A native of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Jessel Brizan is an experienced founder, educator and fashion professional with a demonstrated history in the apparel and fashion industry. He possesses over twenty years of experience in fashion, with international experience in New York, having worked at Macy’s Merchandising Group and Solo Licensing Corporation, a licensee for Betsey Johnson and Spalding.
An alumnus of American International College (AIC), Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, Jessel graduated at the top of the 2002 class with a 4.0 GPA, earning Ivy Orator, Summa Cum Laude and Valedictorian honours along with a bachelor’s degree in communication and minors in marketing and sociology.
He served as a staff writer for The Yellow Jacket, AIC’s student-run newspaper, moving up as executive editor, and ultimately taking over the helm as editor-in-chief in his senior year. Following a Summer 2000 internship as a staff writer with the Springfield Union-News / Sunday Republican, Jessel was the recipient of a Non-Sustaining Scholarship from the National Association of Black Journalists and the Mary A. Gardner Scholarship from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
It was at AIC that Jessel nurtured his passion for working with disadvantaged children, serving as a mentor at Dunbar Community Centre and a member of the Partners’ Program, where he helped mentor and tutor elementary school children.
For his exploits, Jessel garnered several awards, including the McGown Award, the AIC’s highest honour, Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, ALANAI Honor Society Pinnacle Award, and Alpha Chi National College Honor Scholarship Society. In 2012, AIC bestowed him with its inaugural Co-Curricular Hall of Fame Award.
“Jessel continues to advance education, industry development, and mentorship under his guiding philosophy of “philanthropy through fashion.”
While at AIC, Jessel acquired his first taste in retail fashion as an employee of Gap Inc., having worked as a sales associate at both The Gap and Old Navy. His formal education in fashion would begin at the world-renowned Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York, where, following a 2003 Summer course in Design Room Techniques, he matriculated in the Menswear Design program that Fall.
While at FIT, Jessel gained key exposures in fashion design and production, management and merchandising as an intern at both Macy’s Merchandising Group and Solo Licensing Corporation.
Shortly after returning to his homeland in 2004, Jessel rejoined the corporate world, serving as Corporate Communications Manager at telecommunications startup Laqtel Ltd. Unfulfilled with the trappings of the local workplace, he decided to venture out on his own.
As an entrepreneur, Jessel helped transform the fashion sector in Trinidad and Tobago.
Founded in 2006 as a fashion design and merchandising company comprising several premium in-house brands, Jessel Brizan Design Group Ltd. (JBDG) is the first local fashion design company to establish an e-commerce platform, and sell, fulfil and ship its merchandise globally. The company registered its first online sale on March 3, 2011, having shipped merchandise to Brooklyn, New York, USA.
Subsequently, in 2012, Jessel founded Blue Basin Department Stores Ltd. (Blue Basin) with a mission to provide an omnichannel retail platform that connects Caribbean designers and artisans with their customers globally. Blue Basin launched in August 2014 with its annexe at the Cruise Ship Complex, Port of Spain, Trinidad, setting a precedent as the first local brick and mortar retail concept devoted to Caribbean fashion and design.
Jessel is responsible for pioneering learning and development in digital fashion design in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean region. His journey in education commenced in 2007 when he submitted a proposal, ‘Computer-aided Fashion Design’, to the newly formed Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design (CAFD) at The University of Trinidad and Tobago.
Jessel’s tutelage as an instructor began from the programme’s inception in 2008, where he helped establish the school, providing instruction for the Diploma in Fashion Management, Diploma in Fashion Design, and Bachelor’s in Fashion Design programmes.
During his ten-year tenure at CAFD, Jessel developed the curricula, lesson plans exams, and administered the course materials for nine different courses, including Basic Computing: Office Applications, Basic Computing: Graphic Applications, Digital Workshop: Photoshop, Digital Workshop: Illustrator, Technical Illustration I, Technical Illustration II, Graphic Applications for Fashion Marketers, Fashion Presentations, and Portfolio Development.
A key component of the fashion technical design process, Jessel coined the term ‘Technical Package Development’ and introduced learning and development in the subject, locally and regionally. He would later host workshops and independently publish a book of the same title.
Jessel played a major role in establishing the first fashion co-operative in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean region, serving as the inaugural Vice President of The Fashion Exchange Co-operative Society Limited. Along with creating the name and logo, he oversaw the development of the bylaws and business plan as a member of the steering committee that guided the Co-operative through its registration and eventual launch in May 2013.
For his contributions to local fashion, Jessel was featured in the Fashion & Beauty section of MACO People Trinidad Magazine, Issue 3 2016, in the article titled ‘Jessel Brizan - A Caribbean Fashion Revolutionary Emerges.’
In April 2017, Jessel was approached by the Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Company Limited (FashionTT) to propose and facilitate workshops for their Business of Fashion workshop series hosted that July. He subsequently developed and conducted workshops on Fit for Retail and Preparing for the Buyers Meeting, presented to fashion industry stakeholders. FashionTT subsequently enlisted his insight in January 2019 as a committee member for their Global Value Chain Evaluation Committee to appraise proposals for their Value Chain Investment Programme Consultancy.
Jessel was later approached to facilitate workshops as part of the Caribbean Export Development Agency’s Fashion and Contemporary Design Accelerator held from May 6 – 16, 2019, at CAFD, John S. Donaldson Campus, Port of Spain, Trinidad. Via his workshops in ‘Technical Package Development’ and the ‘Business Model’, he had the privilege of helping to train and develop twenty designers from the Caribbean region, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Suriname, Tortola, and Trinidad and Tobago.
