The History of Jennifer Cole, Founder of JennCole Design School, Inc.
CEO/Lead Designer of JennCole Designs Inc. NY & Dallas Texas
Creator of the JennCole Designs Label
Founder of the Francis Price White School of Fashion Design
THE DESIGNER
Jennifer Cole, better known in the industry as “Jenn Cole”, is a Successful Entrepreneur and Fashion Designer of more than two decades. She is no stranger to the world of Bridal Fashion. As a Fashion Pioneer, Jenn Cole opened the doors to the first black owned Bridal Salon and Atelier in her native state of Mississippi where she also produced Bridal and Fashion Shows. A breath of fresh air in NYC, Jenn honed her craft through study at The Art Institute of New York City, her work at the Historical Library of the Iconic Ralph Lauren, and her work and worldwide travel as a Professional Tailor for Top Hat Imagewear. She now couples her passion for design with her unrivaled ability to create bespoke pieces that bring every bride’s vision to life.
THE BRAND
In her Debut Collection, Jenn Cole marries fine styling and sleek silhouettes to create a line of ready-to-wear gowns full of feminine flair. Weaving classic and contemporary elements with playful lace and popping accents, she puts a refreshing spin on simplistic designs that flatter brides on their special day. Jenn pampers brides as she partners with them to create a bespoke wedding day look and a service experience fit for royalty.
THE BEGINNING
Jenn Cole’s lifelong dream of becoming a NY fashion designer began when she was a young girl watching her mother sew to care for her and her six siblings. Jenn started sewing at the age of twelve and followed fashion throughout her life. She operated a successful Bridal & Formalwear Design and Tailoring business in Mississippi for 14 years while raising two young sons but soon, her ambition outgrew her environment.
With her sons off to college, Jenn set out to create the life she always envisioned. Inspired by Coco Chanel and fueled by a determination to live out the dream her mother could not. Jenn traded her comfortable life in Mississippi for the dorms of a NYC Fashion School. In 2010, she boarded a plane for the first time and landed in New York with her faith, $3000, and the fortitude to make it. Jenn believes her love for designing makes her good at what she does. For Jenn Cole, designing is not just a job. It is her passion, her calling. It is her whole life.
New York City
In 2017 Jenn managed to finish her first Bridal Collection. She launched the collection along with her new website in July 2018, www.jenncole.design. In 2019 JennCole Designs was awarded ‘The Knot Best of Weddings 2020” with “The Knot NY” and was also featured in The Knot NY Wedding Magazine 6 times and will be in the magazine 6 times for 2020. Jenn has been featured by IAW, International Association of Women, and awarded a 2019/2020 Influencer for her business and community. JennCole Designs is also a part of one of the biggest bridal shows in NY, “The Wedding Salon Bridal Showcase” for New York, which showcases 4 times per year.
Africa (Ghana)
2019-2020
Jenn started the “Dream It with JennCole Designs” program and has been mentoring and helping young African women in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. So many young ladies reached out to Jenn for this program. So many young ladies with talent and the willpower to learn. Seeing so much talent in Africa she felt she had to do more! Her passion and love for Africa, the Fashion Industry, and giving back is undeniable.
During this time, Jenn met the family of 9-year-old Aminata Foday Kamara, from Sierra Leone, through social media. After seeing all the talent Aminata had in sewing, Jenn fell in love with her and decided to sponsor her and give her a better life. She paid full tuition for Aminata to enroll in a better school, Dele Preparatory School. Jenn said, “this was me at 9-years old with the talent to sew and a dream of becoming a designer, but underprivileged and no money to afford it”.
Remembering her childhood life growing up in Mississippi and later becoming a single mother of 2 sons and running a successful business for 14 years in Mississippi is why she is determined to help young African women achieve their dreams in the Fashion Industry by giving them the financial support she never had growing up and the training they need to achieve it. Growing up she only had her dream of becoming a Fashion Designer and her faith in God. She now has her own brand, her own wedding gown brand/collections, and many other great achievements.
