Meet the 2021 WISP Award Winners: Jessica Tillery

“YOUR NOMINATION FORM states, “Jessica resources interns and helps develop them for their career. She also welcomes young kids and school classes into the shop to learn.” Why is educating and mentoring the younger generation on the benefits of screen printing as a career important to you?

We all know the youth are our future. I think it’s important for kids to know how much work goes into making a T-shirt. That goes for any manufacturing or production setting. With so many kids into art, it’s fun to teach them how graphic design applies in the real world. It’s also fun to blow their minds with all the different ways to produce merch. Through our internship program, we mentor young adults and teach them skills in graphic design with applications in branding, screen printing, embroidery, promo product logos, etc. They also learn about production, fulfillment, shipping/receiving, and administrative work.

You started a company passion project, L.U.M. (The Love Unstoppable Movement) in 2019 as an effort to make a difference in your community and in the industry. Your nomination form states that L.U.M. is a monthly T-shirt subscription that provides an environmental impact, humanitarian impact, and spiritual impact. Can you expand on L.U.M.? 

Over the years, my team and I have been seeking ways to improve environmental and humanitarian concerns in the industry, such as lack of sustainability strategies and undignified wages and conditions for factory workers. It was on my heart to take a stand, while also advocating love and faith. This humanitarian draw, coupled with my strong foundation of faith, released a clear vision to launch a faith-based shirt of the month subscription to spread positive messages and bring social awareness through T-shirts. We partnered with Allmade and use their eco-friendly tees (six plastic recycled bottles per tee) to provide an environmental impact and support the humanitarian impact in Haiti where they are manufactured. L.U.M. has given us the means to give back to our community by donating to a local charity or family in need monthly. It has inspired our team internally and touched our hearts as we are able to give back and spread love. Our mission is to make the world a better place one plastic bottle at a time, one dignified wage at a time, one positive message at a time, one T-shirt at a time! It’s truly not just a T-shirt, it’s a movement! Check us out @lu_movement.

What does being a woman in the screen printing industry mean to you?

I love being a woman in this industry! It’s definitely a man’s world, but that makes it fun. I love learning from all the talented men in our industry. I also love changing the perspective of many and earning their respect by building a successful company that gives female screen printers a good name. I think woman bring a different dynamic to the industry. Powerful, determined women often operate on severe optimism. We also have a gift of being extremely compassionate and empathetic and leading by example. In this difficult industry, it’s often challenging to stay positive. I feel a team mixed with female strengths and male strengths is the best combination. We are better together!

PHOTO GALLERY (2 IMAGES)

{{gallery_holder}}