Leap of faith landed menswear designer Jhavon Azore on solid footing
When Jhavon Azore was just 18 years old, a friend approached him with an unexpected request: to design an outfit for a cultural event. “You want me to design something for you?” Azore remembered being surprised by the proposition. However, his friend expressed confidence in Azore’s sense of style and believed he would excel at the task.
After the event, filled with glowing reviews about the outfit, Azore’s passion for fashion designing was ignited. This experience fuelled his desire to evoke positivity through his designs, embracing his own philosophy that fashion transcends mere garments on the body. For Azore, it’s a means to elevate self-esteem and empower his clients.
“I have confidence whereby I think I can wear anything and look good,” Azore said. “In order to look good you must be confident in what you’re wearing. You must be confident in yourself.”
He took his designing ambitions seriously, enrolling at the Carnegie School of Home Economics and successfully graduating. Yet, Azore’s eagerness for improvement persisted, leading him to collaborate closely with his tailor, who crafted his garments. This partnership not only honed his design skills but also imparted the art of tailoring, enabling him to both design and sew suits proficiently. Recognising the dearth of quality men’s clothing in Guyana, Azore viewed his skills as crucial for the advancement of men’s fashion.
“In Guyana, you don’t really see people bringing in [clothing] for men. They normally bring in [clothing] for women,” Azore observed. He attributed this scarcity to the prevalent economic inclination favouring women’s fashion. Dissatisfied with this status quo, Azore aspired to elevate men’s aesthetics and carve a space for them in Guyana’s fashion landscape. “I want people to see men can have style and men can have good fits and they can look slick and they can be confident in what they wear,” Azore said. He noted that as a result, his design brand, designzbyjuvonzo, predominantly focuses on suits, underlining his conviction that any man can look good in a tuxedo or a well-fitted suit. His designs were once a balancing act. Azore worked full-time at Gafoors and dedicated his weekends to crafting tailored suits, honing his skills and perfecting his craft.
However, in November 2023, Azore made the decision to leave his job and pursue design full-time. Initially hesitant to make the leap, he had found comfort in the security of a steady monthly salary. The transition wasn’t easy.
“Doing your own business and becoming an entrepreneur is challenging. I was so fearful going into it, and after I quit my job I did not know what to do,” Azore candidly shared. “I remember three nights straight, I dreamed about Gafoors. I dream about my work. How am I going to survive? How am I going to make it? How am I going to get money?”
After grappling with initial doubts, Azore underwent a shift in mindset. He harnessed those negative thoughts as fuel, resolving to put in the hard work necessary to make his business thrive. Azore initiated a series of proactive steps: increasing promotion of his business on social media, crafting business cards, and producing receipt books. As a result of his concerted efforts, his business flourished. Not only was he sought after for his designing skills, but he also began receiving inquiries for his expertise as a stylist. At present, Azore’s enterprise has expanded to the point where he’s in the planning stages of establishing his own custom showroom to have suits readily available.
Having a thriving business also brought about a strong support network for Azore. “The first time I did a launch of my designs and styles was in my church,” Azore reflected. “They gave me the privilege to create suits for members and to promote my business. They believed in me more than I believed in myself.”
For Azore, it was his church community and his faith in God that provided the encouragement to persevere.
“You know you need to leave that job. I see you way bigger than who you are right now,” he recalled the words of the apostle, Marcia Marcus, who saw a future for him that he couldn’t envision himself. Initially sceptical of her belief and describing his own faith in himself as dim, Azore found inspiration within the church community during a period of fasting. An apostle encouraged members to write down their goals, and Azore included his business aspirations on his list, asking for divine intervention to enable him to transition to full-time entrepreneurship.
“I kid you not, God showed up!” Azore exclaimed. “I kept getting orders, upon orders, upon orders, and I was hesitant, saying I can’t do it. But then every single member of the church said, ‘Jhavon, No! Don’t question yourself, just step out with faith. If God brings you to it, he will take you through it,’” he recalled.
He emphasised that he chose to heed the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the words of his congregation. The church community, he noted, stands out as a beacon of support, consistently encouraging him to pursue his ambitions rather than dampen them. He expressed gratitude for how the church has expanded the boundaries of his own thinking, aligning perfectly with the ethos of his business’s tagline: