By Sonja J. Keith

Jordan Crowson’s talent and creativity have taken him from New York City to China but it is at home in the 501 that he draws his greatest inspiration.

Jordan’s fashion designs for women’s clothing have attracted international attention, with his spring 2009 collection headed to stores in Europe and throughout the United States. And, plans are already in the works for his 2010 collection.
Still, he is most at home wearing his headphones and jogging in Conway, the place he grew up. In fact, home and his faith are key to his incredible success.
A son of Jim and Suzanne Crowson, Jordan graduated from Conway High School in 1999 and attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he studied costume design and apparel. During his sophomore year, he worked for BCBG Max Azria design studio in Los Angeles.
In 2004, he created his first collection “and the business really took off.”
Jordan was continuing his haute couture work with Little Rock clients last year when a group of Arkansans approached him about investing in his business. Looking to expand into the ready-to-wear market, Jordan traveled to China in search of silk mills to produce his 2009 fall/winter collection.
By working directly with the mill, Jordan achieves a higher quality for the clothing he designs. In fact, he even used watercolors to create the perfect palette for his collection instead of settling for colors and fabrics already available. “We created our own colors. That’s why when you look at our line, the colors are different.”
Jordan draws inspiration from many sources and places, including music and art. “I’ve always created, every second of my life. That’s what my brain does all day long,” he said. “I’m constantly observing things and reflecting them in my own way.”
While his work has taken him near and far, Jordan has a strong attachment to Central Arkansas. He recalls fond memories of spending time with his grandparents in Bauxite in their “very cool house” which featured Frank Lloyd Wright architecture that would be more akin to Palm Springs.
Of all the sources of inspiration, music has become the most influential. For example, his current collection reflects the English countryside and the music of “The Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss. It is also a reminiscent of the early 1980s and Lady Di.
With all of his recent success, Jordan feels like he is floating in the eye of a hurricane – lots of activity around him but peace and contentment found through his faith inside him. “God was the only one who guided me.”
While today the Jordan Crowson line is featured in a showroom in New York and sales representatives call him daily with updates, he remembers that it wasn’t too long ago that he was burning the midnight oil and sewing every stitch by hand for his devoted Little Rock clients. He is thankful they believed in him and for the investors who “took a leap of faith” and made the next step in the business possible.
“Everything is a connecting dot because every day I get up, read my Bible and pray to God. I thank God and try to be a better person,” he said. “When you have something given to you, it’s ridiculous if you think it’s you. I am so blessed. It’s directly from God.”
Soon, Jordan will be headed back to China for a four-month stint. As the orders are filled, the Jordan Crowson label will be showing up in retail shops from Kuwait, Turkey and Europe to New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas and Chicago.
In the fall, Jordan will return to New York City to unveil his 2010 collection before heading back to Arkansas and his inspiration in the 501. “The only place I can imagine it and draw it is here, in Arkansas, in Conway.”
To see Jordan’s work, please go to
www.jordancrowson.com.