing a big factor in the creators world.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I remember creating my very first t-shirt when I was 18yrs old and I was selling them out of my Honda doing drop offs around my city. I then picked up a retail job at a sneaker store and I literally brought my box of inventory to the back of the stockroom and hung a couple shirts on the rack selling them to every customer walking into the store till it sold out. I eventually ventured off selling my merchandise at a nightclub once a month every Friday night and people were lining up to purchase a shirt. I had no idea what I was doing and was more worried about making a quick buck to get the bills paid. Fast forward to 2020 I have now established a team, a well rounded legitimate business selling all online, having influential people wearing the brand, and collaborating with SLAM Magazine in 2021. It has been a surreal feeling looking back at things, but we are far from finished.

Contact Info:

• Website: fifty2hundred.shop
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fifty2hundred/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/fifty2hundred

Image Credits
Photo of me: Photography by Glenn Cortes

Lifestyle Photos: Photography by Byron Riggs

Product Shots: Photography by Samuel Altamirano