5:31 Jerome Envisions a Multicultural Tribe of the Future
Yesterday’s presentation of the 5:31 Jerome Spring/Summer 2017 collection, proved why Jerome LaMaar’s painstakingly embroidered streetwear is worthy of Beyoncé and Mariah Carey. LaMaar’s designs hit everyone with a burst of unabashed energy and playful glamour on a sweltering day at Pier 59 Studios.
Fur in the summer? Pearl and seashell encrusted Birkenstocks? Large straw hats to shade the hottest of sunbathers? That’s right. The models looked like the coolest people you will ever meet and together, they were a show-stopping crowd.
LaMaar’s SS17 collection, “Away,” revolves around an ideal future where cultures intermingle, “kind of like a family portrait of awesome looking people who are either a tribe or a crew,” said LaMaar, inspired by his own Afro-Portuguese, Cuban and Ethiopian heritage. “It’s really symbolic of where I think the planet is going to shift to in the future.”
Jerome LaMaar started his first fashion job with Kimora Lee Simmons when he was 15 years old.
The Bronx-native reflects more than his predictions for the world in his designs. Cryptic number appliqués on bags and jackets symbolize important dates in his life — past, present and future.
One of the numbers in his label, 31, is his current age or “golden year,” as he calls it. Eighteen marks the age he received his first salary working for Kimora Lee Simmons at Baby Phat. Between the ages of 39 and 40 he wants to own a successful television production company and 58 is his year for good fortune.
From a shredded, beaded denim jacket to sequined camo pants, days of hand sewing go into the details that make every 5:31 Jerome piece so unique.
LaMaar’s strong team of family members has supported his design dreams (or “jreams” as is emblazoned on his sweatshirts) since he was a teen. His sister and close friend Ebony Rice is his all-around assistant.
“I’m the younger sister so automatically I was on the job,” she said. Rice works backstage during shows and recruits volunteers and cousins for extra help.
“Everyone knows how to hand sew,” she said. “They didn’t know before, but they know now.”
Rice says LaMaar has always been a forecaster with his eyes looking ahead of the trends. “He has a vision that no one else has,” she said.
He aims that vision at the young, cool and multicultural generation of tomorrow. “I’m designing for a real person…someone who knows what they want.”
