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CHRONICLE
History I Heritage I Culture
A
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — THURSDAY, July 8, 2021
THE
Volume 47, Number 37
LOCAL BLACK-OWNED CLOTHING LINES ARE ON THE RISE
Winston-Salem native’s clothing line
gaining traction
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
In 2016 Winston-Sa
lem native Quentin Jack-
son set out on a journey
to create his own clothing
line. Although the journey
hasn’t been easy, today Q
Jackson Apparel Company
(QJAC) is a licensed ap
parel provider with part
nerships with several HB-
CUs, and he says that it’s
just the beginning.
Fresh out of high
school, Jackson attended
Norfolk State University
(NSU) where he majored
in graphic design. He only
stayed at NSU for a year;
but Jackson said that’s
where he found the moti
vation to become an entre
preneur.
“After my first year I
had to come home because
I did absolutely nothing,”
Jackson laughed. “But it
also broadened my hori
zons and introduced me to
a lot of things. I always say
Norfolk State was the first
time I saw young Black
kids who wanted to really
be something and actually
doing the work.”
After leaving NSU,
Jackson spent some time
at WSSU where he ma
jored in art, before he
eventually decided to fol
low his dream.
When he first launched
his apparel company, Jack-
son sold merchandise that
Submitted photo
Quentin Jackson, founder and owner of Q Jackson Apparel Company.
featured his artwork, but it
wasn’t long before he de
cided to focus on HBCUs
(Historically Black Col
leges and Universities).
“The art work only lasted
about six months. It didn’t
last long because I imme
diately saw the need for
HBCU apparel,” Jackson
said.
“At that point, I left
Winston-Salem State be
cause I believed it had
served its purpose for me
and I’m happy I did.”
Although he decided
to leave WSSU, Jackson
said he continued to learn.
He had to learn how to
get licensed, where to get
the apparel, where to get
labels from and a host
of other things before he
could officially launch.
After working through
that, Jackson officially
launched 105 Clothing, to
represent the 105 HBCUs
across the country at the
time. But when he tried
to trademark the name,
he faced his first real ob
stacle. Levi Jeans submit
ted paperwork to Jackson
saying if the trademark
was approved, they would
file for copyright infringe
ment. Levi argued that the
name caused issues with
their Levi 501 brand of
jeans.
Jackson said initially
he was going to fight for
the name but his lawyers
advised him to change the
name, and he decided to
go with 105 HBCU. “My
lawyer explained that Levi
has the money to keep the
case going and I could end
up not having a name,”
Jackson explained. He
said after working under
the moniker 105 HBCU
for a while, he decided to
go with QJAC because he
didn’t just want to limit the
brand to HBCUs.
“I changed from 105
HBCU because I felt like
it limited me,” he said.
Since changing the
name, Jackson said things
have really taken off. Q
Jackson Apparel Com
pany now has trademark
partnerships with WSSU,
NSU, N.C. A&T, N.C.
Central University, John
son C. Smith University,
Clark Atlanta and he is cur
rently working on partner
ships with Elon and Wake
Forest. Because QJAC is a
collegiate licensed brand,
royalties from sales go
back to the schools.
Other popular items on
the website include “The
Winston Tee,” which has
a large “WS” in the cen
ter of the shirt and names
of well-known places and
people inside the letters
and the QJAC Signature
shirts and hats.
Jackson said he is al
ways trying to find ways to
improve the brand. He said
10 years from now QJAC
will be home to the largest
manufacturing facility on
the East Coast and have
the ability to give thou
sands of people jobs. He
said his goal is to be able
to cut out the middleman
and make his own hats,
shirts and other apparel.
“I’m not working as
fast as I would like to, but
each brick is being laid,”
Jackson said. “I’m going
to compete and I’m going
up there with Adidas, Nike
... I’m going with the big
boys.”
For more information
on Q Jackson Apparel
Company visit qjack-
sonapparelcompany.com
or visit “Q. Jackson Ap
parel Company LLC” on
Facebook.