In his ongoing mission to help establish a sustainable, globally competitive Caribbean fashion ecosystem, Jessel would host his own learning and development workshops via JBDG - ‘Technical Package Development’ at COSTAATT and ‘Selling Your Collection’ at Blue Basin - in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in May and June 2019, respectively.
Under Brizan Publishing, the publishing imprint of JBDG, Jessel officially donned the title of author publishing two books in July and October 2020 respectively amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Costing for Fashion © provides a simple yet comprehensive approach to the three stages of costing and; Technical Package Development for Excel © focuses on one of the most important facets of collection development and the technical design process.
In August 2022, Jessel served on the National Training Agency’s Lead Body Specifications Committee to assess qualifications for the National Occupational Standard - Fashion Designing Level 2, aimed at developing the human resources of Trinidad and Tobago. He was subsequently invited to serve on the Specification Committee for Sustainable Garment Manufacturing in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards in March 2023.
Jessel officially became a Chevening Scholar in June 2023 when he was conditionally selected for a 2023/2024 Chevening Award. Funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations, Chevening is the UK government’s international awards programme aimed at developing global leaders since 1983. Having received an unconditional offer, Jessel matriculated at the University of Westminster (UoW) in September 2023 and was subsequently conferred with a Master of Arts in Fashion Business Management (with Merit) from UoW in October 2024.
In June 2025, Jessel’s company, JBDG, was selected to present at the esteemed Caribbean Investment Forum 2025 (CIF 2025). As a delegate, Jessel delivered a US$1.75M strategic innovation proposal in line with the green economy transition aimed at redefining the Caribbean fashion supply chain.
Jessel continues to advance education, industry development, and mentorship under his guiding philosophy of “philanthropy through fashion.” In line with his personal giving philosophy, his philanthropic efforts include active volunteerism with at-risk youth. He served as a mentor/tutor at St. Mary’s Children’s Home in Tacrigua, Trinidad, for several years and continues to champion various causes through his charitable giving and support for organisations dedicated to advocacy for children’s rights.
Bibliography
Chapter: Caribbean Fashion Marketing: Defining Caribbean Fashion, De Gruyter Handbook of Fashion Marketing, © 2026. Germany: De Gruyter Brill.
Selling Fashion Collections: Navigating the Buying Process as a Fashion Entrepreneur, First Edition, © 2026. London: Routledge.
Costing for Fashion: A Guide for Startups and Small Businesses, First Edition, © 2020. Trinidad and Tobago: Brizan Publishing.
Technical Package Development for Excel, First Edition, © 2020. Trinidad and Tobago: Brizan Publishing.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Member (Lead Body Specifications Committee), National Occupational Standard - Fashion Designing Level 2, National Training Agency (NTA), Chaguanas, Trinidad, August 2022
Facilitator (Selling Your Collection Fashion Workshop), Jessel Brizan Design Group Ltd. (JBDG), Blue Basin, Cruise Ship Complex, Port of Spain, Trinidad, June 2019
Facilitator (Technical Package Development Fashion Workshop), JBDG, COSTAATT, City Campus, Port of Spain, Trinidad, May 2019
Facilitator (Fashion and Contemporary Design Accelerator), Caribbean Export Development Agency, University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), John S. Donaldson Campus, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, Trinidad, May 2019
Member (Global Value Chain Evaluation Committee), The Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Company Limited (FashionTT), Long Circular Road, St. James, Trinidad, January 2019
Participant (Fashion Stakeholder Meeting), Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS), Macoya, Tunapuna, Trinidad, April 2018
Panel Member (Buyers Bootcamp), Fashion Focus, Estate 101, Maraval, Trinidad, July 2017
Facilitator (The Business of Fashion Workshops), FashionTT, Victor E. Bruce Financial Complex, Scarborough, Tobago, July 2017
Speaker (Leadership Workshop), Common Purpose UK - CSCLeaders for Students Trinidad, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad, May 2014
Co-Coordinator, Fashion Fundamentals Fashion Camp, MIC, Port of Spain, Trinidad, August 2012
Co-presenter (“Mobilisation Towards A Sustainable Fashion Industry” Seminar), National Academy for the Performing Arts, Port of Spain, Trinidad, June 2012
Participant (Fashion Branding Workshop), Global Fashion Management, Eteck, El Socorro, Trinidad, May 2012
Honours and Awards
Chevening Scholarship, UK Government Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, 2023
Inaugural Co-curricular Hall of Fame Award, American International College, 2012
ALANAI Honor Society Pinnacle Award, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2002
McGown Award, American International College, 2002
Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Award, American International College, 2002
Dean’s Award, American International College, 2002
Alpha Chi National College Honor Scholarship Society, USA, 2002
Ivy Orator, American International College, 2002
Who’s Who Among Students In American Universities and Colleges, 2001
Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Men’s soccer), Northeast-10 Conference, USA, 2000-01
Non-Sustaining Scholarship, National Association of Black Journalists, Maryland, USA, 2001
Mary A. Gardner Scholarship, Assoc. for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, USA, 2001
American Marketing Association Award, American International College, 2001
Junior Achievement Award, American International College, 2001
ALANAI Honor Society Golden Eagle Plaque Award, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2000 & 2001
ALANAI Honor Society Scholars Award, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2000, 2001 & 2002
International Student Award, American International College, 1999 - 2000
Outstanding Sophomore Award, American International College, 1999 - 2000
Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (4.0 GPA), American International College, 1998 - 2002
Dean’s List (4.0 GPA), American International College, 1998 - 2002
Endowed Scholarship (4.0 GPA), American International College, 1999 - 2002
Academic / Athletic Scholarship, American International College, 1998 - 2002