Student Spotlight: Jaida Morgan; Creator of Project Jai Apparel

Story by Alysha Lewis

Photos courtesy of Jaida Morgan

To some students, college may be a time to crack down and focus solely on
their studies. To others, college is a time to truly find yourself and express yourself in every way possible.

Senior Jaida Morgan from Detroit found college to be a time to express herself and truly let her creative side flow. Morgan is a social work major and American Sign Language minor. She created her clothing line “Project Jai Apparel” in July of 2017.

“I would always find myself transforming my old t- shirts, hoodies and jeans into something more exciting,” Morgan said. “I decided to turn that concept into a business and that’s how Project Jai Apparel came along.”

The purpose of Project Jai Apparel is to allow individuals to nourish their
style through each unique piece of art that is created. “When you are wearing Project Jai, you feel even more like a walking masterpiece,” Morgan said.

“I like to call my projects wearable art because each project is one of a kind,
there are never two of the same which makes it so special and unique,” Morgan said.

Morgan customizes denim including jackets, pants, skirts and shorts. T-shirts, sweatshirts and all denim projects are customized by being distressed and/or painted, bleached, cropped and tie dyed. Other unique projects include shoes, socks and bags. Depending on the project, the turnaround time for completion is anywhere from 1 hour up to 2 days.

Project Jai Apparel was also featured in the 2019 Organization for Black Unity Fashion Show back in February of this year. In the next 2 years, Morgan hopes to have a job working in her career and hopes Project Jai will be improved and become even bigger and evolved than it is now.

Recently, Project Jai Apparel was featured at The Brown Girl Expo late September. “The Brown Girl Expo is an annual event that Phenomenal Brown Girl puts on in order for small business to build clientele, get exposure and network,” Morgan said. Project Jai has been a part of the Brown Girl Expo since its debut in 2017.

“It’s always a pleasure sharing the platform with other businesses,” Morgan said. “I’m all about supporting small businesses and the expo is a great way to explore different businesses and services on campus that individuals may not be aware of.”

On Friday, Oct. 18, Project Jai Apparel will be teaming up with Sugared Up Treat Bar to host their 3rd annual pop up shop, “The PINK Pop Up”. The event will take place in the Bovee University Center Room 108. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, a percentage of all proceeds will be donated to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Program of Detroit, Mich.

“Everything Project Jai has created is based off of love and creativity. If you have a vision, let’s share ideas and allow Project Jai to bring it to life,” Morgan said.

To learn more about Project Jai Apparel, follow her on social media. To have your own masterpiece created, contact her by email or check out the website below.

Instagram: project_jai

Website: www.projectjai.com

Email: Projectjaiapparel@gmail.com