Featured Designer: Jessie Williams!

From her early days working to get accepted to the NC School of the Arts program near her hometown of Greensboro, NC, to opening her own boutique and clothing line, Jessie Williams has fought to prove herself in an industry not always willing to accept the newcomer. But through diligence, determination, and the love and support from a core group of family and friends, she has proven herself as a person worthy of notice in the creative community. From the pages of the New York Times and Lucky magazine to red carpets and city streets across the globe, her work has since been gaining recognition on a daily basis. In 2002, within two months of graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Jessie launched Edge of Urge, an independent design label and boutique from a heartfelt vision that was to her "as clear as a sparkling diamond." Although she has no formal training in clothing or textiles, her background in fine art and design gives her a deep appreciation and understanding of quality, individuality, color, form, lines, and texture. She draws her inspiration from the infinite potential these attributes lend to fabric, needle and thread. Specializing in high quality jerseys, Jessie constructs pieces with a luxurious feel and a perfect fit that move with the body. This quality of clothing is attained through a free-hand technique rather than using a set pattern, allowing the fabric to actually be draped on the body creating a much more natural fit. As a direct extension of Jessie's character, Edge of Urge shows an admiration for individuals who creatively use fashion as an outlet of personal expression. Being the independent and free spirited designer that she is, it is Jessie's goal and her achievement to make custom-made and accessible clothing, swimsuits, and accessories for people of all paths, and to bring out an inner confidence in women of every age, shape and size