COMPLEX: Jade, you’re a bit of a triple threat: you’re an abstract artist, a creative designer and you’re an international model, but what came first?
Jade bead: Modeling came first. I’ve been doing this since I was 17 but it’s diminished since my art took off and my passion for design took hold… I actually won a competition and I was boohoo’s first black model.
You’re from south London, aren’t you? What is your history/relationship with the region in 2022?
I was born in Surrey, moved to South London and then came back to Surrey. I know it’s not south-south, it’s suburban south London, but I grew up in Surbiton, it’s my favorite place! I don’t know what it was, but growing up there I loved it – there was so much to do and I could quickly pop over to London with my mum. I went to college in Pimlico, lived near Brixton for four years… The culture in the South is just different and that’s where I feel most at home.
As an alumnus of UAL Chelsea College of Arts, who nevertheless graduated with a top-notch degree, how did you make the transition from student to creative professional? This “change” can often be a challenge for people…
To be honest, I was lost the first two years. I went to travel a bit to model and spent some time in Cape Town. I broke my foot there — fell off a treadmill in front of a whole fitness class, landed on my ankle — and was bedridden the next month. It brought me back to reality! I couldn’t model, so I started drawing again. My manager, at the time, he knew that my true passion was art and really encouraged me. My art came from a place where I was low, low and without self-esteem, so I drew and doodled, giving myself affirmations in my own work, for myself. That’s literally how it spiralled. It was a big mess of “I don’t know what I’m doing”, but the art made me happy. He encouraged me to give up modeling and really get things done. I started randomly posting on social media and drawing on my model photos. That’s when people really started getting into it and brands started getting in touch with content creation. I didn’t know it was a “thing” I could get paid for and have a career as a freelance creative. As I became more confident, I moved away from digital and back to tactile things, canvases and bigger collaborations.
Your sustainable fashion collection, FORESEA, which uses seaweed yarn and recycled plastics, was presented in Las Vegas. Has going international always been important to you?
Most of my clients who want to buy my artwork are in the United States. I really wanted to push my mark and took a course that, if successful, would allow me to showcase my work there. Thanks to my capsule collection, I got a spot next to all these big brands that were showing their new collections to buyers in America. I had no idea what I was doing; people wanted to place orders but I was totally overwhelmed and not ready. Everything was knitted by hand. I thought there would just be people who would say “it’s good” and not “it’s good; can we order it for our stores? “It gave me perspective. I wasn’t mentally ready for a business like that and wanted to focus on the actual art first. I hope to start releasing again in 2023, but it’s going to be totally different.
You’ve had a busy few years as art director, including a recent campaign for Will Smith’s autobiography. Do you have a defined creative process when a job comes in?
Will’s team got in touch and gave me creative freedom, which was really cool. I think all the brands I’ve worked with have given me that freedom because they like my style, which is really nice. I’ve never done a showcase before so that was really cool too!
Which artists do you turn to for inspiration? Are there any other must-haves that stimulate creativity?
I never looked for inspiration elsewhere in the creative world, even when I was at university. I feel like, and maybe it’s just me, but if I look at other artists, I’m subconsciously going to copy. I don’t want to do this. I will always draw inspiration from my own research, without sounding big-headed. And if I’m having a bad day, I’m not creating, I’ll go see my family in Surrey, I’ll hang out with my mum and the dog.