Meet Charles Jay

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Charles Jay. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Charles , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from having a thorough understanding of that what you achieve from the journey is not as important as who you become through the journey. At age 2 I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. I had my right kidney removed and went through chemotherapy. From my perspective I was born into resilience. By statistics I am not supposed to be living today. That perspective has allowed me to overcome astronomical obstacles in my journey.

My entire life I have been the underdog whether that was in sports, fashion, jobs etc. i think utilizing that as fuel to my fire has allowed me to continue to pursue my dream of being a world renowned designer. I have been featured in Huffington Post, Harper bazaar, Daily Front Row, Essence Magazine and more but most of those achievements came directly after I had to overcome adversity.

In 2021 I showcased in LA fashion week for the first time and about an hour after the show my car was broken into and all of my camera equipment, clothes etc. were stolen. At the pinnacle of a monumental moment god humbled me.

There will always be adversity when operating outside of your comfort zone but you have to show up in those moments to become the best version of yourself. I have opened stores, closed stores, been through a bankruptcy, had a business partner steal money, major brands steal designs. I can honestly don’t think there’s an obstacle I haven’t overcome at this point in my career that’s why to me this rebrand and relaunch of my brand URBANE is so important to me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

My name is Charles Jay and I am a self taught fashion designer from South Jersey. In 2015 I started a Luxury Athleisure brand called “URBANE”. URBANE by definition meaning the reflection of elegance or sophistication through expression.

The brand explores my cancer survivor story as a child playing with building blocks i. The playroom at children’s hospital while receiving my treatment. The logo symbolizes the ability to take what you are going through and using that as a foundation for how you are going to live your life.

When starting the brand in 2015 I had no prior knowledge of fashion design, manufacturing, sourcing fabric etc., but I had a clear vision for what I wanted my brand to look and feel like. Rather than screen printing t shirts I wanted to make product that was 100% mine from the design to textiles to visually how the brand looked in campaigns.

I released my first collection in 2016 along with my first pop up shop in Philadelphia where the brand immediately receive notable yes from people in the industry. I was featured in multiple publications including a UK fashion magazine within my first year. In 2018 I received product placements with major artists Swizz beats, DJ Diamond Kuts and more that landed me on the front page of essence magazine.

In 2020 I opened my first retail concept with my ex business partner called Avenue Black that included a retail store, event space, co working space, photography studio and more to serve the South Jersey creative market. That year the brand saw a lot of success and I launched a second in house brand that I fully curated and designs.

2021 the brand was on the season 2 premiere of HBO’S “EUPHORIA” on actor Alger smith. Immediately the brand saw an increase in visibility. From that point on I started to receive opportunities to work and design for other brands where I shifted my focus to my consulting company that helped brands develop and establish themselves in the market place.

Fast forward to today I opened and closed 3 locations due to a fall out between myself and my business partner, issues with mall management at our locations that led to us ending the leases and money being stolen from the the business. In that instance I had to file a chapter 7 bankruptcy to save myself as I was financially liable for 1.2 millions dollars worth of commercial leases, loans and credit lines. My ex-business partner was able to walk away with no liability.

After the bankruptcy I began working with a brand based out of New York called ‘ACES’. In the last two years I have done collaborations with Slam magazine, Jordan, Nike, Google, featured in NBA 2K and much more.

As I reflect on my journey I learned a lot about the business and myself as an entrepreneur. My ability to overcome adversity has put me into a position to now where I am back designing my brand URBANE with a prospective relaunch and rebrand for 2025. I am extremely excited to launch and get back to telling my story. Along with running my consulting company that works with brands in all facets of apparel design, branding and marketing,

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The 3 biggest skills/qualities I believe were most impactful on my journey were:

1. Resilience: the ability to overcome adversity and find creative ways to stay motivated in times where you may not j ow the direction to go in. Have faith and trust that god will guide you. Always fall back on your “why”. That will be your back born through rough times.

2. Curiosity: always look for new and creative ways to operate your business. There’s always a better process or a better approach you just have to stay curious and find it. Just because things are going well that doesn’t mean adversity will not hit. In my biggest moments in my journey I got punched in the mouth and knocked back down to earth when I was riding to high on emotion. Level yourself and celebrate your wins as moments, do not allow them to consume you.

3. Pursue it because you love it: I know how difficult it is to run a business and a successful business at that when it comes to finances but that cannot be your only focus. Pursue things to the best of your ability because you have a passion or love for it not because your i survival mode. Survival mode will translate i to you making decisions that compromise your brands core values and your core values as a human being. Establish your core values and stick to the. I have seen a bunch of creatives compromise their creative vision for a sale and it never works out in the favor for them in the long term. You will always chase a customer if you do not have 2 legs to stand on.

My biggest advice is to be you unapologetically because there’s only one you. God constructed you in such a unique way and your purpose is to always be you. Whether that’s in how you express your artistic mind or position yourself in the market place. Your story is your most unique asset

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

My biggest challenge currently is curating a space for myself that doesn’t compare me to my previous success. Being knocked down so many times in a short time frame has taken a toll on my mental health. I moved to a new city lass than 2 weeks ago with no friends, family and ended up in a car accident that had me on bed rest for 3 weeks.

Thankfully by the grace of God I am getting better and back into a space of creating but mentally this has been one of the toughest times in my life. I’m learning to use that as fuel to get back to creating my best workI ever have. I have learned to give myself the same love and grace that I give others with their passions and circumstances,

My next collection and rebrand will be my best work yet because I know my journey has built me for the success that is yet to come.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Roosevelt Castro

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