Jazzmine Pressley: From Telling Stories to Selling Styles
Born to a former football coach and a small fashion brand owner, Jazzmine Pressley’s love for sports and fashion is not a surprise, but when she expressed her desire to study at a fashion school, her parents suggested other paths.
“When I shared with my parents that I want to go to a fashion school, they were like that’s not a thing, basically,” said Pressley. “So, what do I like next?”
She knew it was sports.
Sports are more than just games to Jazzmine– she believes they are a way to bring people together. She grew up in a household that loves college football, and she was a cheerleader for 14 years. She also loves engaging with people, listening and sharing stories. She asked herself what kind of career would allow her to utilize and nurture these qualities. The answer was sports journalism.
Life as a Sports Journalist
Pressley moved from her hometown of Columbia, South Carolina to Atlanta, GA in 2015 to attend Georgia State University as a journalism student.
Having very little background knowledge of journalism, she decided to join GSTV, the on-campus TV station (later renamed NEO Network). She got her foot in the “journalism door,” so to speak, with GSTV. As a team member of this station, she reported on GSU sports teams, filmed games, wrote scripts, and edited her own content.
“I learned everything through GSTV Primetime Sportz, and there was a point where I felt like my goal for life is to do that. I could just see myself from the sidelines.”
As an aspiring sports journalist, Pressley joined NABJ, the National Association of Black Journalists, to build networks and further her experience.
She attended her second NABJ National Conference in 2018 summer in Detroit, where she attended a seminar with Rashan Ali, the host of the Sister Circle and former reporter for NBA-TV and ESPN.
“She [Rashan Ali] said that for many years, even when she reached her peak in sports, she felt like she was living someone else’s life. She felt like that wasn’t something that she was put on there to do. That kind of resonated with me.”
Transitioning to a Brand Owner
Ever since choosing journalism as her collegiate focus, Pressley’s passion and interest were centered around sports journalism–she believed she was meant for a career in this field.
But throughout the process of getting her degree and fine-tuning her journalistic skills, she remembered her love for fashion. As it turns out, her passion for fashion was greater than it was for sports.
Days after the 2018 NABJ Conference, she went on a trip to Los Angeles with her mom, who was preparing to relaunch her bags and accessories store. The two visited the fashion district to do some resourcing work.
“As soon as I stepped foot in the fashion district, I was like, ‘this is it. I’m sold,’” said Pressley. “We only saw half of it, but it was enough to make me feel, ‘okay, I want a clothing store.’”
Pressley confessed that it is a dream of hers to own a clothing store once she retires from journalism, but with the loss of interest in journalism and the consistent love for fashion, she concluded that she did not want to wait until after her retirement.
“Why do I have to wait and continue to do something that I really don’t want to do when I can just do this now?”
Sports had been her passion, but the more carefully she considered a career in the field, the more it became a duty rather than an interest.
“It didn’t keep me up at night, it didn’t excite me, and it didn’t give me the rush that I always looked for in anything I do. At one point, it felt like a job.”
So she took action.
60 Days
The same day she visited the fashion district, Pressley sat in a hotel room, and brainstormed her ideas.First she had to come up with a name, which she recalled as the toughest part.
“I didn’t want my name to be in it, because eventually, once it’s on a larger scale, I want to take myself out of it.
“I want it to be well-rounded, because the goals I have for my business are not on a smaller scale.
She finally came up with “Forever Style & Company,” following her social media name “ForeverJazzmine” and her brand mission.
Upon returning from the trip to LA that she went on with her mom, Pressley immediately began to turn her ideas into reality. Within three weeks, she went to the Treasurer’s office, registered the business name, visited the tax office and received an EIN.
Prior to 2018 NABJ Conference, Pressley had applied to “Brown Girls Dream,” an inclusive organization featured by ESPN’s Coast to Coast Host Cari Champion. She was selected among thousands of applicants, and as a result was invited to a retreat to take place in Los Angeles.
Having registered her business, she went back to LA on an early morning flight, but this time for the Brown Girls Dream retreat at UCLA, which did not start until 5 p.m. She rented a locker at the airport for her luggage, and went straight to the fashion district, which opens at 8 a.m.
“I went to the fashion district, and literally got everything for my first launch and I had it shipped back to Georgia. Later that evening, I went to UCLA to do the retreat for the whole weekend.
“I went there for the retreat, but me being me, I actually went there for myself too.”
The entire process of launching her brand – from ideation to getting clothes and creating a website – only took 60 days.
Finally, on Oct. 7, 2018, Forever Style & Co. went live.
Forever Style & Co.
Pressley’s mission for Forever Style & Co. is to provide an everyday vibe.
Like the name, Forever Style & Co. offers clothes that will stay in the wardrobe forever – timeless. It takes away the hassle of finding something to wear every morning – basics & statements. It does not follow the trend, but it provides items that can be worn in twenty different ways –the key is versatility.
“I’ve tried trendy pieces, and my customers, they don’t buy it, because they’re probably thinking the same thing I’m thinking of: ‘I can’t wear this next year.’”
Oct. 7, 2019, is the one-year anniversary for Forever Style & Co.
“I have chills, because I went to look back like, okay, what was I doing last summer. The growth… I’m probably going to wake up crying, because I just can see it grow.”
She called her business a baby as she compared her emotions to that of a mom who watched her baby go through the crawling phase and is about to start walking.
“My baby’s almost one!”
A Year-Long Rollercoaster
Although Pressley has always dreamed of having her own brand, she did not know much about running a business. “I’m learning by myself. I’m 
still on YouTube. Pretty much self-taught.” Being new to everything, she’s had to take two hiatuses since launching the store.
She emphasized that she is not in it for money, but she had the urge to come back when she noticed the losses she was taking paying for her online store even during her slump.
“You have to be your own cheerleader, because it’s only so much of what people can do to support and cheer you.”
Despite the lows, she remained motivated by her customers and supporters. She did not want to let them down.
“The highlight is definitely getting alerts on my phone, especially the orders. Love it. It just gives me blush. Oh my gosh, people are actually ordering from me, oh my god, I can’t believe I’m doing this right now.”
Pressley’s ultimate goal for Forever Style & Co. is to have chain stores in Southeast college towns.
For now, she seeks to open her first physical store location. Pressley thinks this is doable because she had huge success from her first Sip & Shop back in April. Since then, she has been so eager to meet her customers face-to-face that she thought of an idea in the middle of the night.
“I was lying in bed, it had to be 3 o’clock in the morning. I sleep with a notebook next to me, because I have these elaborate ideas, and I was like, oh my gosh, I should make FSCo on-the-go!”
Pressley planned the tailgate pop-up store idea in June, and is currently on the road, again turning her dream into reality.
Forever Style & Co. is not just a hobby for Pressley. Her brand is nearly all she thinks about, although she is still working towards her journalism degree.
She chose to dedicate her time and effort to fashion before her last year of college, and she did not hesitate to pursue the idea that popped into her head when she first stepped in the fashion district.
“Just do it. Just start. Keep the faith. I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. Spiritually as well. If God didn’t want me to do this, he would’ve taken me away from it a long time ago, and you see, he’s still feeding it.”
She describes Forever Style & Co. as a hassle, love and passion put into one – something that stresses her out but makes her happy at the same time.
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