Being homeless is not the end of the world, as this man can attest. Jimelle Levon of Columbus, Ohio, has built his own fashion firm from the ground up.
“Me and my mother lived in a shelter before, when I was in fifth grade. From there on, once I hit sixth grade, I was always a hard worker, either shoveling the snow or anything to gain money, because I didn’t want to be in the predicament anymore,” told Levon to WCMH.
Levon had it tough, but he refused to let that define him.
When Jimelle Levon was ten years old, he and his mother found themselves homeless. He and his mother used to go from shelter to shelter, suffering daily obstacles. Some of them were supposed to assist them, but they never did. Jamelle has never given up and is determined to make a change in his life as soon as possible.
He learned to sew from his mother when he was 14 years old. He began by using his sewing abilities to create a lovely prom dress for his date. Inspired by the movie Coming to America, he created a gown for his date as well as a suit for himself. Gold embroidery is used in this piece, and it looks amazing.
According to Teen Vogue, actress Vanessa Bell Calloway, who played Princess Imani Izzi in the 1988 film, was the inspiration for the look.
She wore a gold cut-out gown, which Levon recreated by stitching hand-cut gold leaves onto the fabric. He matched his blazer to his date’s dress with the same gold leaves.
He didn’t want to forget those memories or the clothes, so he photographed them. He even posted the photos on his social media accounts. The photographs rapidly went viral, attracting Steve Harvey’s attention, who invited Jimelle to appear on his show due to his amazing ideas.
Jimelle is a full-time student at Clark Atlanta University and the owner of a fashion design firm. His one-of-a-kind dresses are in high demand. He sells his paintings for up to $450 each. Jimelle is now a source of encouragement for his community, kids, and others. People who want to change their life via sheer hard work can follow in Jimelle’s footsteps.
The self-made designer is currently a full-time student at Clark Atlanta University.
He continues to follow his major love, creating high-demand custom-made dresses that sell for up to KSh 50,000 each. Within his community, the homeless youngster turned renowned fashion designer has become a symbol of creative inspiration.
Levon reflected on his poor beginnings and what it takes to climb beyond his surroundings in an interview with news program WCMH-TV.
“Hard work has always been a part of my life. My mother and I lived in a shelter before, when I was in fifth grade,” Jimelle told WCMH. “From there on, once I cuff sixth grade, I was always a hard worker, either shoveling the snow or anything to gain money, because I didn’t want to be in the predicament anymore,” he continued.
