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For our latest Behind The Brand feature, we spoke with London, UK-based designer and founder of JEVGLOBAL, Jevan Megbenu. In our interview, Jevan spoke about his inspiration for starting his brand JEVGLOBAL, his design influences, challenges he’s faced since starting out, future goals, as well as advice for aspiring designers. Hit the jump to learn more about Jevan's incredible story!

What inspired you to start JEVGLOBAL?

JEVGLOBAL stands for - my imagination to the world. This simply started as a passion and a side hustle of mine where I create handmade upcycled garments or art and started posting it to my socials.

How would you describe the overall aesthetic and style of your brand?

I want to be known as a designer, so I bring multiple aesthetics and themes into my creations. Japanese fashion and culture in particular has inspired me in so many different ways it's insane! I love how people there really step into their aesthetic and culture there. From denim to boro, to patchwork, to nature, to their way of life. It is so inspiring! Of course, as a boy from Ghana, Ghana when it comes to design it is so vibrant and always holds true to our culture, and that inspires me as well. A fun fact about me is I lived in South Korea for a year when I was 10/11. I think my parents exposing me to different cultures has helped a lot with my imagination and the way I problem-solve.

Can you walk us through your design process? How do you come up with new ideas and translate them into clothing designs?

I get this question a lot in my DM’s [laughs]. I feel like God has blessed me with the ability to critically think and create new ideas from the heart. My parents as well have always inspired me, from a young age they have both always been into DIY and creatively solving problems. My upbringing as well was always rooted in the belief that I can do anything I put my mind to, so I owe that to them for sure.

Are there any specific elements or themes that consistently influence your designs?

I try and incorporate a lot of hand sewing and crafting in my projects. Upcycling is also a main important part as I think it can be at the forefront of the future design culture in years to come. No matter the lack of resources, I’ll always try to complete every project at the highest quality to what was available to me no matter what! Eventually, once I start selling, I want every consumer to be able to say that wholeheartedly the quality was top quality!

How do you ensure that your brand stands out in a saturated streetwear market?

By simply not following trends and sticking to my ethos. Nowadays it's easy to start brands and make garments without any real design thought, however, I’ve never liked that idea and always stuck to designs and garments I would want to see myself and my peers in.

What role does sustainability play in your brand's ethos and practices?

Sustainability is huge for me! I seriously care about how the designs I make will impact the environment in 20-30-40 years. A lot of my projects are upcycled clothes that I have recycled into my style and way or crafted into an art item. For example, the Lego balaclava was made using recycled legos, the patchwork bag was made from 3 denim jeans I thrifted at a charity shop etc. Thinking forward like that I feel like I would’ve done my part in this environmental crisis we are in.

How did your upbringing shape you as a designer?

My childhood was mainly based in Ghana and Thamesmead, London. A term a lot of my supporters have seen me use is ‘Thamesmead Will RuleTheWorld’. I repeatedly say that because one day it will! There are so many talents who are waiting for the opportunity to be seen there it's insane. My upbringing there shaped my creativity and mind so much! One of my friends and favourite artists whom I grew up with is my boy, Uriel, he is seriously on the come up his art will inspire anyone! One of my dreams and goals is to give back to the Thamesmead and Ghanaian community for shaping me into the man I am now.

How do you approach sourcing materials for your clothing? Are there any specific criteria you look for?

Obviously colour palettes are huge in my work, I need everything to match and flow through one another. Back to the sustainability topic, upcycling from recycled fabrics and garments from thrift and charity shops helps out a lot in achieving the look I want.

What challenges have you faced in producing and manufacturing your clothing?

Restrictions with money and resources obviously affect every designer but those constraints I’ve always thought make you more creative and problem-solve more. I’m currently studying Civil Engineering at university and I’ve always felt it goes hand in hand with my designs since there is so much quick problem-solving you have to do.

Who are your favorite designers and design influences?

A couple Japanese brands such as Proletareart and Kapital inspire me the most when it comes to denim. For me, they will always share the throne when it comes to that in the world. Some designers I look up to are Nicole McLaughlin, Liz Sanya, Rakitecht, and SkateSuckers. They inspire me a ton to keep creating through their journeys and projects.

Can you share any insights into your brand's marketing strategy? How do you connect with your target audience?

Marketing will forever be the top priority when it comes to any business I feel, something I and I feel like many designers are still learning and building on. I mainly post on TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest. I can tease that for 2024 more cinematic content and more fun marketing strategies are in the works!

What role does social media play in promoting and growing your brand? Which platforms have been the most successful for you?

Social media is huge when it comes to marketing I can’t even lie. One thing I’ve learnt is you’ve simply got to not care and promote, promote, promote! Or else you are limiting yourself to what you can achieve!

Have you utilized any influencer marketing strategies to promote your brand? If so, how do you select influencers to collaborate with?

If influencers want my garments I would rather them approach me to be honest. I’ve never liked the idea of handouts. I want the more organic route where it's based on a word-of-mouth approach rather than handouts. Recently especially as I’ve been growing more, I’ve had some crazy DM’s from people I used to look up to and watch. Real full circle moment for real!

How do you engage with your customers and build a sense of community around your brand?

Full design processes are usually posted for people to see the work that goes into projects, as I grow more I can see there's a real sense of community and creativity breeding throughout my socials and it's great to see! As someone who understands the struggle of coming up and starting fresh my DM’s are always open for questions on someone who is inspired by my work or just wants to know how things are planned out.

Can you discuss any unique or creative marketing campaigns that you've implemented?

More creative marketing will be rolling out this year. I spent these last 6 months since I’ve started simply learning what I want my ethos to be for marketing strategies. So stay tuned!

How do you stay ahead of current streetwear trends and ensure that your brand remains relevant?

I don’t like to follow streetwear trends cause I believe that's how you can get sucked into not having much thought process in your designs. Again sticking to my ethos and what I want to make is much more important to me.

What feedback or insights do you seek from your customers to improve your products and brand experience?

Yeah the feedback and reaction have been immense since I started. The best feedback I receive are simply people being inspired by my work then applying it to their lives. Doesn’t even need to be fashion or product design but anything really its dope seeing it! Back in November, I got invited to the first NOVA Fashion Show in Glasgow to showcase some of my pieces. The feedback from the people at the show was heart-warming and only makes you want to keep creating and bringing innovative ideas to the world.

Can you share any future plans or aspirations for JEVGLOBAL?

Future plans…you’ll just have to stay tuned [laughs]! One thing I can say for sure is that 2024 projects will certainly step up to an insane level. I feel like these last 6 months have been great to get comfortable and find out what things work and don’t work. Niches I definitely want to delve into are product design and 3D printing which will be rolling out sometime this year!

How do you navigate the balance between artistic expression and commercial viability in your designs?

For me every project I like to tie into what maybe what materials I have used or what I want the story to be for it! I always want the artistic expression to be first though since that's the most important to me.

What advice would you give to aspiring designers and clothing brand owners who are looking to enter the industry?

My advice to any designer coming up is your drive should be to inspire the next generation of designers! Everything else should come second, to be honest inspire, inspire, inspire! If you can inspire at least one person in this world with your work then you have done your job!