From Sleeping in His Car to Dressing the World | Manny Jackson on Resilience, Creativity & Purpose

Summary

---

For Good Podcast | Episode Summary

Episode Title: From Sleeping in His Car to Dressing the World | Manny Jackson on Resilience, Creativity & Purpose
Host: Joseph "JoJo" Simmons
Guest: Manny Jackson, Designer, Stylist & Cultural Innovator
Date: April 14, 2026

---

Overview

This episode of For Good delves into the remarkable journey of Manny Jackson—a designer who rose from housing insecurity to become a transformative presence in fashion and community engagement. Host JoJo Simmons guides a heartfelt conversation about creativity as survival, the intersection of fashion and purpose, the meaning of legacy, and healing through service. Together, they explore Manny's story: starting from hand-painting clothes in his mom's garage to building Thread House, a values-driven brand rooted in sustainability, community, and innovation.

Manny shares his passion for using creativity to empower others, the importance of intentional partnership (with projects like For Good and Last Prisoner Project), and how fashion can be a catalyst for generational healing.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Manny’s Personal Story: Resilience and Early Hustle

• Started hand-painting clothes in his mom’s garage, selling t-shirts in the subway, and hustling fashion in LA ([00:30], [16:18]).
• Overcame housing insecurity and mental health challenges through creative work and self-belief.
• Quote:

  "The things that's happened for me in my career was not because someone actually told me yes. It was because I went out to go and get it."
  — Manny Jackson ([00:30], [31:50])

2. Community Building at Soul Folks, Leimert Park

• Describes Soul Folks as a creative co-op and “incubator” for Black & Brown designers in South LA ([02:21]).
• Built with partner Akil (formerly incarcerated), the space offers resources and opportunities for young people to create and sell products.
• Example of how legacy and creativity can reimagine communities after incarceration.

3. Who is Manny Jackson? Identity Beyond the Brand

• Father to two sons; family deeply shapes his worldview.
• Commitment to supporting others is as strong at home as it is in his community work ([04:43]).
• Stresses authenticity, humor, and finding joy.

4. Collaboration Journey: Backwoods, 3isFor, and Intention

• The partnership began through the Backwoods Street Sleeper project, facilitated by community connectors and brand advocates ([06:05], [08:22]).
• Collaboration driven by shared values around purposeful storytelling, not just branding.
• Quote:

  "If we're gonna do these mini docu series... Manny is the epitome of our brand ethos."
  — JoJo Simmons ([07:24])

5. Purpose-Driven Brand Creation: Thread House & Its Five Pillars

• Five pillars: Sustainability, community, education, creativity, innovation ([13:46]).
• Thread House evolved from personal necessity and resilience—the “sustainability” ethos was born organically from resourcefulness rather than trend.
• Draws from over 20 years working in mental health, education, and nonprofit sectors.
• Quote:

  "I structured my brand around that because it made sense for everything that I had done, touched and built. Simple as that."
  — Manny Jackson ([15:09])

6. Upcycling, Upbringing, and Generational Wealth

• From making toys with aluminum foil as a child to upcycling clothing for his designs ([17:31]).
• Sees creativity as inheritance:

  "Generational wealth isn't only money. No, it's the morals you pass down to your kids and your grandkids..."
  — JoJo Simmons ([19:05])

7. Breaking Into Fashion, Styling, and “Seizing the Moment”

• Breakthrough came from giving a hand-painted Christian Dior jacket to will.i.am, leading to internships and celebrity access ([21:42]).
• Underlines the power of being “too fly to deny”—pushing boundaries and making opportunities through action.

8. The Story Behind the Brimless Hat & Signature Pieces

• Created the now-signature upcycled denim brimless hat after noticing the impracticality of wool beanies at a Los Angeles pool party ([26:30]).
• The hat became a symbol of sustainable style and a conversation piece within the community.

