Jacques Agbobly
Born 1997 · Age 28
Togolese-born, Chicago-raised fashion designer, knitwear artist, founder of Black Boy Knits, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist and CFDA DHL Logistics Award recipient; Parsons BFA graduate and part-time faculty at Parsons/The New School.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Togo, West Africa
Jacques Agbobly was born in Togo, West Africa; raised in a household where his grandmother rented space to seamstresses and tailors.
Mother emigrated to the United States
Jacques' mother moved to the U.S. when he was about three or four to work and lay groundwork to bring the family later.
Settled in West Side and later North Side assisted living program
Lived on Chicago's West Side, later moved into an assisted living program on the North Side where after-school programs encouraged his artistic interests.
Immigrated to Chicago, Illinois (moved to U.S.)
Moved from Togo to the West Side of Chicago with family; recalls arriving July 11, 2007 and learning English partly by watching SpongeBob.
Attended visual arts high school (studied visual arts)
Enrolled in high school focused on visual arts; spent time in after-school art, dance and acting programs that nurtured his creative development.
Received Anthony Quinn Foundation scholarship (high school)
Was a recipient of an Anthony Quinn Foundation scholarship during high school; Agbobly credits this as a pivotal early support (exact year estimated).
Applied to and enrolled at Parsons School of Design (BFA Fashion Design)
Pursued formal fashion education at Parsons School of Design, studying fashion and knitwear (enrollment year approximate based on later dates).
First knitting class at Parsons; initial struggle
Took his first knitwear class at Parsons and nearly failed (received a D), which motivated him to double down on knitting.
Intensive knitwear training and knitting lab job
Took multiple knitting classes (three in a semester) and worked in the Parsons knitting lab to build hands-on skill and craft.
Awarded CFDA Design Scholarship (during senior year)
Received the CFDA Design Scholarship while a senior at Parsons, a notable recognition during his undergraduate studies.
Final year at Parsons; Swarovski & UPW Yarn sponsorship
In his final year, received sponsorship from Swarovski and UPW Yarn to support his capstone/thesis collection titled 'Afropolitan'.
Created capstone collection 'Afropolitan'
Produced the 'Afropolitan' capstone collection at Parsons, supported by sponsors and central to his thesis work.
Founded Black Boy Knits (BBK) out of thesis collection
Black Boy Knits emerged from his thesis collection; brand began at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic as a direct-making knitwear label.
Featured in CFDA’s Fashion Future Graduate Showcase
Thesis collection / Black Boy Knits was showcased in the CFDA Fashion Future Graduate Showcase, raising his profile.
Early direct-to-consumer sales via Instagram
Released knits on Instagram during the pandemic, where people began purchasing directly; BBK initially served as a survival income stream.
Included in Beyoncé’s 'The Black Parade Route' directory
Black Boy Knits was included in Beyonce’s directory of Black-owned businesses (Black Parade Route) following debut success.
Worked in production for Christopher John Rogers
Worked for designer Christopher John Rogers (production), learning business and production skills; Rogers later provided a letter of recommendation.
Tapped out of industry briefly; community helped secure studio
After stepping away momentarily, Jacques returned to fashion; an old teacher helped secure a studio and organized a GoFundMe to pay rent.
CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist (CVFF finalist)
Named a finalist in the 2022 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, raising his national industry profile.
Won CFDA DHL Logistics Fashion Award
Received the DHL Logistics Fashion Award (CFDA) which included mentorship and support to scale international operations.
Presented Black Boy Knits in NYFW (showroom presentation)
Presented a live showroom during New York Fashion Week, his first live event for the brand—an intimate, in-person showing of knitwear.
Featured in major fashion press (VMAN, CFDA profile, V Magazine coverage)
Profiles and interviews ran in VMAN, CFDA, V Magazine and other outlets, amplifying BBK's visibility after CFDA recognition.
Placed editorial and media features (Teen Vogue, Vogue Business, Hypebeast et al.)
Black Boy Knits received placements in Teen Vogue, Vogue Business, Hypebeast/Hypebae, The Zoe Report, Flanelle Mag and NowThis.
Global commercial campaign with Microsoft (placement)
Black Boy Knits landed a global commercial campaign with Microsoft (exact campaign date not specified; reported after increased exposure).
Brand growth & continued media coverage
Following awards and fellowship, BBK continued to receive wide press coverage and opportunities while scaling production.
Recognized as a designer centering Black, queer and immigrant narratives
Industry recognition grew for his storytelling-driven knitwear and work centering Black queer immigrant experiences (ongoing).
Recipient of the 2023 Anthony Quinn Foundation Fellowship
Named a 2023 Anthony Quinn Foundation Fellow; returned to AQF programming after being a scholarship recipient in high school.
Listed as member/affiliate with Parsons School of Design alumni & CFDA networks
Public profiles list him as an active Parsons alum, CFDA affiliated designer and part of LVMH Prize network (semi-finalist noted).
LVMH Prize Network semi-finalist (affiliation)
Listed as LVMH Prize Network semi-finalist on New School/Parsons profile (date of semi-finalist status not explicitly dated; listed as affiliation).
Appointed Part-Time Faculty at Parsons/The New School
Listed as part-time faculty at Parsons/The New School, teaching creative technical and thesis courses (profiles show future Fall 2025 courses).
Featured designer in The Met Costume Institute exhibition (Superfine: Tailoring Black Style)
Listed as a featured designer in the 2025 Met Costume Institute exhibition 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' (per Parsons profile).
Scheduled to teach Thesis courses at Parsons (Thesis 1 & 2)
Listed to teach PUFD 4220 (Thesis 1, Fall 2025) and PUFD 4221 (Thesis 2, Spring 2026) as part-time faculty duties.
Ongoing brand milestones: community-centered craft and slow fashion expansion
Continues scaling Black Boy Knits with focus on community, craft, knitwear innovation and international opportunities enabled by CFDA/DHL mentorship.
Key Achievement Ages
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