JET accessories, best without clothes

Austin Walker
Staff Writer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB9tHthQl5U

One VCU fashion design major has gone stark naked in promotion of his new handmade accessories line.

JET By: Clayton Storm Hall features a selection of totes and bags handmade in Hall’s studio, and can be seen on his website featuring models with nothing to hide.

Hall’s current line of bags, from duffel bags to totes, are made of canvas that he has stretched and dyed himself. They have a minimalist design, with only the JET logo stained onto the side.

Hall said he has been interested in the world of fashion from a very early age.

“I’d like to think of myself as being a fashion designer since I was about six,” Hall said. “Because I am self-taught, most of what I know is from reading books or looking at random garments in my mother’s closet.”

Hall, like many young and aspiring artists, had humble beginnings. From an early age he found inspiration from television shows featuring fashion designers. He would draw mock dresses and designs, and his first project was a daisy-print pillow case. From that point on, the dream for him continued after getting accepted to study fashion design at VCU and completing his own personal creations.

“Because I’ve always loved fine art, I realized there’s a much easier way to get my creative work out there,” Hall said. “So instead of me making a beautiful painting that only one person can have in their house, I can make a beautiful sweater that’s been printed with something that I’ve created and have 10,000 people wear it.”

Since his work with the fashion design department, Hall said he has been a largely independent artist. The program was a way for him to refine his work and his business. Outside of VCU, Hall has worked constantly and goes back to his studio every day following his classes to work on his current line of accessories.

“The name came first and the bags came like a week later,” Hall said. “I knew I wanted to have some sort of accessories line to kind of introduce myself into the market because, let’s be honest, a $120 bag is much easier to sell than a $1,000 silk chiffon dress.”

Hall intends to expand his portfolio of clothing to many different styles, from elegant gowns to the gritty accessories. He said his dream is to become a household name in fashion, and he has worked hard these past three years at VCU to promote his name and his brand, as well as progress his business. In hopes of promoting the JET accessory line, Clayton Hall recently held a nude photoshoot where he and a model friend of his went nude. Using the bags as the only shield, the shoot was intended to showcase the raw nature of the items.

“It took me a year to come up with ideas as to how I wanted to brand JET By: Clayton Storm Hall, so once I was able to financially back the project … I kind of just wanted to go crazy,” Hall said. “Canvas is raw, it’s kind of nude so we’ll make (the photoshoot) nude. Obviously it will grab people’s attention, so why not put me in the photoshoot as well?”

Where most people try and keep possibly embarrassing photos of themselves off of Facebook, Hall embraces it.

“It’s better to be talked about, regardless if it’s bad or good, it’s better to be talked about than not thought of,” Hall said.

He said his products have been growing in popularity across the country, and he is currently working with retailers in California to get his work on the shelves for potential buyers. Customers can currently purchase his products through claytonstormhall.com.