9. Street Sleeper Project & Corporate Responsibility

• $20,000 investment from Backwoods for the Street Sleeper initiative—transforming deadstock and waste into products for good ([12:16], [13:38]).
• Corporate partnerships as chances not just for individual success, but to uplift others:

  "...that money doesn't just go into my pocket. That goes back into the programs, into the opportunities... to sow back into other people's lives."
  — Manny Jackson ([11:19])

10. Creativity As Mental Health & Healing Practice

• Creativity is inseparable from Manny’s process of healing:

  "My creativity protects me from my mental health... when I'm in a position to really take myself out of a specific place in my mind, it's because I'm not tapping and trusting my creativity enough."
  — Manny Jackson ([39:09])

11. Defining Legacy & Connection Through Fashion

• Fashion is a connector and an icebreaker. The “red flag” on Thread House hats is a signifier to “stop and connect.”
• Hopes his work elevates people and encourages them to consider their own impact ([41:10]).
• Quote:

  "When you see a red flag, what you're supposed to do? Stop... If you see that red flag anywhere in the world, you're supposed to stop. You're supposed to talk to that person."
  — Manny Jackson ([41:45])

12. Living ‘For Good’: Intentionality in Action

• "For Good" is about acting with intention and service, however small ([36:44]).
• Example: after an event, Manny and his son provided donated clothes and shoes to a man experiencing homelessness—a gesture that left a deep impact.
• Quote:

  "If you see someone in a specific position that you can help, do it... If it's in your power, if it's in your will... just do it. I think that's the DNA of being for good."
  — Manny Jackson ([38:22])

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On resilience:

  "I had this thing called resilience... I used those stories to empower people."
  — Manny Jackson ([12:25])

• On seizing opportunity:

  "Believe in all your crazy ideas because they're yours for a reason."
  — Manny Jackson ([33:51])

• On mental health:

  "My creativity is part of my mental health... My creativity protects me from my mental health."
  — Manny Jackson ([39:09])

• On legacy:

  "Generational wealth isn't only money. No, it's the morals you pass down..."
  — JoJo Simmons ([19:05])

• When asked what he wants his work to accomplish:

  "It connected people, it elevated people, and it made people think about what they want to bring into this world."
  — Manny Jackson ([41:10])

• On intentionality:

  "It's not about being perfect... But you can do things with intention."
  — JoJo Simmons ([38:34])

---

Section Timestamps

• Origin Story & Early Hustle: [00:30] – [05:34]
• Soul Folks Community & Leimert Park: [02:21] – [04:11]
• Personal Identity: [04:34] – [05:48]
• Collaborative Beginnings with Backwoods/3isFor: [06:05] – [10:16]
• Purpose Behind Thread House: [13:38] – [17:31]
• Creativity and Upcycling Roots: [17:31] – [19:18]
• Breaking into Fashion & Celebrity Styling: [21:42] – [23:40]
• Creation of the Brimless Hat: [26:17] – [27:47]
• Collaboration with For Good & Last Prisoner Project: [27:47] – [31:08]
• Pillow Party Upcycling Story: [31:30] – [32:44]
• On Winning Awards & Taking Action: [34:34] – [36:33]
• Defining ‘For Good’ and Service Stories: [36:44] – [39:09]
• Mental Health and Creativity: [39:09] – [41:00]
• Legacy and the Power of Connection: [41:00] – [42:17]

---

Conclusion

JoJo Simmons and Manny Jackson’s conversation is a masterclass in authenticity, resilience, and creating with purpose. Manny’s journey—from hustling hand-painted shirts to influencing communities through intentional design—demonstrates how healing the self is deeply connected to healing others. The episode balances raw truth and optimism, inviting listeners to reflect on their own creativity, impact, and what it truly means to live, and leave, a legacy “for good.”

Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

Looking for the best place to shop this Mother's Day? Go with the brand. That makes it easy to send something thoughtful to everyone on your list. 1-800-flowers.com right now at 1-800-flowers. Order one dozen roses and get another dozen free. More flowers mean more smiles. All backed by the quality, attention to detail and trusted delivery experience that make 1-800-flowers my top choice to send something beautiful mom will love. Make Mom's Day at 1-800-FLowers.com podcast. That's 1-800-FLowers.COM podcast.

[Manny Jackson]

I started my first company hand painting clothes out of my mom's garage. I was trapping T shirts in the subway and just had that street hustle. The things that's happened for me in my career was not because someone actually told me yes. It was because I went out to go and get it.

