JC Superstar

Photography by Michael PowersThe style set flipped when Juan Carlos Obando, or JC as everyone calls him, debuted his eponymous line last October at L.A.'s Spring 2005 Fashion Week. Everyone wanted to know where the heck this guy had come from. Such a bright and beautiful talent, such a thrilling unknown-makes-good triumph. With that one very polished collection of über-sexy,artfully constructed clothes and shoes, Obando transformed himself into a name to be reckoned with — just as he had calculated. Now don't get me wrong. Obando is no flinty-eyed fashion fast-talker. Oh, no. He's so darn charming, so effervescently genuine that you want to sweep him in your arms and absorb some of that cheerful spirit. And he's got the goods, designwise. But you see, JC Obando also understands image. Profoundly. Particularly, how to develop one. And why it matters. After all, what is fashion — at its most basic — if not image? He knows how to build a brand, how to create desire, how to translate ideas, how to sell. Maybe you bought a Toyota based on his "Let imagination run your life" ad campaign. That was back a couple of years, when he was just 24 years old, a creative director at powerhouse ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi after stints at Bates Worldwide and Young & Rubicam, top of his game, awards galore, and a highly acclaimed Super Bowl ad under his belt. "I've always loved the visual communications aspect of things. I was always in love with advertisements and fashion ad campaigns. They were my passion from the get-go." As a kid, splitting time between Colombia and Miami, he would collect ad campaigns, such as the Campari spots from the '80s (which he still has). Or he would doodle designs for the look of a plane, from headrest covers to boarding passes. No surprise he started his ad agency ascent while still a student at the University of Miami. From left: Ivy is in a brushed cotton coat and goatskin shoes; Heather wears a lycra bathing suit with silk necklace and goatskin shoes; Kerry is in a stretch micro taffeta dress and goatskin shoes; Renata wears a stretch silk skirt with pleat detail, brushed cotton jacket with suede belt and knitted goatskin sandals;Sarah is in a stretch silk bustier with bias detail, silk radzimir skirt and belt, and goatskin shoes.