THEOPHILIO

Theophilio

A Journey from Roots to Runway

words by Shandi Alexander

Since winning the CFDA American Emerging Designer of the Year award in 2021, Theophilio has cemented its spot amongst the coveted new guard. Edvin Thompson started Theophilio in 2016 as a “love letter to his Jamaican roots”. As one of few Jamaicans in his New Jersey community upon arrival to the United States in 2009, he used his otherness to his advantage instead of trying to fit in. A new immigrant with an accent and consequently placed in speech therapy, communication became more accessible through art. It was a medium in which Thompson could excel and have a voice, “I used art to really bridge and meet and converse with people.” This led to sketching, design, and an exploration into identity.” Fashion felt like a safe space and an honest way where I can find myself. Being a Jamaican felt like a genre in my area as there weren’t really many others, but I used it to my advantage.” It also brought a sense of community after co-founding a group called the “cool kids crew”, in which they threw Fashion themed parties and events: 80’s, punk, and once even a Pajama party that made over a $1000, no small sum for high school kids. This symbiotic way of working has been an inherent part of Thompson’s creativity, and the DNA of Theophilio as a brand is comprised of a closely knit group of loyalists and is a reflection of him, his community and his roots.

This cultural celebration can be seen throughout his designs from his first fashion week collection, which was inspired by Air Jamaica and was full of familiar mainstay tropes such as the ubiquitous Rasta colors, sexy netting, and rude-boy leather jacket and pants sets. Subsequent collections had patchwork jeans which conjured beloved images of “Brother Bob” holding a spliff and strumming his guitar, slinky, silk shirts unbuttoned down to the nether to catch some island breeze, and body-skimming satin dresses that one imagines feel oh-so-good, skin to skin in a Kingston dancehall. What makes Thompson stand out is that he makes cool, eye-catching clothes for his “cool kids crew” (i.e., I love TP T-shirts), but these clothes also make everyone else feel good (i.e., bias cut, curve-hugging, silky party dresses). There’s a reason he’s garnered a following from the likes of Imaan Hammam, Precious Lee, Amelia Rami, Joan Smalls, and the penultimate muse herself, Naomi Campbell. His support system is almost all women and he is proud to acknowledge this tight circle that keeps him going, “I love love love working with women,” and the love is duly reciprocated.

This past Spring /Summer 2023 New York Fashion Week, Naomi Campbell personally tapped Thompson and Nigerian designer Victor Anate to help design her debut collection for Pretty Little Things. Campbell has been using her fame to support and bring more recognition to Black designers, which helped propel Thompson to more visibility on the wider stage. Despite the controversy surrounding this fast fashion collaboration, when most others are celebrated with exclusive parties and releases, Thompson understood the importance and the opportunity to have been afforded this larger platform. “It put us on a global stage and opened a discussion on Black designers and supporting young Black designers. “Even though Theophilio has gained a lot of industry recognition, it still suffers from many of the challenges and obstacles of being an independent emerging brand.

When asked what he needs as a small designer, Thompson replied that he needs overall support to maintain a dedicated team. One is all too familiar with the challenges of production and delivery that go with being a start-up, but there are so many other facets that need to be considered that are instrumental in growing a brand and assuring its longevity.” My business needs a publicist. I need a brand director. I need a business manager. I need an accountant. I need a studio and I need a DHL account.” Essentially he needs more funding and more investment. As the industry has been quick to champion new designers, especially Black talent, they have also been quick not to provide the long-term, substantial support crucial to a brand’s ongoing growth.

When “Black” is added to the moniker of emerging designers, there is the extra challenge of being viewed by the industry as more than a niche. “It can delay the conversation and almost be a caveat,” Thompson lamented. In his decision to present collections when he is able and not be indebted, literally ( he has no credit card debt) and figuratively he has taken charge of his brand identity and how he will be defined as a path to permanence in the moody, fickle world of Fashion.

After sitting out the Fall 2023 season, he returned this season with a renewed sense of self and place. Still firmly planted in his Jamaican roots, he brought back his trademark net pieces and childhood Island memories. “Each collection is a chapter from the past.” This chapter is about kid adventures of catching colorful lizards at secret tropical waterfalls as realized in a purple snake print blazer or an ocean blue hued vest and mini skirt. The sound of a lawnmower and sprinklers and the smell of freshly cut grass in New Jersey summers come through in the yellows of the silk suit and the oranges in a net button-up shirt. There was also denim because what is more Jamaican than Bob Marley in a denim suit, but the universality of denim draws Thompson to it repeatedly, “Denim doesn’t weigh. If you are poor or rich, you can wear denim. “Again, it’s this ethos of community and making a space for everyone.

“There is intention to the process but Fashion is a big group project. I create the clothing but I am not opposed to it transforming and I look forward to that. “This transformative vision is what will guarantee Theophilio being a lasting brand. As Thompson looks into the future, he has yet many stories to tell in his autobiography. This narrative will not only be about him but also a part of a movement to build an infrastructure that will uplift others. “I want to use Theophilio as a bridge to myself and the world where I’m from, and celebrate and champion people that look like myself. Representation is one of the purest forms of freedom. Being able to see yourself and people that look like you in these different spaces, gives you the power to say I can be like that if I choose to be.”

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