[JoJo Simmons]

There's a story I heard about you at a party where you grabbed the pillows and you turned them into an outfit.

[Manny Jackson]

I wanted to get the attention of backwoods, but I wanted to do it in a subtle way. I wanted them to see something that was flavor, that had a story to it. It's important for corporate companies to understand the responsibility to society and to the community.

[JoJo Simmons]

What's good, everybody? It's your guy, JoJo Simmons. And welcome back to the For Good podcast, where we focus on the good, never the bad. And we're measured by what we do, not what we have. Today I'm sitting down with Manny Jackson, a designer, stylist, and cultural innovator who has worked with celebrities, create upcycled denim hats, and built Thread House from the ground up. We've collaborated through Backwoods and three IS four, helped launch Street Sleeper and are now working together on the first four good hats in partnership with the Last Prisoner project, which I know I am an advocate of and an ambassador. This one's about creativity, entrepreneurship, collaboration, and what it means to do good through design and culture. Let's get into it. Manny, I appreciate you coming on the pod, man.

[Manny Jackson]

Thank you so much for having me, man. I'm so honored, man. This is really dope, man. Everything that we've been talking about, building and seeing it all come to fruition. So thanks for having me.

[JoJo Simmons]

And also I like to say, you know, usually we're in my studio or one of my studios, but you invited me into your home. I would say you invited me to a place where you be at a store where you like to have your stuff at. And so I really appreciate you opening the doors to the for good community, the for good universe and all My

[Manny Jackson]

subscribers, man, you know what? Thank you so much, man. Yeah. And welcome to Soul Folks, right here in Leimert park, man. This is definitely our hub. So Soul Folks is a community incubator, right? And basically it's a co op for the. For black and brown designers of the world. And so my partner, Akil, speaking of Last Prisoner project, He actually did 14 years and everything. And so when he came out, he wanted to create something for the youth and for the community to actually be able to absorb and have resources and also be able to make their product and sell their product. So, you know, we created this space and everything, and I was one of the first brands and designers in this space with him since day one. And it happened to be that he bought one of my upcycle products, and we just forged a relationship after that. And now we've been here for almost six years now, brother. So this is definitely our hub. We have a space upstairs where we work out of, and we're here for the Leimert park community in the city of Los Angeles.

[JoJo Simmons]

I love that. Yeah. And I love how he's created a safe space, a ground haven for young black innovators, creators, entrepreneurs. And I heard about Leimer Park. I heard it's a black community, isn't it?

[Manny Jackson]

Yeah, yeah, definitely a thriving black community. And, you know, a lot of people had actually been living in Los Angeles and haven't came across that bridge and came down to see what's going on, man. And we've been fortunate enough to bring, you know, big corporations here. You know, our first, like, our first year, we actually was able to bring Gucci, and we was a part of a Gucci change makers program, right. Where we was able to partner up with Crenshaw High School, which is right down the street. And, you know, this neighborhood is thriving. And so, you know, this is where the heart of it is right now.

[JoJo Simmons]

I love that. You know, our driver on the way here was like, you're going to lamart Park. You must know Los Angeles. Cause not a lot of people know Lamar park and go there specifically. And I was like, oh, yeah, I'm going off for an interview. He's like, it's a black community. I was like, oh, that's really cool, man. So love to hear that. I love to hear that it's a thriving community and that you guys are a staple in this thriving community. I think that's super dope. So I know we seem like we already gotten to the. The interview, but we haven't.

[Manny Jackson]

So, hey, let's Talk.

[JoJo Simmons]

I love to know who Manny Jackson is outside of Thread House in your community service. Like, who are you, like, personally when you're not designing or building, man?

[Manny Jackson]

You know what, man? I'm a father, first of all, man. I love my two sons. You know, I have two. Two sons. I have one that's 18 years old, and I have one that's 6 years old. Right. And, you know, that's. That's something that's very important to me. Another thing, man, I'm a family guy, you know, I love my family. You know, I love all of my family, the crazy side of them too, you know, And I think part of that DNA resonates and everything with me bringing it into my community as well. The way that I activate with people, the way that I kind of love on people and want to support other people's dreams, I'm like that with my own personal family, too, man. So I would say that, man. And another thing that I think is important for the world to know is, you know, I like to have a good time.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yep.

