Atlanta Fashion Designer, Jasmine Elder Discusses Her Contributions To Famous Breonna Taylor Portrait

Jasmine Elder is the founder of the plus-size fashion line Jibri.

Jasmine Elder/Jibri

An Atlanta fashion designer’s creation now has a powerful connection to history. Jasmine Elder was selected by the artist Amy Sherald to design the dress for Sherald’s portrait of Breonna Taylor. The portrait appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in September 2020. Later this year, the painting will hang in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and talks are underway for the work to be a joint acquisition with Louisville Speed Art Museum. Elder joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to talk about her clothing design Jibri and her partnership with Sherald.

Interview Highlights:

On creating the plus-size clothing brand Jibri:

“I’ve always been a crafty person. I’ve been making my own clothes since I was 12 or 13-years-old. When I got to high school, I met a friend who introduced me to an established designer by the name of Jibri Mann. He had a boutique in Little Five Points called Funkytown. He transformed my thought process on how to create garments and he taught me the fundamentals on it. He got me to New York for college,” said Elder.