Gianna Pileggi ’14: Taj Cannon ‘14 is EA’s very own up-and-coming fashion designer. Cannon discovered his love for the visual arts in his 8th grade art class, which later led him to discover his passion for clothing design and start his own clothing line, Posce.
“In my 8th grade art class, I would paint pastels, which is something that I grew to enjoy doing. In 10th grade, I took a graphic design class, where I learned how to turn my paintings into graphics that could be used for clothing design. That is when I really started to spend a lot of my time designing,” explained Cannon.
The name of Cannon’s line is an acronym he created himself: “I got the ‘pos’ from ‘posh,’ which means ‘smart and fashionable’ and I got the hard c and e from the acronym for ‘clothing establishment,’ so together it stands for ‘fashionable and intelligent clothing establishment,’” explained Cannon.
Cannon describes the summer between 9th and 10th grade as the time during which he made the most development as a designer and when Posce began to really take shape.
“During that summer, I had designed two t-shirts that were really popular in the city near where I live. When I first started school in 11th grade at Episcopal, no one really knew about my fashion line, so I tried to market it to friends and family and reinvent myself here,” stated Cannon.
While he has never attended a formal fashion design class, his graphic arts studies have given him the skills to effectively draw the designs he wants to create.
“I hand-draw my designs. I have three or four sketch books full of drawings. After I draw my design, I go to scan it onto the computer, where I transform my sketches into digital artwork. After I transform the sketches, I have a few places that I go to where my art can be translated into the clothing that I envisioned. I have someone I go to for embroidering, silk screening, and sewing, depending on what I need for my design,” explained Cannon.
Cannon’s talent is recognized by his peers and by those who spend time with him. Since starting Posce, Cannon has received a great deal of support from those who believe in his artistic abilities and who want to see him pursue his passion and take his line to the next level.
“During the summer of 2011, I worked with a lawyer in a law firm. He knew that I would spend a lot of time each day when I got home designing clothes. On one of my last days, he gave me a bonus check and told me to use it to start my fashion line. He said that he believed in me and saw my potential in design. That really helped me both to gain confidence and to have a good starting point for my business,” said Cannon.
He also is thankful for the support his family has given him as he develops his clothing line.
“My family has always provided me with moral support and has encouraged me to go as far with my clothing line as I can,” he stated. Cannon says he is inspired by the styles of designers such as Alexander McQueen and Shawn Stussy; however, he draws most of his ideas from walking down the sidewalks in the city of Philadelphia.
“Shawn Stussy and Alexander McQueen have a high-end street design, which is the type of look I try to model my clothes after. I also draw inspiration from street culture….I am big on graffiti and the graffiti of the city inspires a lot of my designs. If I see somebody walking down the street and I like their style, I’ll just think about it and then when I get home, I’ll draw it on paper and redo how I think it would look better,” said Cannon.
Cannon is currently in the process developing plans for the future of Posce.
“Right now I mostly design hoodies and t-shirts. I am starting to design button down shirts and polos. I hope to start a jean line later down the road,” he stated.
Despite being someone who has been an athlete his whole life and had never considered himself an artist until a few years ago, Cannon has certainly found his niche in the art world through his clothing line and designs.
“I am an athlete and spend much of my time playing basketball. I am not sure how I grew to be so interested in fashion design, but it is what I am really passionate about doing.”