[Manny Jackson]

You know, I like to enjoy myself and I like to, you know, bring a fun experience into things as well.

[JoJo Simmons]

So, yeah, I love that. I like when I can bring somebody on the podcast and humanize them and let people know, beyond the creative, beyond all the special things you do for the community, you're still a person. Right. And you still love like a person, feel like a person, act like a person.

[Manny Jackson]

Definitely. Definitely. For sure.

[JoJo Simmons]

So I know we spoke about. Well, in the intro, I said we're working on some collaboration. You did show me the hats before we started this up. We will show the people later. I show a little bit, but I'd love for you to tell the people, how did we first connect and start collaborating, man?

[Manny Jackson]

So first of all, we connected through the backwoods project. And, man, shout out to the backwoods team. Shout out to backwoods and bringing this together for us. And I got a chance to meet Danica and. And a big part of your team when they came out to shoot our documentary. And thank you all so much for getting behind that engine with us as well. And it was just instant. Just an instant connection, you know, and when I got on the. Got on the call with you and your team, it just felt even more vibrant, you know, and I really. I really appreciate that. So, you know, that connection brought us here, and I really appreciate you all admiring the work that we are actually putting out in the world and in the community.

[JoJo Simmons]

Well, you know, three is. Four is very intentional. And you know to give you a story, because I was going to ask you, how did the collaboration Backwoods three is four come together and what drew you to get involved? But I can let you know how we. You were put on our radar. So when we came into Backwoods, we were coming in as a content and media team to get a bunch of stories, things that. Rolling loud, things like that. And then we told them that there was deeper meaning to what Backwoods is doing with their storytelling and that we wanted to be at the helm of that. And they agreed. And we spoke about what they had going on, what they had coming up. And obviously we love Anew over there, which I know you know who Anew is. And we thought he was a very interesting character. But then a subject came up that they were thinking of giving a guy named Manny Jackson some money to do some stuff with Thread House for the Street Sleeper thing. And, you know. Cause you had been in touch with Tony, showing him all the things you've been doing. And our team was like, we need to make him a piece of. Right. You know what I mean? If we're gonna do these mini docu series with certain things that Back was doing for the community, the storytelling for what you guys are actually doing, good for people we want. Manny is the epitome of our brand ethos. Right. So I just want you to know, that's how our collaboration started with you was we told backwards. This is, we gotta get this guy, and y' all better give him that check. Right? Not to say that we push them to give you the check, but we're like, hey, like, if you really thinking of doing that.

[Manny Jackson]

Right, right.

[JoJo Simmons]

We want to follow that.

[Manny Jackson]

Well, I appreciate that, man. And I appreciate you seeing the vision. I appreciate them seeing the vision. First of all, I appreciate my homegirl, Alicia, that really.

[JoJo Simmons]

Shout out to Alicia. That's sis right there.

[Manny Jackson]

Yeah, that's sis, man. And she saw the vision a long time ago when I told her what I wanted to do as far as bringing a different intention behind corporate partnerships. Right. And, you know, the fact of the matter that it ended up being Backwoods, you know, I couldn't shy away from that because, you know, being from North Carolina myself and just being in the culture, I grew up with that in my culture, you know, And I'm like, this actually could be something really dope if whoever gets behind it because of the intention of what we're doing with the Street Sleeper initiative and what we want to. How we want to show up in the world with everything that we're doing with Thread House. So by taking waste and stuff and dead stock and old material and giving them an opportunity to promote and still be able to show up for the community, you know, because of how. How they monetize all the bots and everything, but it souls back into us and it gives our community opportunity to see somebody that's a real person, that's making real moves and a company that they are really working with.

[JoJo Simmons]

I appreciate that answer, because my next question was going to be, what drew you to get involved? And I think you just basically explained that's what drew you to get involved is, you know, backwards. Although it's promoting tobacco, although it may be deemed as bad in some communities because it's smoking. The community work that they're doing and the intention on what they're trying to do is another reason that drew three Is four to want to work with them. And what I will say is shout out to Alicia because she's the reason why 3 is 4 was connected to backwoods. She went over and told them, like, hey, this is a good storytelling company right here. This is a good production company that's intentional and that cares and wants to really make a difference. And, you know, we were able to talk to Tony and them, and they loved, like, when you said you got on the phone with us, they loved our vibe, and then we were able to connect with you. So it just all, you know, full circle, my brother.

