Jacqueline Boakye of J'Qlyn : A rising African Star in Fashion

Story by Ruthy 

My inspiration and drive for this brand J’QLYN comes from my diverse cultural exposure to the world in a never seen classy nature. The design inspiration also comes from a book that has kept and brought me this far in line; The Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. This perfectly characterized my 2012 blazer collection ‘Amorender’, achieved from the words ‘amour’ and ‘render’. At 17, I was sketching, designing and producing prom dresses for her mates at St. Francis Xavier whilst I studied BTEC National Diploma in Art & Design. At that point, the drive was to sketch ideas and transforming them into quality designs for friends who would later become clients as well as admirers”.

Born in Accra on 27th October 1991 to George Boakye and Genevive Amevor, Jacqueline Boakye is  the proud owner and brain behind J’QLYN, a fashion brand which simply identifies elegance for different personalities and currently one of the fastest growing brands within the fashion space in the African Diaspora communities across the United Kingdom and parts of Europe.

Jacqueline had her elementary education in Ghana and after, the family had to relocate to Belgium where her father Mr. Boakye had taken up a new appointment. In 2006, her family again relocated to the United Kingdom where Jacqueline had her secondary then college education. Before graduating from the London College of Fashion, at the University of the Arts London, Jacqueline knew she had a place in the Arts industry having started with amazing drawings and sketches from a tender age of eight (8).

Her major break was when she gained an internship to work alongside Suzie Turner; a leading British bespoke designer, where she learnt the rudiments of the trade and gained invaluable insight into how to operate a fashion brand. That was a dream come and was followed by the launch of Jacqueline’s J’QLYN brand officially in the first quarter of 2013. Jacqueline’s exploits include showcasing her first ever collection at the age of 19 at the African Fashion Week London in 2011 under the brand name JB Afrique. This led to her designs being featured in Fashions Finest and Top Model of Colour (TMC) 2011 and was invited by the Miss Ghana Belgium organization to clothe the contestants in 2012 and 2013.

This year, J’QLYN was showcased as part of London Fashion Week 2014 in an off-schedule show organized by Fashions Finest in February and her designs were featured in Duvera Magazine, Amor Magazine and Akwaaba Magazine. She was also featured as the only designer in the annual Sheffield Afro Caribbean Society (ACS) event which took place in April then the Coventry Runway fashion show.

J'Qlyn is without a doubt a brand to look out for!

Follow @officialjqlyn on twitter and instagram!