It all started in the Bronx with a young man who decided that he needed to stand out from the other kids at school. Jason Santiago was a student that could not afford the high end sneakers and jerseys that were so popular at the turn of the millennium. He went to St Raymond’s High School for boys. On Mondays through Thursdays, the students wore traditional slacks shirts and ties. On dress down Fridays, the students were allowed to wear their street clothes. “I started to paint my t-shirts and my sneakers to match” The positive feedback which he received was a clear sign that he was destined to be a designer. He requested a sewing machine for Christmas which came with an instructional video which gave him the foundation he needed to start to perfect his craft. On his travels on the train home to the Bronx, he found his inspiration from looking at what the less fortunate was wearing. He calls his sketchbook, “Train of thought”
Jason then continued to follow his dream of becoming a designer by enrolling in a Fashion Design program in downtown Manhattan, and earning his Associate’s degree. While in college his experiences were nothing less than amazing. He was selected to be on a Sean John design competition on MTV. While he did not win, he was still awarded an opportunity by Mr. Combs himself. “He realized my passion and gave me the opportunity to intern at Sean John”. His picture is currently hanging in the hallway of the college as one of the most successful graduates.
As he continues to work to create different designs, he still faces challenges in breaking stereotypes questioning his sexual orientation. “Where I’m from (Bronx, NY), it doesn’t exist where you can be a young straight Hispanic male, who can sew and make dresses…” The negative comments do not
distract him from his work. He currently a full time tailor in downtown tribeca, New York City – having worked on outfits for many celebrities including a dress worn on this year’s Academy Awards. He also has his own side projects such as creating entrance boxing apparel. He has just auditioned for a reality fashion show on NBC, and constantly designs his own dresses. He is working on his own lines of clothing called “Sew Blessed” and “Santiago”.
Ultimately, he would like to start a foundation for his nephew and family giving them recognition. He would also like to use the ideas of children in his designs by learning their ideas of what the future holds in the next twenty years. He would then like to create designs from those ideas to produce a fashion show for 1st and 2nd grade students so that they can see their artwork come to life. “Kids are the future”, he points out.
You may see Jason walking to and from a fabric store – you will recognize him from his long hair, hanger logo on his baseball cap, and sewing machine screened on his white t-shirt. This is who he is, sewing tomorrow.