[Manny Jackson]

I love it full circle moment. And I lend a little bit more to that story. When you ask me personally what allowed me to get more involved with that.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah. Cause I want to know, like, as a creative and as a person, what made you want to work with Backwoods? Like, what. What drew you into working with Backwoods?

[Manny Jackson]

Well, from.

[JoJo Simmons]

It was especially the CSR work too.

[Manny Jackson]

Yeah. For me, it was here's an opportunity. So many people, you know, being in fashion and being connected in a lot of ways that I have been with a lot of major brands and a lot of major opportunities, so many people haven't really open that door. And, you know, you keep knocking until the door opens. And when that door opens, you're supposed to run in it. You run through it, and you find out how you can stay authentic and bring that authenticity into it, but also maybe give a different outlook and perspective. And I felt like this was my opportunity to actually do that and be able to show back up in my community.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah.

[Manny Jackson]

That money doesn't just go into my pocket. That goes back into the programs, into the opportunities and to the Things that we want to sow back into other people's lives. Right. And creating opportunities for them. And I felt like if this is the opportunity here that God has presented in front of my plate, in front of my face and put on my table and put in my plate, then this is how I'm going to have to help feed other people, you know? And I'm strong enough to take whatever backlashes because I know my intentions and I know the intentions of the project. And I think think it's important for corporate companies to understand the responsibility to society and to the community.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah. You know, I love that you didn't only see opportunity for yourself, you saw opportunity for others. You saw an opportunity for yourself to create opportunity for others. And that's big, man. I love that. So we talked about backwards giving you that check. Yeah. And you know, they gave you a $20,000 check.

[Manny Jackson]

Yeah.

[JoJo Simmons]

To create Street Sleeper.

[Manny Jackson]

Right, right.

[JoJo Simmons]

What did that moment mean creatively and personally for you when that check hit and you realize somebody really want to invest into something that you' for the good of people, really?

[Manny Jackson]

It was one of the full circle moments of my life. Right. It's interesting because I had been telling people for years, way before this even came to alignment, what I was going to do. And I had pushed and pushed and I had hit bump after bump, but I stayed consistent. And I had this thing called resilience. Right. And I feel like so many people witnessed my struggle. They witnessed my own housing insecurity, they witnessed my own mental health breakdowns. And I used those stories to empower people. I didn't use those stories to be so much woe. It's me. I used those stories through and let that shine through my creativity, through my clothes. And I'm a real person. People can really come through that door, walk upstairs and really connect to me, you know? And so I knew that was going to be inspiration. When you see that check and when you see that moment and you hear and when people see the documentary and we do what we gonna do with things, it just makes it more real and it makes someone know that, hey, my dreams can come true too.

[JoJo Simmons]

I love it, man. Speaking of your dreams, I wanna talk about Threadhouse a little bit.

[Manny Jackson]

Okay.

[JoJo Simmons]

Can you tell us about it and what was the vision behind creating it, man?

[Manny Jackson]

So I say that our brand is built on what we call as five pillars. Sustainability, community, education, creativity and innovation. And I am literally a walking billboard for all of that. Right. I have been an educator. I worked in the mental health space for over 20 plus years working with kids, working with adults with developmental and mental disabilities as well. And I've been in that space and I've ran nonprofits and I have my own nonprofit that showed up for people like that in the community. And so that education community has always been there. Right. And the way that I think is just very innovative. Like my whole, my thought process of how I look at clothes or how I look at anything in life is just my own way. And I love technology. I'm a technology kid. I was a nerd like that, you know, and those things are just part of my DNA. And that creativity, well, you know, just shines through my style.

[JoJo Simmons]

Right.

[Manny Jackson]

So that really has been the DNA for myself. Yeah. And that's the DNA for my brand. And I think that's the DNA that anybody can actually subscribe to.

