Jordan Carpenter. Photos: Chris Emeott
An emerging designer blends art, beauty and modern flair.
Jordan Carpenter has the enthusiasm of a young Christian Siriano. Except he hasn’t been on Project Runway. Yet. “I just sent in my application,” says Carpenter, a 27-year-old fashion designer whose collection can be found at The Fitting Room in Edina.
Carpenter’s ethos is simple: to be himself and to always be true to himself. “My favorite quote is by one of my absolute favorite fashion and musical icons, Judy Garland, ‘Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else,’” he says.
Jordan Carpenter’s New York Fashion Week collection was inspired by the Wicked Witch of East from The Wizard of Oz. Each outfit was custom-made to fit the models who graced the runway. While these specific designs are not available for purchase at The Fitting Room, a selection of Carpenter’s outfits can be found there.
And that he is. Fashion aficionados may have seen his homage to Wicked in his 2024 New York Fashion Week (NYFW) collection, which was almost entirely green and pink. His favorite piece was a pink and green brocade sheath dress with puff sleeves, a green tulle overskirt and matching green opera gloves. “It’s so pretty. It’s so simple. The fabric really speaks. I covered it in rhinestones … On the runway, it was so sparkly,” Carpenter says.
This year’s NYFW collection had a Wicked-adjacent theme. “This year’s theme is inspired by the Wicked Witch of the East with her legs under the house from The Wizard of Oz. It’s my favorite story of all time,” he says. “I focused on sculptural aspects to see what I could do. I hadn’t really branched out into crazy silhouettes. I wanted to be physics-defying.” His collection was full of bodices that came to a point or had structured hips. “I wanted this collection to be the best I’d ever made. I really wanted to push myself,” he says.
That drive has been fueling him ever since he discovered sewing at the age of 12 in a home economics class at junior high school in Red Wing, Minnesota. After the class was over, he knew he had to continue to create. “I got a sewing machine for $5 from a garage sale. I used to spend the hours before bedtime making pillows,” he says. After pillows, he branched out into making costumes for himself and friends for Halloween. Then he started to reproduce gowns from movies and would reimagine looks for other characters. “I’m a fashion designer, even though I was a dressmaker to begin with. I was able to develop my design eye and that creative aspect of it and be able to produce my own designs,” he says.
Carpenter’s family were his cheerleaders. His parents, four older brothers and little sister, are all in his corner. “My dad had all these boys, and he went to all these football games. And then I came along and did not do all those things,” he says. “And he would put things on that I made, so that I could pin the hem before I even had a dress form. My parents have always supported my fashion endeavors. They couldn’t always financially, but they did emotionally, which is honestly worth more.”
With their support, Carpenter went to the University of Wisconsin–Stout to study fashion design and development. “I went in knowing how to sew … I learned how to pattern by hand, drape correctly on the mannequin, sell a collection, produce a line. It was an amazing experience,” he says.
Jordan Carpenter prides himself on inclusivity. Model Karlowba Adams, who has vitiligo—a condition that affects skin pigmentation—models Carpenter’s showstopping piece.
After fashion school, he moved home to Red Wing, but after a few years of driving back and forth to the Twin Cities for fashion shows and events, he decided to make the move and now resides in south Minneapolis. “It has really pushed my career forward, being around this clientele base and other people who have similar passions,” he says.
Carpenter also caught the eye of Kim Jurek-Valanzasca, the owner of The Fitting Room at 50th & France. She only carries clothing from local designers. “The first time I saw Jordan’s work, he applied to be a part of EVOLVE (our spring and fall shows featuring local designers). I was immediately impressed with his craftsmanship, attention to detail, and I loved that he offered a style of couture that we didn’t carry at The Fitting Room,” Jurek-Valanzasca says. “He has also proven to be an excellent ready-to-wear designer and a very kind soul.”
Carpenter was the only designer on his stage at NYFW to have a plus size model strut her stuff down the runway. “In the industry, anything over an 8 is plus size, but my model was 14/16 and stunning … I immediately decided I’m doing more of this. It’s the direction fashion is moving, I truly feel,” he says, adding it’s more than just a trend. It’s personal. “Growing up, being told that somebody who is larger has no place in fashion, shouldn’t be seen, shouldn’t eat in public … I decided that it’s my purpose to make people who are considered the underdog feel important, to bring them into the light and say these are real people who have real lives and real problems who deserve to be seen and feel beautiful,” he says.
Inclusivity for Carpenter is more than just dress size. This year at NYFW, Carpenter’s models were from many different ethnicities, gender and sexual identities and backgrounds. “It’s the number one piece of DNA in my body—inclusivity,” he says. “Beauty is truly undefined. I feel that it’s my job to help the world define it for themselves. Being who you are is truly what is trending.”
It’s his work and personality that have people gravitating toward Carpenter and helping him get on the road to success. One such person is Rebecca Sorensen, the director of the 50th & France Business Association. Sorensen adored Carpenter’s plaid one shoulder dress at a December fashion show and asked him to make one for her with sleeves and a bow. “Jordan knows how to design pieces that flatter every body and make you feel like you’re wearing the very best,” Sorensen says. “You can spot his work a mile away and know it will be uniquely Jordan Carpenter.”
Sorensen and Jurek-Valanzasca say it all comes down to the fit and cut of the clothing. Carpenter says that is his ultimate specialty. “To make anyone feel beautiful in the skin that they were given is a gift. Being able to look at a garment, assess the fit and form a plan of action and execute it is something that just itches that special spot in my brain,” he says. “It’s not my job to make you hide all the things you want to change about yourself. It’s my job to accentuate what’s perfect about your body. I always tell my clients, ‘It’s never your body. It’s the clothes.’”
Models:
Karlowba Adams @vitiligo_konfidence
Rai’Janee Meadows @rai_janee
Trina Morris @theheadwrapsocialite
Maude Sinoe @tetee_sinoe
Gayle Smaller Jr. @gayle.is.king
Olivia Winfield @bigliv100
As for what he wants for the future, Carpenter “wants to be successful in my career and to be open to what success looks like,” he says. “I want my own fashion house. I want couture runway shows, fabulous clientele. I want to be a household name.”
Jordan Carpenter
Instagram: @jordancarpenterfashion
The Fitting Room
Instagram: @thefittingroommpls
