Today we’d like to introduce you to Josette Golatt.
Hi, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started sewing at the age of 9. I would watch MY mother sew and was fascinated by how she would take the fabric and make MY younger sister and I a matching outfit and MY little brother a matching bow tie. The only downside was I didn’t want or like looking like a biopsy twin. I know now that is why I gravitated to making a reputation of making one of a kind designs. I believe that there are no two a-likes. We are all individuals. Now that I’m celebrating 50 yrs of sewing and designing, it’s time to have some of MY favorites pieces over the years and some new designs to be manufactured for the masses.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the challenges that I learned early on was that I only just to wanted to sew. I had to do MY homework first before making MY outfit for the next day and work on outfits for MY clients; high school teachers, friends/family members and church members.
After graduating from high school with the guidance of MY high school Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Jacopi, I enrolled in San Mateo College to take tailoring courses. There is where I realize I rather be at home finishing up orders for MY clientele. There is where I first met MY first love and I began splitting MY time sewing and dating in that order. I was so glad that he had an interest outside of ME which was getting his Master degree in Psychology, in hope of one day, playing in the NFL. He still remembers what I was wearing when he first saw ME getting off the bus.
Another challenge I had was there was no one in MY circle to mentor ME in a way of MY career in fashion/design. Growing up in a strict Pentecostal church expose ME to fashion. MY mother and her church member friends wore their Sunday best every Sunday. MY mother had the upper hand and always delivered. I remember our visits to Lilly Ann Knits, a local upscale Women’s clothing manufacturing company in S.F. Ca. She would buy these huge clear plastic bags full of remnants from the production line. They wouldn’t let you open them up. You could only go by what you saw through the bag.
I learned that even thou I was gifted/talented in the area of sewing/designing. I needed to learned the business part that didn’t necessary come as natural/easy as the sewing. I learned from MY father that I could have MY own business. MY father John Jenkins and his cousin Morris Bell both born in Mississippi owned a Gulf gas station in the 70’s in the S.F. Fillmore community. Later after selling the gas station MY father started his own Jenkins Trucking company. He was the first African American to have the largest ownership of trucks in the Bay Area.
Looking back would I say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect….
Yes and No…Yes because I always known from a young age what I loved doing and what I wanted to do for the rest of MY life. So with that being said it was easy for ME to sew each day of MY life, homework, house chores, and sewing in that order. Playing outside, hanging out at the mall or going to school games, movies with friends or having interest in the opposite sex was limited. Sewing trumpeted over any of these things.
No bcuz there weren’t enough hours in the days and I had to get MY sleep to start it over again the next day for school and go to church on Sundays.
In MY young adult life, I became a wife and a full time mother of 5 children. I was a part time fashion designer. At one point I even homeschool, so with limited funds, I manage to continue sewing and designing.
Yes, it was smooth because I choose to be a wife and a mother. I did them both without resentment and now with no regret. I’m proud of MY personal accomplishments.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Now that I am “reclaiming my time” from raising my five children, all five are now young adults pursuing their passions and are doing very well. The oldest, graphic artist, and the third son are both successful photographers. The second son graduated with a journalist degree from Academy of Arts in San Francisco, where I taught a summer course as a guest designer (before he was born), and was offered a job without even having a degree. I turned the offer down to be a professor at the SFAOA what the world was I thinking lol. My fourth child is the owner of a vintage clothing store in Deep Ellum. My youngest is 25 year old hairstylist who specializing in coloring and giving her clients that Jennifer Aniston look they love. This is why I started answering this question with, “I’m reclaiming my time”. I’m on my own now after the end of a 35 years of marriage this past February. I’m literally on my own. This is my first time publicly stating this. Only reason I decided to now, in the moment to even share this part of this interview is this song, “Own MY Own” by Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald is literally playing in the background on my home device while I’m typing MY answers to the questions to this interview. At one point I started sewing and designing for Ms Patti Labelle. She saw an outfit on her assistant sister, Sharon, and inquired who made it, my friend Sharon said, “JOSETTE” Ms Patti responded and said, “tell girlfriend I want one too.” The rest is history. The photo of the late Luther Vandross and Ms Patti performing together on stage for the last time together she’s wearing a JOSETTE COUTURE design. I was honored, blessed to be with her on that day in Los Angeles at the Kings and Diva concert given by the late Don Cornelius from Soul Train, in support of the Representative Maxine Waters. I met Luther Vandross that day he wanted to know who had been making these designs he saw Ms Patti wearing, so Ms Patti introduced me to him and also to Ms. “I’m every woman” Chaka Khan. I was so looking forward to sewing and designing for the great singer Luther Vandross but unfortunately, due to his untimely passing that didn’t happen. To know that he admired my work is a gift he gave to me. I will always treasure that moment. Yes, I was able to sew and design for Ms Chaka Khan the following week. Wow not bad for a full-time stay at home mom , wife at that time and a part-time fashion designer.
After a few years of sewing and designing exclusively for these two powerful Living Legends I was given another gift, an academy for youth 9th through the 12th grade. In 2003 I started An Eye for Style Fashion Academy a nonprofit pilot program for two years free classes for 125 young fashionistas in the inner city of West Oakland on Saturday mornings in our Adeline lofts Recreation room. Each year a group of five top young designers were chosen to go to New York showrooms such as Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Kenneth Cole, Tracey Reese and Sean John’s. They were offered intern for the following summer WOW!!!
Years laters, some of those same top five young designers have receive degrees in fashion/business. Some have started their own fashion design company.
Looking forward, I’m aesthetic about where MY career is headed and the blessings coming toward ME, with all the experience and wisdom under MY belt MY passion for fashion only grows stronger. I now have added to MY passion, interior/landscaping, jewelry making, drawing/painting and cooking. I’m relaunching MY An Eye for Style Fashion Academy, it will be online for young fashionistas young as 8 years.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Knowing that sacrificing my career, I’m happy that I given society five assets versus liabilities, that was my top priority. Now that I’ve lived and survived those years lol I now have three grandchildren. I now answer to, “how am I doing?” by saying, like Tony the Tiger, “I’m great” I’m over the moon about my future, back to the song I’m On MY Own, MY passion for fashion only grows stronger. and lighting, not passing my torch to future designers. The sky is still the limit to what I have put on hold and still have energy at the age of 59 to push the reset button and go for everything with my name on it brings me much joy and happiness.
Meeting beautiful people in the grocery store, malls, on MY travels here in the states and overseas to Paris, Italy and London brings ME happiness and being a GlamMa for MY grandchildren.
MUSIC makes ME happy and cooking gourmet meals, especially the ones that includes black truffles.
P.S. I still believe in love. In my next chapter I know that MY love interest and I will be a Power Couple making Money Moves for the Win!
Contact information:
- Website: https://josettecouture.com/
- Phone: 469-478-0918
- @JosetteCouture
- @HausofJosetteCouture
- @JosetteCoutueSewsCouture50
- @JosettesEyeforStyle
- @JosetteCoutureCooksToo
- @AnEyefor_StyleFashion_Academy
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