[JoJo Simmons]

And you talked about the five pillars. I love to know, like, why did you structure your brand around those five pillars, though? You say you're the walking billboard for those pillars. Why did you structure your brand around them?

[Manny Jackson]

I structured my brand around that because it made sense for everything that I had done, touched and built. Simple as that. When I started my first company, hand painting clothes out of my mom's garage, right? And that's what got me here to la and that's what had. I was trapping T shirts in the subway and, you know, just had that street hustle, right? And that actually sparked another opportunity later on years ago from years for me to start my Style House, right? And it just from the Style House came the nonprofit Holt Healing. And then from that came Thread House. Thread House started off as the in house brand for the Style House. And you know, that just kind of continued to evolve. And so when I look back at who I was and what I was building, I was like, yo, this really is the DNA of who I am. And I didn't really, to be honest, the sustainability side wasn't something that I was actually intentionally doing. I was intentionally doing it because that's what I had.

[JoJo Simmons]

You was dealing with what you was working with.

[Manny Jackson]

You were working with a hat.

[JoJo Simmons]

You took lemons, made lemonade. That's it.

[Manny Jackson]

You know, I took lemons. I never forget when I made my first set of bow ties. I cut up my old pair of pants that I had hand painted. And then I took later on, years later, went back and got the other side of the pant and made the hat and I was just like, this is part of my DNA. So when this buzzword of sustainability came, it wasn't so Much of something that I wasn' already authentic to. And I just was like, this is a linear for me.

[JoJo Simmons]

I love that. And you just really brought back a memory for me of my own creativity. Like you said you cut up some stuff and made a bow tie. I remember when I was a kid I had this basketball jersey in middle school, but it had our last names on it. And I remember had these pair of jeans and a couple years later I had cut my last name out in the number and I had the Simmons going down one pant leg and I had the two on one pant leg. And I thought I was so cool. Cause I did something myself. And I didn't know that I was being sustainable. I didn't know that was sustainability. I didn't know that I was using another product that I already had to make something different. You know what I mean? And that's really cool that that's what you've been doing. And I know you said growing up you were like a tech nerd. You were so interested. But were you always creative growing up?

[Manny Jackson]

Yeah, man. So, you know, one of my earliest childhood memories as a creator, when I was a kid, I used to take aluminum foil and make my toys out of wow. And I was that child that would tell people to buy me rolls of aluminum foil.

[JoJo Simmons]

How do you make a toy out of an aluminum foil?

[Manny Jackson]

You build it.

[JoJo Simmons]

What type of toy were you making?

[Manny Jackson]

You had my little Geo. My Geoman tank. Yeah, all sorts of stuff. You know what's crazy is my six year old, you know, I have, I did a podcast recently and when I did that, I thought about that and it brought me back because they asked me about that question and I was like, wait a minute, I used to build stuff out of aluminum 4. And so one day I'm hanging out with my son and I said, I want to share this with him. And so I shared it with him and he made an airplane. It was really, really cool. And he painted it and I said, wow. I was like, wow. I never thought about painting my Lumina 4. And it just brought full circle for me about like sharing your gifts. And when you share your gifts, it's not for, it's not about someone copying,

[JoJo Simmons]

it's about them taking it further.

[Manny Jackson]

It's about them taking it further. And the person that shared that gift with me, I was able to take that further for myself. And it just really generational pass down. It just really just kind of created a person of like that, like to create stuff. And so that was my life.

[JoJo Simmons]

Let Me tell you something. Generational wealth isn't only money. No, it's the morals you pass down to your kids and your grandkids and the kids and the kids. That's real generational wealth.

[Manny Jackson]

Definitely, Definitely.

[JoJo Simmons]

I love that. To make something out of nothing, right?

[Manny Jackson]

Definitely. Definitely.

[JoJo Simmons]

So how'd you end up in la? Was this always the plan for your career to be here?

