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Name: Jeremy Wiles (JWoww)
Hometown: Born in LA, but raised in Pittsburg, CA
Major: Economics
Year: 2014
Jeremy Wiles, affectionately known around campus as JWoww, is a fourth year econ major, a linebacker, an entrepreneur and a true Pioneer of personal style.
As the founder of OHSO, a lifestyle brand that has grown to include a line of apparel, Jeremy has mastered the art of tasteful self-promotion. “Maybe it’s just a Millennial thing,” he jokes, “but I want my look and my message to stand out from the crowd”. The popularity of OHSO and the distinctiveness of his own style testify to Jeremy’s success. While his bold fashion choices borrow from a variety of subcultures and aesthetic influences, he always looks undeniably like himself.Â
How did you first become interested in crafting a personal style?
Since high school, I have been a supporter, friend and a creative partner of Enrique “St. Hank” Avila’s grassroots clothing brand The Chocolate Monkey Co. Getting involved with this in-house designed and manufactured organization introduced me to apparel branding and inspired me to start my own label. To this day, St. Hank continues to teach me about the crafts, typography and artisanship qualities that go into clothing manufacturing.
What does OHSO mean to you?
OHSO is an acronym for my life philosophy: Originality Having Successful Outcomes. What that means to me personally is that everyone has certain innate gifts that we have a responsibility to recognize, develop and share with the world. It’s about the idea that personal passion and collective progression are the keys to success.
Three words to describe your personal style:
Dapper, urban-meets-classic, evolving.
What inspires your style? People, places, music?
If I had to sum up what inspires my style in one word, it would have to be California. More than just where I’m from, California is a melting pot of influences. Think of it as the love child of Texas (cowboys, bling, old Westerns), Paris (classic couture, upper echelon sophistication) and New York (streetwise but polished and aspirational: Jay Z in Tom Ford). I’m also inspired by my Liberian (West African) heritage, which may have something to do with my love of bright colors. Specific people that influence my style are Fonzworth Bentley, Kanye West, NWA and Pharrell Williams.
Has your style evolved since you’ve been at Grinnell?
My personal style evolved in three waves. First wave was high school, and it was kind of an urban greaser look: crisp white tees, blue jeans and Nikes. The second wave occurred when I started Grinnell. Taking after (Late Registration era) Kanye West, I looked the part of a college boy: Ivy League pieces with an urban edge. Finally, studying abroad in Copenhagen influenced me to mature my style by looking to European culture for inspiration. I wore more black, bought tailored clothing and tapped into my inner Fonzworth Bentley.
Overall, I gravitate towards looks that transcend time. Classic tailoring with an urban influence. It’s about being a product of the Millennial generation and having grown up in the information age…we have the technology to explore the old and borrow from it to create a new image that is distinctly modern and unique. That’s Originality Having Successful Outcomes in fashion if you ask me.
Check out The Chocolate Monkey Co. apparel at thechocolatemonkey.com and http://www.mainey.us/home.html, and OHSO at http://www.yourepeat.com/watch/?v=8CJQjjc-wZY.