Hannah Jane, owner of Art of Hannah Jane, creates one-of-a-kind designs through her process of developing sustainable artwear. From a very young age, Jane has considered herself a creator. In everything from painting, designing and sewing, she is an unstoppable force. In 2011, Jane moved to Colorado where she continued to build herself into the talented individual she is today. “I attended Colorado State University for apparel and merchandising with a minor in business. I started my business officially right out of high school. Since then, I have continued to grow and evolve into the designer and artist I always dreamt to be,” said Jane.
Although not a Colorado native, Jane moved to Denver in 2016. The Mile High City gave her the drive to succeed in her passions and goals. “After seven years here, I moved to the East Coast to continue pursuing my craft. Colorado created an open door for me to really find and establish the artist I wanted to be, ” said Jane. This city has a vast variety of outlets when it comes to creative arts. This, in turn, allows opportunities for entrepreneurs to thrive.”
303 Magazine: When and why did you decide to get into the creative field?
Hannah Jane: Creating has been apart of my life since I was little. My family always pushed me toward pursuing creative outlets. This allowed me to know fashion was my personal form of self-expression. As a kid, I put on fashion shows, sewed garments and painted. As I grew older, I only perfected my craft deeming it my profession. I love that I can create what is in my head and heart in the physical form. Designing allows me to self-express and create pieces that can speak my own personal language to the world. My pieces are me, and they are the best and most defining way I can represent myself.
303: You work in multiple platforms including fashion design, painting, canvas works, photography, styling, etc. In what ways has this been a fulfilling challenge for you?
HJ: I love creating with the ideals of zero limitations. I work with the reality that anything can be art. As a sustainable artist and designer, I am aware of the vast array of materials I can produce a garment with [what] may not initially be deemed fabric. I have visions of a design from start to finish. From creating its entire life cycle from its pinned fabric to its walk on the runway. I showed collections in New York Fashion Week in 2018 and 2019. Seeing them on the runway allowed me to move forward to create photo shoots and unique pop-up events. Seeing my designs through many outlets has allowed each collections meaning to be demonstrated. It has furthermore allowed me to evolve my creativity.
303: Can you tell us your process to create your one-of-a-kind art wear items?
HJ: My creative process can be very chaotic. With a lot of my works — especially when I paint — I draw a lot of lines to form the figure. I then eventually start building the official piece. I often tell people just wait until I get to a point because at first, it doesn’t look like anything. Considering my designs are sustainable they often start by breaking down other old garments or thrown away fabrics to get the pieces I need. When I build my denim animals I cut and form pieces of denim to start building their entirety. A majority of my pieces have 40 plus hours in them.
303: Your art gallery has a mix of prints, basics and paintings. What is the inspiration behind your abstract lions that are present in many of your pieces?
HJ: I initially started creating the lion in my works as a totem to represent courage and strength. I painted my first lion painting at three years old. Furthermore, it was only fitting it came back to my art in my adulthood. It was an animal I personally resonated with as I guided myself through life’s trials and triumphs. As I started sharing it, I found it was a power animal for other people as well. I began hearing personal stories as to how the lion represented their strength along their journeys. It became a vital part of my collections. As I created, I wanted to represent it in many forms. I then began creating it through paint, as an abstract form and in 3D forms making the animal multidimensional.
303: Why is it important to you to use recreated pieces that are eco-friendly and sustainable?
HJ: Sustainable fashion is always something I valued. I personally felt the availability of high fashion sustainable brands was limited. I wanted Art of Hannah Jane to fill that market and represent a street style brand while still being ethical. The apparel industry is one of the leading producers of waste in our world. Therefore, my goal with my brand was to hold high fashion attributes with slow fashion values. So often we wear pieces only once because rarely do they hold importance to us. With my brand, my goal was to create garments you can keep forever, eliminating waste. I create wearable canvases, pieces that can be deemed collectible and connect with the world.
303: What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or pieces you can tell us about?
HJ: Currently, I am working and producing my next collection. It is completely sustainable and you may see details created out of other materials along with my signature denim looks. Furthermore, I am planning an Art of Hannah Jane runway pop-up event for spring 2020.
303: What is something you want the Denver community to know about you they might not already?
HJ: Art of Hannah Jane is a brand I have grown and evolved since 2011. I am extremely thankful for the places my work has taken me. This fall, September 2019, I showed a collection with National Geographic powered by HiTechMODA. My animals got to walk the runway at the National Geographic Encounter Center in Times Square, New York City. I can only hope to continue to grow my company, eliminate my ecological footprint and connect with the world one design at a time.