His style, his way
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
Rico Henderson has
never been one to follow
the crowd, but instead has
always marched to the
beat of his own drum and
his clothing line, C.I.O.R.
(Chaos In Our Reign), is
no different.
Henderson, a full-time
barber, has always had an
eye for fashion and art.
This is also not his first
run at designing as he first
began nearly a decade ago,
but did not see the imme
diate returns he was look
ing for, so he chose other
means of income to sup
port his family.
“I used to do it about
ten years ago, but I
stopped doing it because
the money wasn’t coming
fast enough,” said Hender
son. “I was too busy in the
streets hustling and stuff
like that. I didn’t want to
concentrate on that then,
but now I do. I like clothes
and I like art, so I just
combined the two.”
Henderson uses a
unique tie-dye technique,
combined with paints to
create his one-of-a-kind
apparel. He also includes
messages on his clothes
that are inspired by how
he was feeling while mak
ing that particular item. He
says he would describe his
clothing line as different,
abstract, unique, powerful
and resilient.
“It’s just how I am
feeling that day or in that
moment while I am doing
it,” Henderson said about
what inspires his designs.
“It depends on what kind
of mood I’m in or how the
energy I am having that
day is what I am putting
into the shirt.
“Whether it be anger
or happiness or whatever,
it’s going on the shirt. It’s
emotional for the most
part.”
The clothing line Mis
keen was an inspiration
for Henderson. He says
he prides himself on not
dressing like everyone
else. Originality is a big
part of not only his style,
but his designing as well.
“I don’t ever want to
have my stuff like every
one else,” he said. “When
you see my stuff, I want
www.wschronicle.com
Photo by Timothy Ramsey
Rico Henderson designs one-of-a-kind shirts that have taken the Triad by storm.
people to say, ‘Yeah, that’s
C.I.O.R. right there.’ It’s
not your everyday run-of-
the-mill.
“I am not knocking no
body that makes shirts that
just press buttons on com
puters, because I would
do that too, but I want to
stand out. When you touch
the shirt, you feel it, so you
feel me.”
Henderson takes great
pride in every one of his
creations. He says the fact
they are all originals and
can never be exactly dupli
cated separates his brand
from others that you will
see.
“All the shirts that I do
are one of ones,” he said
about his creations. “Even
if I put the same sand on
the shirt, or even if it’s
the same color, it’s not the
same shirt. It can’t be the
same shirt, it’s not exactly
the same. That’s what re
ally drives me; making
original stuff.
“Like I said, I want
people to say that’s
C.I.O.R. right there, or if
you see something and it
ain’t C.I.O.R., you know I
influenced it, so it is what
it is.”
Henderson creates
every shirt by hand from
scratch. It takes him any
where from 30 minutes to
nearly two hours to make
a shirt, depending on the
design.
Seeing people wear
and enjoy his clothing
makes Henderson contin
ue to work harder. He says
it gives him the feeling to
not stop this time and take
his C.I.O.R. label to the
highest level.
C.I.O.R. was given a
big boost when Diplomat
rapper Freekey Zekey
wore one of Henderson’s
original designs on the
Drink Champs podcast
hosted by N.O.R.E. and DJ
EFN. Once people spotted
his designs on the podcast,
things began to really take
off for Henderson.
Henderson has big
plans for his label moving
forward. He says design
ing the shirts and hoodies
are just the first phase of
what he plans to do. He
wants to expand his brand
to include different types
of clothing.
“I want to be some
where designing clothes
somewhere for somebody,
I really don’t know.” Hen
derson said about where
he wants his clothing line
to be in the next five years.
“I just want people to ap
preciate the art and know
about it.
“It’s not even about
the money, I love when
people appreciate the art
and put it on and really put
things with it; it makes me
feel good. The money will
come, but I do it because
people like wearing it, so
I will keep making it. Be
fore when it’s all said and
done, C.I.O.R. is going to
put a stamp on this fashion
thing.”
To contact Henderson
about creating a design
or purchasing one of his
shirts, you can reach him
at Henderson Rico on
Facebook or on Instagram
a Faded Handz77.