All About Vlackbook

By Oriana Almora

Who is Vlackbook?

Jesus Pineda, the Founder of Vlackbook. Was born on April 28, 2001, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Growing up in Broward County, he graduated from Western High School. Afterwards, he went and got his Associates Degree from Miami’s Fashion Institute.

While at MFI, Pineda had amazing teachers, especially for the price. “It’s a great program, if I had gone to another school, it would be a different situation right now.” says Pineda. The now graduate from MFI says he’s ready to continue Vlackbook as a brand. And is excited to learn more further down the road, whether good or bad, and grow as an individual.

How Was Vlackbook Created?

Pineda was self taught on how to make and design clothes at age 15. When it comes down to inspirations, Pindea says his biggest inspiration is himself. He feels that he doesn’t just inspire himself, but everyone around him.

When first creating the brand’s name, it was a struggle. Originally the name was going to be “Pain N’ Panic”, but once he thought of Vlackbook it felt right. Once the name Vlackbook had been created, he proceeded to then start the process of his brand in 2016. Starting off with making designs on Adobe Illustrator.

In 2016, his very first creation was a pair of jeans he had distressed. At the time, he loved Supreme and other hype beast brands. Unfortunately he couldn’t afford them, so he decided to design his own clothes.

While in the making of the distressed jeans, he realized he wanted to become a fashion designer. After he created the distressed jeans, he started to get feedback on how people loved his work and what he was doing. Pineda described it as an “All time high”. Since then, he kept on creating clothing such as jeans and t-shirts. This is what kept him excited and motivated.

The Upcoming Artist

Many designers consider themselves as artists, but Pineda said he doesn’t consider himself an artist yet. Yes, he makes artistic and creative art work, but feels he still has more to learn. The art in designing clothes is working with the moving body and creating art from it. Fashion can mean a lot to many individuals who love the fashion world, for Pineda it was different. He always says, “I wouldn’t see myself doing anything else but fashion.”

Jesus’s Views On The Fashion World

With all the fashion trends going on, we all have different favorite brands and designers. When asked, “If you could spend a day with any artist, who would it be, and what would you ask them?” He proceeded to answer with, “Alexander Mcqueen, because we almost have the same ideologies, I’d also ask what’s on his mind.” As for a dream Collaboration, Pineda mentioned he’d love to collaborate with Matthew Williams because he also feels they both have the same ideas and aesthetic. Besides Matthew, he’d love to collaborate with Japanese artists like Takashi Murakami, they both have very interesting art that he admires.

The fashion industry has a lot going on every single day. Although with current trends, everyone has their own styles. When asked if there is any fashion trend he thinks would make a comeback, he replied with “At the end of the day, trends will always make a comeback, so whatever I dislike today, I could possibly love tomorrow.”

If Pineda were to change one thing in the fashion industry, it’d be the waste and garbage being used to create fast fashion. He stressed, “A lot of brands make the same clothes over and over again, whether it’s in different colors or different materials. Instead they should be reused instead of creating waste. There should be a new way of creating fashion rather than having 8 to 16 different collections a year, it’s harmful to the environment.”

Vlackbook’s Snake Corset

I asked Pineda what has been the toughest and proudest garment he’s created so far. The Snake Corset was his toughest as it was hand sewed and took the most tedious time. “I’m not the best at couture sewing or couture finishes, but I had put my all into it. It took headaches, pain, and struggles to complete it” he said. Overall it’s the one he takes most pride in because it was the most interesting to make. It was made from many fabrics he used for his final collection and considers it the most fascinating.

The Process of Creating Garments

Before creating the garments, you always need to think of the perfect environment to work in, so you don’t get distracted. A peaceful place Pineda considers to work in would be a studio place or your own space where you feel most comfortable. When working from home it can be a huge burden to him, he sees it as a place to rest, not stress.

When creating a collection and garments, it can be a long and hard process. First you have to create the garment idea. Pineda explained that the hardest part about creating a collection is coming up with the idea and executing it. Patience plays a big part of this process. He struggled with it growing up, but came to realize it’s important.

When finalizing a collection, comes the fashion show. A vision Pineda sees for his first show is his models walking on a large plot of land while the models display his garments. With a videographer recording, detailing the show as more of a fashion film rather than a fashion show in the video.

For an overall collection, Pineda says there’s no perfect collection, “Everyone has their own ideas and creations.” If there were a perfect collection, it’d be something true to him, and has to have a lot of meaning to him. Which is why he chooses to continue with Vlackbook, it’s something meaningful and wants to make art coming from his heart rather than designing for money.

The Future of Vlackbook

10 years from now, Pineda explains he sees himself owning many companies, different flows of income, and mainly a powerhouse of a person. As for Vlackbook, he sees his brand as a multi-million dollar company, that’s not only dealing with fashion, but everything related to fashion. He wants to create art in different forms whether it’s making furniture, paintings or sculptures in the future. It’ll be a household name at the end of the day.

Jesus Pineda’s Message To The World

A piece of advice Pineda would like to give is, anyone who’s scared to start up their own business is to just go for it. Don’t listen to those who want to hold you back. Those are usually the people who doubt themselves and never try to go for what they want. Many people everyday have doubts on certain things, but he certainly didn’t have any throughout his career so far. Every mistake he’s made is just a learning experience for him. If you’re scared of failure, don’t be,remember it’s a learning experience.

A piece of advice he’d give himself, if he’s ever doubtful, would be “Just keep on pushing, you have so many ideas and creations yet to be made.” There is so much to come. Pineda will continue on designing what he loves.

Vlackbook is what he stands for today.