[Manny Jackson]

I didn't think it was my plan, but I think that God had that plan and he sold that seed into me years ago. And the thing about it was, I didn't realize that that was happening. My aunt used to live right here in Leimert Park. Right here. And so when I moved to la, well, first of all, she saw that I was interested in fashion and she inspired me. She said, hey, you should actually think about doing fashion design. And I was like, nah, kids don't do no. In North Carolina, ain't nobody doing no fashion design. She said, I think you really will enjoy it. So fast forward maybe a year later, I kind of started playing around with that hand painting thing. The following year, she invited me to come to la. By that time, I had started trying to take this hand painting idea a little bit serious and I started a brand called, call it Quality Apparel. So she lived here and when she. When I came to visit, I was right here in Leimert Park. So I was gonna. I applied to go to a school here. No, I got applied to actually go to a school in London. I got accepted, but it was too expensive, so I came. When I came here, I checked out of school and it was fidm. And the day that I was leaving to get on the plane, a girl that I met said, hey, I'm going to, I'm going there as well. I was like, all right, well, you know what? So, you know, maybe I might want to taste that a little bit.

[JoJo Simmons]

Right.

[Manny Jackson]

I might come back.

[JoJo Simmons]

Right, right.

[Manny Jackson]

So I came back. And when I came back, I actually stayed in Leimert Park. I used to hustle my shoes out here. I used to really get it in and put a lot of work in and right here on this, on the shawl. So being back to this neighborhood was something is a full circle moment for me. And a lot of people, a lot of the OGs that has been here for years know that they, they know me. When I was a little, when I was younger and I was running around here selling everybody sneakers and Jordans. But that full circle moment for me, I feel like, by God, putting my aunt out here, he end up trading Places. Because when I moved out here, she ended up moving back to North Carolina to take care of her mother. And I felt like that I'm responsible to keep that legacy going for the next person as well.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah, I love that. I respect that for sure. How did you, you know, you've been in LA for a while now. You talked about how you. How you ended up here, but how did you break into styling? Award shows and major entertainment events. Like, how did you break into that world, man?

[Manny Jackson]

So it was honestly my own personal style. So, man, that year that I actually moved to la, my welcome to LA was. Yeah, my welcome to LA moment. That girl, by the way, she ended up flaking on me. It was on New Year's ev. Wow, right? She's supposed to pick me up at the airport. She got another dude, right? And she's like, not ignoring my calls. So she finally answers and says, hey, I don't want to leave you hanging. I'mma come and pick you up. But I'm with my boyfriend. What? So anyway, they drop me off at my hotel right by lax. I go into LAX and I have a jacket, a Christian Dior blazer that my uncle gave me right before I left North Carolina. So I went to across the street, got me a little fifth of my Courvoisier and a Black and Mile, right? And I came back and I hand painted that Christian Dior jacket. I wore that jacket out one time to the club and ran into Will I Am. Will I Am confirmed. This story, by the way, ran into Will I Am. I took the jacket off and gave it to Will I Am fucking Christian Dior hand painted jacket by me, right? And that moment later on transpired for me with my first internship where I got a chance to work with Will I Am again, but this time more in a styling capacity. And that opened up those doors. So that opened up my doors to meet Kanye, opened up the doors to meet Nas. It opened up my doors to meet so many different people. And then, you know, I was kind of working in the mental health space at that time as well. And a lot of stylists wanted to grab my style clothes, so I didn't have anything. So I decided to open up my own style house. And that just became a blessing for me. And that opened up more doors to work with celebrity stylists. That brought me to a lot of those opportunities.

[JoJo Simmons]

Fire. You know, I love that. And Will I Am sounds like, you know, that was a good situation, a God situation you walked into. Ended up styling for him. And I'M sure many others. But what's the difference for you with styling someone else and designing your own pieces?

[Manny Jackson]

Well, that was the thing, to be honest, because everything. When I opened up the Style House, everybody wanted to pull my stuff, and I only made one piece of everything.

[JoJo Simmons]

Stuff for you that you want to do?

