WHEN you hear the word "jive," you probably think of dancing, jazz, or even legendary Swedish pop group Abba's hit song Dancing Queen.
Well, Jair Humphrey wants to add Trinidad and Tobago to the list of things people think of when they hear it. The 25-year-old is putting TT on the map with his clothing and shoe brand – Jive.
The Claxton Bay native, who now lives in Toronto, Canada, told Newsday he never intended to turn his interest in designing clothes into a business venture.
[caption id="attachment_1013887" align="alignnone" width="960"] The Jive sneaker brand designed by Jair Humphrey is being sold in TT, Barbados, Mexico, the US, UK, Canada and Spain. -[/caption]
It started when he was at Trinity College East. He said spoken-word poetry was taking over at that time and the school had a club, Paradise Poetry Club.
It was this name he would place on T-shirts, buttons, among other things, which many of his schoolmates supported.
"I've really just been doing this since 2014...It was just me in form five with my 'bredrins,' doing us and showing people my appreciation through something tangible."
He printed T-shirts and branded buttons, which his schoolmates instantly supported and began asking for more of. He said he was doing this "with no clear direction," as it was strictly for fun, since he enjoyed creating things.
But then it hit him – what if he could use this initiative to create a brand that TT nationals could be proud of?
"People out here wearing Hollister, Abercrombie, Aeropostale, and I thought: 'It's up to me to create a local brand and change the perspective and realm of that thing in TT.'"
Having not the slightest idea where to begin and with no formal design training, he turned to the internet. He told Newsday he spent a long time just "Googling everything."
"I didn't have many resources, but I had internet at home. So the internet became like my best friend."
[caption id="attachment_1013890" align="alignnone" width="960"] -[/caption]
He started the brand using his own savings, entirely, which he garnered through various jobs while in TT.
The name came to him when he was travelling sometime, but its origin stemmed from slang he used at school. In the same way some people describe things as being "vibesy," Humphrey would say "jivy." He became known for it and eventually it became the name of the brand. He said he wanted a name that "packed a bigger punch," so he dropped Paradise Poetry Club.
He has designed T-shirts, hats, shoes, hoodies, cups and bean bags, among other things.
"I have this belief that once it can be made, I want to make it and have my brand attached to it," he said.
Although he was "never a sneaker person," he understood the level of hype around them. He recalled contacting a company from Peru to partner with to create shoes, "and the guy said no," he said, laughing.
Fast-forward to 2019, he moved to Canada – by himself – for school. But not giving up on his dreams, he contacted the Peruvian company again because he felt his brand was established
