Pharrell Williams’ Something In The Water festival has now ended exactly a week ago, but festival goers are still posting pics and speaking highly on the festival while they anticipate and wait for next year’s lineup and details. As Pharrell stated, Something In The Water was more than just music. The festival highlighted art with streets filled with murals and pieces from talented designers. A particular piece that caught our eye was Justice Munroe‘s custom denim jacket.
Justice Munroe, 24, is a Newport News native and Healthcare Specialist for the National Guard. At an early age, Munroe began drawing as she would try to mimic the strokes and styles taught by her mother and grandmother. She described how her style has grown over the years which has allowed her to become comfortable with aspects such as graphite, portrait drawings, and acrylic paint on canvas. She is even starting to experiment with other stylist like fauvist styles where she uses chalk and oil pastels.
“The days that I wore my jacket were just filled with joy and appreciation. I truly just thank God for my talent and I’m grateful for all the love that you and everyone has been showing me on this creation.”
-Justice Munroe
The process was not an easy one for Justice. As for the ideation process, she sketched the placement and concept for two weeks. After many rough drafts and balled up pieces of paper, the jacket was complete after a 3-week process. She finished the jacket in its entirety on Day 2 of the festival which was perfect since festivities were cancelled on Day 1 due to inclement weather. Day 2 was filled with sunshine and good vibes which was a perfect day for Justice to present her jacket to the world.
Details of Justice Munroe’s sketches for the denim jacket.
The denim jacket was definitely one of a kind. It included crystal fringe detailing on each sleeve along with the words “Something In The Water” in ombré pink, yellow, and orange on the back adorned by carefully drawn waves in blues and whites. To set the jacket off, celebrity Tidewater natives like D.R.A.M, Pharrell, Missy Elliot, and Pusha T were drawn along the shoulder blades of the piece. She even picked Pharrell as her one artist from the festival she would love to see her piece due to his “pride that he has for the 757 and the energy that he releases in the universe”.
Justice Munroe, like much of the locals, was beyond excited when the festival was announced. She explained to us how prior to the announcement of the festival she was going through a period of questioning her talent and ability in the field of art. She further clarified how the festival renewed her passion to start up again to create the iconic denim jacket. Boosted by her friends and many others who attended the festival, she told us how grateful she is for her talent and the love she received from everyone on the jacket. She stated, “The days that I wore my jacket were filled with joy and appreciation.”