Who I am?

If you want to know more about about the J.Cornelus Designs brand, this page is for you!

My name is Jessica Cornelus and I am from Martinique, where I was lucky to grow up 🏝.  My parents are small business owners; they have been handcrafting and selling jewels for about 40 years.

I studied management and communications in France and the United Kingdom ; and I have been working as a marketing specialist in various industries, such as media and insurance. However, at 30 years old, I decided to go back to school to study fashion, a domain that I felt was more aligned with my personality and aspirations. I have always been creative and very manual, probably due to the environment I grew up in.

Settled in Montreal, I got my fashion degree at CEGEP Marie Victorin, studying hard for 3 years. Afterwards, I had the great opportunity to work and get experience with a local designer,  Elizabeth Lozano, as an assistant designer, for a year (until Covid-19 pandemic hit).

I now evolve between my job as a fit technician and technical designer for a company designing coats and my small business, upcycling old clothes and accessories, thrifting and developing tailored made projects and exclusive mini-collections.

I believe in handmade clothing and “slow fashion”. Although I might not change a whole industry by myself, it’s important for me to be aligned with my beliefs and to apply better fashion practices, more respectful of the planet and of the individual work of craftsmen and women. Hence, my goal is to satisfy a clientele who seek responsible fashion brands and clothing alternatives to “fast fashion”, while being stylish, modern and creative.