1. Jesse, would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m kind of a cross between Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, and Mahatma Gandhi…I hate these kinds of questions. I’ve always fallen into adventure. At 17 my obituary was printed in the Fiji Times (true), but that’s another story...

I have a great family and community. I’m just an idealist who wants to change the world somehow..someway.

2. How did you get interested in charitable work?

In high school, one day I hot-boxed my VW bus with a bunch of friends before school. I went to class stinking like weed, and I got caught. Sister T. could have kicked me out, but she believed in me. After high school I traveled the world, saw poverty, met street kids, little girls selling their bodies to buy food….and I wanted to try to help.

3. How did you formulate the idea for Rise Up?

Rise Up is both a call to revolt and to elevate. It’s a revolutionary call to those of us who are privileged to "rise up" and make a difference in the world. Don’t settle for comfort...help others. Elevate and empower people out of poverty.

4. There are other businesses in which you could have donated the profits to charity. Why fashion?

We actually started Rise Up through real estate investing (and made way more money). But the market went down, and one of our first shirts was picked up by Urban Outfitters. Not everyone wants to sponsor an orphan, but everyone buys clothes. So our goal was to take things people buy normally and use the profits to help others. Fashion and art are always at the forefront of our society.

5.  What are some of the projects you have going on right now?

Rise Up provides education for over 250 kids from the “untouchable” caste in India, we have a vocational art school for kids leaving orphanages in China, and we have a school in Nicaragua for 100 kids who live at a waste facility. On the fashion side, we will have a Charity Lounge in the next Magic trade show. Our new line is a combo of B-movie art, artistic/hand drawn, earthy/organic, and our usual thought provoking/offensive stuff.

6. How do you believe Rise Up has been received creatively ?

We launched our first collection in February (this year), and got picked up by stores across the country and the world. A month later we were invited to be the art directors for the Pool Trade Show, which is part of the largest fashion gathering in the world. Our artwork was featured in over thirty magazines and newspapers including: Metro.Pop, ReadyMade, Racket, Beautiful Decay, Modernism, Soma, Plenty, and the New York Times.

7. Who is on the design team? What is the inspiration?

My brother Seth and I have been the team. We are inspired by social injustice and Britney Spears. This season we are introducing some up-and-coming artists. Our first line had an anti-war theme with some flowers and bears. We want to make art that is thought provoking, a bit controversial, but that also sells. We love street art, B-movie posters (Pulp), revolution, the 80’s, and whatever floats into our head.

8. Is there are specific market you are trying to target?

We want them all…every color, shape, and size. The teeny boppers really love us in Japan.

9. At what point did you realize that this is something that was working and that you could run with it?

Well…our first shirt was picked up by Urban Outfitters. We did a full line after that and realized we weren’t just one hit wonders. Things have been 24/7 since. On the humanitarian side…we started helping kids and people got behind it. We realized that ordinary people like us could make a difference, and that community is the most important aspect.

10. What's next for you? What's next for Rise Up?

For me, I hope to get my life together and spend more time with the people I love. For Rise Up, we are going to get more involved in our local community, supporting youth arts and building a grass roots foundation. Our dreams are big…change the world somehow..someway. A local uprising for global change...

p.s. Am I allowed to say that my favorite album of the year is Kala by MIA?

Comments (2)

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written by M.Weber, March 15, 2008

This is a great interview. Rise Up has been impacting people's lives around the world and it's nice to see them get some recognition back here at home.

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written by J Brown, December 21, 2007

Good article. I recently saw some of the Rise Up line at OnePlace in Downtown Phoenix. Some friends of Rise Up are looking to open a boutique there featuring "fashion fighting poverty" clothing and local projects/apparel/art expressions. Rise Up is catching on. Thanks for featuring them.

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