The power of the Interweb is the reason why this 18-year-old fashion designer and fashionista was recruited by Kanye West. Jalil Peraza serves as one of the Donda creative directors. His line of tee-shirts has already been worn by Jay-Z on his ‘Watch The Throne’ tour. i-donline caught up with this Texas raised/NYC native for an exclusive interview. Below are some excerpts:
“With no formal fashion training, JP has used the cornucopian world-wide web as his playground and his well-clothed crowd of pals as his mannequins. Fixing his fresh and beady eyes on perfecting his tees, he makes obvious reference to Kanye’s demigod and poster boy of the rap pack, Riccardo Tisci, in his output, keeping things simple and making bold graphical statements the focal point of his pieces. Backs are emblazoned with crucifixes, pockets detailed with leopard print and sleeves capped with stars and stripes.”
Where do you live? I just became a NY city native.
Define your style… Minimal. Pyrex.
Can you tell us about your creative relationship with Kanye? I stand as one of the Creative Art Directors for Donda. As well as Personal Intern for Mr. West.
Describe the Rosewood Movement in 5 words? I got 6 words for you, “We on some new shit now”.
What’s your favorite Kanye track? Probably “I wonder”, it’s hard to say though they’re all classics to me.
Tell us about the background to your collection of Tee-shirts and how they’ve ended-up on Jay-Z’s back? I’m aiming at a new aesthetic with the new Jalil Peraza brand, more minimal, abstract pieces. Jay saw me wearing the shirt and him and Kanye were like, “We each want a few of those, these tees are too fresh.” So after delivering them I found Jay wearing them throughout the tour, the shirt made its debut at “Watch The Throne”, Vancouver.
Source: i-donline
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NEXT PAGE: MORE EXCERPTS FROM JALIL’S INTERVIEW WITH I-DONLINE
What role has the Internet played in the development of your own brand? Social media has been my primary marketing tool in advertising and spreadingawareness of my brand.
Tell us about your new short ‘Beauty Trapped in the Dark’…The concept was given to me by director Simon Davis. Once the treatment was written, myself and my art directors worked to build on the storyline and added necessary visuals to capture the Jalil Peraza brand in a more cinematic way. The overall purpose of producing the film wasn’t to show people I could act but that I’m a visual artist more than anything.
What’s next? Follow jalilperaza.com to see.
