nobody jones boutique - official site

Odessa Bowden. Fashion Designer/Entrepreneur

While most schoolgirls were playing double-dutch on street corners, Los Angeles fashion designer Odessa Bowden was unsuspectingly beginning a promising career as an entrepreneur and fashion designer. From lemonade stands in elementary school to selling second hand goods at local swapmeets in high school, Odessa was on the verge of jump-starting a future in business.

Growing up as 1 of 7 children, 6 girls and 1 boy, of separated parents, the strain of living in a working-class household in a fashion driven city like Los Angeles, certainly presented its own social obstacles. But life without designer labels, led Odessa to seek creative ways to dress up her own second hand outfits and cultivate her own sense of style. So when other girls shopped at the malls for party outfits and homecoming dresses, Odessa, without training, was at home stitching clothing pieces for different events.

In 1997, Odessa pursued a career in fashion at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM), where she studied Fashion Design and later Merchandising for two years. Her studies landed her in the wholesale industry working as a Sales Representative and Showroom Manager for Spanish designer Custo Barcelona for four years, while simultaneously working as a consultant for Churchgirl by Ta-ning. Despite her employment, she remained creative, designing and selling her own styles and creating a buzz along the way.

With all the curiosity Odessa’s designs were raising on the street, an encounter with a stylist inquiring about the designer who created the tops she was selling, let to an arbitrary answer “Nobody,” and hence the birth of Nobody Jones. Like cosmic intervention, the name has developed its own significance and meaning, and now represents a brand of style that makes it possible for ordinary people to keep up with the Jones’ and current fashion trends at prices that everybody can afford.

Odessa’s Nobody Jones boutique is an urban inspired haven outfitted for the chic and cheap. The designer’s sexy, feminine-fun motif draws fashionistas from neighboring cities to visit her colorful, hip shop replete with international imports and above average street wear. Local designers get a hand in the business, as they are able to showcase their styles in her store. Nobody Jones is the local spot for the community to get a first look at the latest in fashion trends.

Future plans for Odessa include expanding the Nobody Jones franchise to include chain stores in New York, Atlanta and Miami, with new apparel items that include women’s shoes.

26-year-old Odessa Bowden currently resides in the Los Angeles’ Crenshaw district, and is the sole proprietor of Nobody Jones Los Angeles.