Saint Apri

Jamar Fordham owner of ‘Saint Apri’

on rekindling his creative energy, and overcoming set backs.

By: Bryn Palmer

Growing up without any heralded fashion gods, Jamar Fordham grew into his love for designing.

He took his first go at creating clothes his freshman year of high school. Crafted on Microsoft Office, Half Life Clothing was the Georgia native’s first go at designing clothes. His creative flame quickly fizzled out upon a friend deeming the collection terrible.

The fire rekindled in 2018 when the then-sophomore transferred to Georgia Southern University to pursue a degree in digital media and communications. With heavy influence from its Atlantan students, the school’s fashion scene dominated. 

But alas came another firebender. Fordham introduced himself to Joe Freshgoods, a designer from Chicago known for his collaborations with New Balance, as a designer. The conversation was cut short when Joe refuted the student’s designer status because he hadn’t cut and sewn before. This challenge from a revered figure only added fuel for the innovator. He accredits Joe for being the push that resulted in his success with his brand today, Saint Apri. 

But Joe wasn’t his only motivator, jail played a pretty large role too. The visionary graduated college in 2020, but the shutdown resulting from the pandemic prevented him from landing a post-college job. Without a productive way to focus his energy, Fordham got caught up in illegal activities and ended up going to jail for six weeks..

“Sitting in that jail cell, you only got yourself, truly,” he said.

Jail presented itself as an opportunity for him to refocus. His month and a half isolated from the world consisted of him taking accountability for his actions and developing a new path for himself. He said he realized,

“I’m in control of what my future can be and I just have to focus on what I want it to be and I can make that happen for myself.”

Thus, he birthed Saint Apri.

With a mission of creating what you can’t have, Fordham drew inspiration from his upbringing in College Park, Georgia to bring his dreams to life. His most recognizable piece, the Saint Enclaves Letterman, memorializes the beauty of life. Declaring “Nothing beautiful lasts forever” in an enchanting swirl, he affirms the statement. The Georgia Southern alumnus finds a sense of family through fashion and his fostering of a collaborative environment amongst creatives, so he wants to provide the same comfortability for others. 

In the end, he wants to move on to become a professor of digital media and art to create more equitable opportunities for low-income and marginalized students.

For more visit saintapri.com