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

Alright, Stanton thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

This is a great question. For me, I think I knew this freshman year of college at Hampton University. This is the year that our clothing brand started and I knew then that designing clothing came at a natural pace for me. It was also clear how much I enjoyed it. Now the actual plan/path professionally, I had no idea how that would happen, but I did know that it was possible.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For me, everything started as a teenager at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington, New York. Going to a private Catholic School was a super pivotal moment for me as it is where I first discovered designing clothing. We had a certain day throughout the school year called “Dressed Down Day”, where students would pay about $5 to wear their own clothes to school for the day outside of the normal school uniform. For my friends and I, this was a big deal as we could show off our cool sneakers and outfits. On one of these particular days, my brother and I decided to make vest that I would wear for Dress Down Day. That’s a great moment in my life as the first item of clothing that I ever made with was with my brother Sterling. From there, I literally made clothes every single day, and most times I had no idea what I was doing technically. I had to learn how to make clothing as I went along.

Designing and making clothes became a “release” for me. It helped me tune out the world and just make clothing that I thought looked cool on me. Starting this journey in high school helped me as a teenager to develop my own sense of identity, which for high school kids is something that they struggle with. We all go through life trying to discover and develop who we are meant to be. It’s an ever growing process and I’m glad I was able to figure that out pretty young.

The main issue I had, was trying to figure out how to be a fashion designer and an Electrical Engineer. In college it was very troubling as this led to a sort of “double-life”. At Hampton University, I had to have several discussions with my professors on how we could center the engineering in the classroom around each students specific interest. We came up with a plan, that all of my Engineering projects would be geared toward fashion design. In fact for my senior design project we did just that. Daryl Riley, Jordan Walls and myself designed a bomber jacket that would charge your smartphone. We came in 3rd place in the regional Capstone Design competition which housed 5 separate University’s. We later created a wearable tech company called “Tendaji’ which was awarded this passed year (2023) the Black Ambition Prize Award from Pharrell Williams.

Alongside wearable tech, I am the the Creative Director of our clothing label entitled Somniis by Stanton Jordan. This brand is mainly characterized around how good God has been in my life. With each moment, I try to show that through the clothing. Sometimes that looks like a phrase on the back of a t-shirt, a graphic design or maybe even the technical construction of a “cut-n-sew” piece. I think this is the main pillar that separates our brand from any other brand; is that we are designing with pure love and meaning. The idea is touch the souls of our wearers or anyone supporting the brand. If a person can feel better wearing our clothing, or even looking at our clothing then we have done our job. As a creative, its important to do what you love because you love it, not because of money or anything in return. Keep the purity of your art and the fruits of that labor are inevitable. Each garment that I make is made with intentional love and thought. I never rush the process and try to always enjoy the journey it takes to finish a garment. One of my best friends Giselle Rodriguez, is our Creative Strategist and Creative Administrator. She handles all coordination and planning within our clothing label. God has blessed with a great friend to help me pursue our dreams. That is vital to any success, is having someone/people to help you get to where you are trying to go.

On Saturday, February 24, 2024, We showed Collection VI entitled “Poiema” in Chelsea NYC at the Caelum Gallery. This collection was dedicated to my Dad, as he passed in December of 2022. Poiema is a conversation that he and I had 7-8 years before he passed, Poiema is the greek word for Workmanship. Based in Ephesians 2:10, Poiema is also translated for “God’s love poem”. To put plainly, it means we are God’s love poem. Therefore the show was meant to stem around the idea that God loves us eternally and I think our audience felt that throughout the show. To date, this is our most proud moment as we are so grateful to be able to continue to elevate and grow. Sometimes our growth is a small step, sometimes it is a big step, but the goal is always move forward. Collection VI was a pleasure as we showed to a full house and received amazing feedback from all of our invited guests.

In the near future we are looking forward to new partnerships that we are currently in conversation(s) with now. We hope to make those who have supported us and those who want to support us, proud and happy to see the growth!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My Dad always taught me and my siblings to “Finish what you start”. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Hampton University. However my journey to graduating was hardly smooth. My Junior year, I was struggling academically. It was horrible. Constantly being faced with the threat of being academically dismissed. I was trying to juggle running the clothing label and do well in my studies. This moment in life was huge for me, as I was finally able to merge that bridge of Engineering and Fashion. I sat with my Dad who was also an Electrical Engineer and also a Hampton University Alum; we discussed approaching my professors on how to merge my engineering projects with fashion. My school administration was aware that I intended to head to Parson’s for Graduate School after graduation, so I needed to do well in my books. After meeting with all of my teachers, we were able to devise a plan, not just for me but all of the students in our engineering school Each student would focus their engineering perspectives on the type of Engineering industry that they wanted to pursue. That could range from sustainable engineering, Industrial, Consulting, Chemical etc. My focus was fashion design and how engineering could be used in this field. This change in perspective helped me graduate with a 3.4 GPA. I say all of this to say, “Finish what you start”. If I can study one of the hardest majors on campus, and run a clothing brand at the same time, there isn’t anything I can’t do if I put my mind to it. Stay driven, stay focused and more importantly make sure its what you love to do.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is by far the impact that you can have on other people. Art allows you to tell a personal story that can connect with countless people. As a Christian, my goal in life is to tell people about God, and show them what He is doing in my life. Art is a perfect channel to do this. It’s almost as if God knew this is who I’d be. Not to mention, He’s helping do exactly that. I love seeing people feel good about the art that we are designing. From working with the models, stylists, assistants, interns and engaging with our audience it will always be a pleasure to help put a smile on a person’s face through that talents that God has given me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.somniisbysj.com
• Instagram: @somniisbysj
• Other: Personal Instagram // @bystantonjordan

Image Credits
Azikiwe Aboagye Max Durante