Jenn felt she needed to do more to help these ladies, so she decided to give back by planning to build a Design School for the underprivileged, “JennCole Design School Inc. On September 10th of 2020 Jenn held the school’s media launch and website launch at the Accra Tourist Information Centre and it was watched live through the website. In November of 2020, Jenn traveled to Ghana to prepare the way and has team members on ground in Ghana to help get everything in place and started.
“JennCole Design School”
Originally the school’s corporate office was going to be in NY, but now it will be in Dallas Texas along with a 2nd training facility. The 1st school will be built in Ghana and will be a 2-year program with 3 months of training at the US location and a one-year graduate program the 3rd year that will be strictly the business side. Fashion Business training to help students start their own businesses or land good paying jobs in the Fashion Industry upon leaving school. After 3 years we plan to build in Sierra Leone, Kenya, Morocco, Zimbabwe, and Rwanda, building a new School every 3-4 years.
50 ladies have already been chosen from the streets of Ghana and other underprivileged families through our ad campaigns on social media. Jenn has been screening these ladies and their families virtually with the help of her team. They are so excited and so is Jenn as she prepares to make a difference in their lives. The school will be free for those that are accepted, giving them all the tools and support they need to achieve their dreams and be successful.
Jenn is targeting underprivileged students from ages 15-25 that have raw
talent in sewing, designing, or modeling and desire to become a designer and
business owner. This will include young women from poor families, women on the streets of Afrika, women with disabilities, etc. No matter what their circumstances may be, Jenn is giving them a platform and the resources to dream bigger than they have ever dreamed before.
This program will nurture, educate, mentor, coach, and help them to achieve their dreams! It will help them take their skills and crafts and become successful business owners, creating jobs for themselves, their families, and generations to come. They will be taught on an international level, combining the cultures and fashion of Africa and America, giving them the confidence to showcase and sell their products worldwide. It will teach them that no matter the color of their skin or what situation they are in, they can be strong successful women. Teaching them to believe in themselves and rise above their circumstances to lead the next generation to come. Jenn has traveled all over the world as a Designer/Tailor and impacted the lives of many along the way.
We cannot allow the circumstances or situations we come from to dictate our future!
2021 took Jenn by a storm emotionally and changed her whole life around. Jenn put her business, the school, her whole life on hold. She took the whole year off to be in MS with her mother, Francis White, until she passed May 24th, 2021. Jenn went back to NY at the end of July but couldn’t take grieving her mom alone, so she decided she didn’t want to be in NY anymore. She packed up and went back to MS to be around family to grieve and get herself together mentally and emotionally. Jenn’s mom was her everything, it’s where she got her sewing from growing up. They shared everything no matter where Jenn was. Jenn stated, “I felt I lost everything by losing my mom and almost gave up on life. I didn’t care anymore, a part of me was gone. I didn’t think I could move forward because no one understood me and what I did better than my mom. Everything I accomplished in life was a part of her, about her, and shared with her.”
During this time Jenn was still being recognized for her work and helping others. In November of 2021, Jenn was nominated for Designer of the Year for the MS Best Award Show 2021. Well, she ended up receiving the highest awards for the show! “The MS Legends Award” and “The Governor’s Choice Award” for her home state of Mississippi.
Jenn decided she would rename “JennCole Design School Inc.” to “Francis Price White School of Fashion Design” to honor her mother and leave a legacy in her name.
Dallas Texas
After taking a year off in 2021 due to the passing of her mom, Jenn decided to relocate to Dallas TX where her oldest son lived in February 2022. Jenn opened JennCole Designs Inc. Bridal Salon in Carrollton, TX on 6/29/2022. The Official Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, by Metrocrest Chamber, was August 18th, 2022. Jenn showcased some of her collections in the Dallas Bridal Show at Dallas Market Hall July 30-31st 2022 and July 29-30th 2023.
Services offered by JennCole Designs Inc.:
During all this Jenn stayed in connection with many of the young ladies in Africa. She continued mentoring them, helping them financially, and purchased machines for some. These ladies have been Jenn’s inspiration and motivation to keep going.
They checked on Jenn daily and prayed for her that God would give her strength to keep going during the loss of her mother. There is a strong bond between Jenn and the students. They are the reason she decided it was time to start back working on the school project and honor her mother by changing the name.