Jennell Johnson
Jennell Johnson is a freelance seamstress, stylist, and visual merchandiser based in Southfield, Michigan, with a strong background in fashion, retail operations, and apparel design. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion/Apparel Design from the International Academy of Design and Technology–Troy, where she developed both technical and creative skills in garment construction, visual presentation, and fashion illustration. Her career in fashion began early, inspired by her grandmother, who taught her to sew and encouraged her creativity, laying the foundation for a lifelong passion for design and personal expression through clothing.
Professionally, Jennell has built a diverse career across several major retail and fashion environments. She spent nearly five years at Victoria’s Secret in roles including bra specialist and sales support generalist, where she gained hands-on experience in visual merchandising, customer service, and sales performance. She later worked as a floor supervisor at Vans during a store launch and served as a visual merchandiser at Value City Furniture, where she managed showroom layouts, inventory flow, promotional displays, and store presentation standards. In addition to her retail experience, she currently works with the United States Postal Service as a lead clerk and window clerk, where she handles customer service, inventory, and operational responsibilities.
Today, Jennell continues to expand her creative work as a freelance stylist and seamstress while pursuing independent fashion projects. She is the founder of Zaafirah Jo Inc., a developing clothing line focused on inclusive sizing and expressive design for a wide range of body types. Her personal journey, including the loss of close loved ones and a temporary step away from fashion, has shaped her commitment to returning to creativity and building meaningful work in the industry. Jennell’s goal is to create fashion that is colorful, accessible, and empowering, reflecting her belief that clothing should celebrate individuality and fit real people in all their diversity.
• A.I.M Associates Interested Management
• Academy of Design and Technology- B.F.A.
• Soup kitchens
• Sewing gloves for homeless people
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to wanting to finally be successful enough to not have to work for anybody else but myself. Even though working for yourself is 24 hours, I would rather exhaust myself for myself than exhaust myself for someone else. I'm at the point where I realize we need this for women. We need to uplift women, especially with all the stuff going on, even if it's just the simplest clothes. Working in the bra department at Victoria's Secret and Nordstrom, I realized people really don't know how to dress themselves for their shapes, and clothes aren't really made for us. As someone who wears a 30H bra size that doesn't exist in stores, I know this personally. I thought, you know what, I want to do this for us. I want to make clothes for the people that can't find their generic size. That determination to create something meaningful for women who are overlooked by the fashion industry is what drives me forward.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received came from my grandmother. She told me I was unique, and that not everyone was going to always like what I made, but I should make things to fulfill myself, not just to fulfill others. She said because at the end of the day, do something that you find fun, so it'll never feel like a job. That advice has stayed with me throughout my entire career and continues to guide how I approach my work.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering the fashion industry is this: No matter if you see it on the market, no matter if you haven't seen it on the market, if you feel like you can make it, do it. Even if you feel like nobody else will like it, you still do it, because there's somebody out there who shares your mindset. You're not the only one. Just think about it: there's 5,000 different cars out there. Do you think the people who made Mercedes said, I'm not gonna make the Mercedes because Ford's got a car out? Absolutely not. They just made it a little different, and that's fine. That's what our young women need to understand. I try to be the adult that I needed to get advice from when I was younger, because I put myself through college and made sure I stayed on track. It's hard. Sometimes you just need a little motivation.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest challenge in the fashion industry right now is that it's become so boring. Even the fashion houses, everything is so monochromatic. Everyone wants to be in black, beiges, and neutrals. Fashion is supposed to be fun and expressive, but there's no color anymore. It's like those movies where in the future everybody has black or white or gray. At the same time, I see a huge opportunity to change this. In Michigan, the fabric market has changed a lot, but I believe we can bring fun and expression back to fashion. I also see the challenge and opportunity in creating truly inclusive sizing. I want my clothing line to accommodate all sizes, from extra small to 5X, with options for tall and skinny, short and wide, and everything in between. We all need to be able to wear clothes that fit properly and make us feel good, not just generic sizes that don't work for real bodies.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are kindness and living life to the fullest. Those have always been my mottos. I tell people every day that it takes 0% to be kind. It takes 0% to just say please, to say thank you. I believe in being courteous and empathetic. I also believe in manifesting and universal power. If you're being nice and courteous, whatever comes to you belongs to you. It's like we've forgotten how to be courteous, and people aren't empathetic anymore. These values guide everything I do, both in my work and in how I interact with others.