I&I Clothing Co. Budding clothing designer wants his Jamaican roots to shine through

BY MICAELA HOOD
mhood@MiamiHerald.com

Jason Panton took a break on the couch and gazed at the clothes hung neatly on the racks and shelves at the Miami clothing boutique, Yard -- No Place Better.

When two customers entered the store Panton quickly jumped to his feet and pointed to a new line of threads.

''This is one of my first designs,'' said the Kendall artist as he held up a women's T-shirt named ''Queen,'' which features a picture of a black woman with long black hair wearing a red, green and yellow necklace.

Panton visited the boutique, located at 153 NW 36th St., to take pictures for his summer catalogs which are displayed on his company's website.

Last month, models danced and swaggered to reggae tunes as Panton picked outfits for them to wear.

''My clothing is a reflection of my life here in Miami and Jamaica, and I reflect on things that may have happened to me and it just brings itself out,'' Panton said.

The 30-year-old said he's set high hopes for himself. He would love to make a line of clothing that Caribbean natives would be proud to wear.

''I noticed the Caribbean community didn't have a brand of clothing they could identify to and I wanted to change that,'' he said, flipping his long dreadlocks.

''Rule Your Destiny,'' the company's motto is the philosophy that drove Panton to create the clothing line I&I, now finding a home in three South Florida stores.

The designs, a whirl of colors, images and shapes, feature themes Panton said are easily identifiable to the Caribbean community.

Among the designs: ''Hummingbird,'' which shows pictures of the red, green and yellow images of the Jamaican national bird, and ''Dancehall Explosion'' has pictures of two speakers with the names of several dance moves popular in the Caribbean during the 1990s.

Panton also drew inspiration from Rastafari -- a religion common in Jamaica.

The T-shirts, some written in Amharic, show hand-drawn images of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and Jamaican civil rights leader Marcus Garvey.

Panton, who moved to Miami from Jamaica in 1984, said the idea to launch a clothing line came while he was studying art at the University of Central Florida.

After college, Panton worked as an artist and spent most of his time traveling to exhibitions in Miami, Jamaica, Fort Lauderdale and New York City.

In 2007, he decided to market his artwork on cotton instead of canvas as T-shirts.

Panton, needing a partner, contacted longtime friend, Keisha Hall, who quickly jumped onboard. Hall, whose job is to handle the financial and business development for I&I, said the clothes are funky and appeal to everyone.

''People of all colors and races approach me when I wear the clothes, they're usually curious about the art and what it means,'' she said.

Joy Haizen, owner of Yard -- No Place Better, agreed.

''They touch a nerve with our core customer because they are unique and at the same time fashion driven,'' she said.

I&I designs men's and women's apparel, T-shirts, tank tops and dresses. Prices range from $25 to $50.

I&I Clothing is being sold at Yard -- No Place Better, 153 NW 36th St. in Miami, and Reggae Wear, 943 Washington Ave., in Miami Beach.

To shop online, go to www.iandiclothingco.com.