[Manny Jackson]

Yeah, Everything that I was making, like,

[JoJo Simmons]

I want them jeans. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Manny Jackson]

I'm like, dang, I only made one of them. You know what I mean? So I saw the vision of, like, how my stuff was being selected, and I was like, yo, maybe I should actually turn this into a real thing. And so with the Style House, it allowed me to kind of phase in the idea of me having a brand. Right. And getting a little bit of placement and stuff like that. But what really became that thing for me was I really like seeing people wearing my shit. Yeah, I like seeing people wearing my clothes. I like it. You know, And I said, I want to see more of that. I want to see them in the world. And then, you know, that's like. I said the thread house was like the dense closet, like, brand. When the pandemic hit, I said, let's go into it, but let me share this. I had an epiphany one year, and God had told me that my responsibility was to dress the world. And I didn't know how I could embrace that. So I started to try to figure that out. I went to this event, and this dude came up to me. He's an artist. He started talking to me, and we talked about this address the world thing. He said, but look, let me tell you, before you can dress the world, you got to address the world. And he was like, that's yours. I want you to run with that one. And so that became the tagline. Address the world and full circle moment. That's exactly what we're doing to this day. You know, we started off to address the world, but now first we had to address the world. And so when I started my clothing line, I started with this really cool thing called the cloak. Right. But later on, full circle moment, I had to go back to the crown, and that's where the crew cap came in. While signature hat, our brimless hat, and that became the real DNA and this hero piece for our brand. Yeah, because I started with the crown first. Yeah, now we can address the world.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah, it's true. And, you know, talking about the brimless hats and the hats, I want to know how you got into making the hats, you know, especially the upcycled denim hats. Like, what got you into. Into that? You want to hear the real story behind me? The real story? Yo, so that's all we want, is the real. We don't want the fake look.

[Manny Jackson]

Check this out. I was at a pool party here in Los Angeles. 90 degree weather. Everybody got a doggone wool beanie on.

[JoJo Simmons]

Wow.

[Manny Jackson]

You know that, you know, hipster look, I guess you could say, right?

[JoJo Simmons]

Hipster look. It was the look. It wasn't about the weather.

[Manny Jackson]

It was not about the weather. And I was like, bruh, it's gotta be a better way.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah.

[Manny Jackson]

So I went home, got with my homeboy bk and made a hat. And I started wearing the hat around. People started saying they liked it. Later on, fast forward, I had an opportunity. My boys was like, yo, I like that hat. I said, let me make this hat. So I went and grabbed my old jeans that I was talking to you about and some old fabric, and I cut up one of the hats. And the very next day, one of my boys, he's out of New York as well. He invited me to come to a trade show to show my product. And I was like, I don't really think our product matches, but I got these hats that I think would be really dope with your brand as well. Maybe I can show these hats. I had eight hats that I was going to pick up. I took those hats to the trade show and got so much press, all my friends was the bloggers and all of the people working the trade show that year. So we got a lot of press doing it. And that just became the hero piece that we ran to, ran with.

[JoJo Simmons]

Love it. You know, I love it, man. And officially, you know, speaking about hats, the For Good universe, the For Good community, we're doing a collaboration for. For Good. You're making some hats for For Good. And, you know, I can tell you quickly, you know, because the question for you was, why was it important to partner? Why was it important for the B Last Criminal project? And I can tell you, for us, obviously, after doing all the content piece with you for Backwoods, we were already internally trying to figure out, how can we work with you, right? We were like, yo, he represents everything we do. We love the, you know, the upcycled stuff. We love all your. All your pieces of fire you've really given back to. That's everything that we are, right? So it's like, okay, when we do drop merch, when we do drop clothing, it has to be intentional with intentional people. So, yeah, we got hoodies and sweatsuits and things like that dropping. But we knew that we wanted to do an exclusive piece, a limited piece with you. Right. We wanted to get some really cool hats, but we also wanted to do it with the Last Prisoner Project, because obviously, I'm an ambassador there, and I think it's very important that we continue to speak up for all the people incarcerated for the plant that we all are allowed to enjoy, especially in a place like this, Los Angeles, California. But for you, beyond, obviously, us working together. And we'll make money from it. You'll make money. We'll make money. Why was it important for you to partner with us, especially with Last Prisoner Project, doing the piece?

[Manny Jackson]

A couple reasons. The first thing is I believe in what you all are doing.

[JoJo Simmons]

Thank you.

[Manny Jackson]

You know, I believe in what you're doing. You know, I believe in what you're building in your team. Thank you. And I've been following you for years, so this wasn't something that actually happened because of just the backwoods things. I'm a fan.

[JoJo Simmons]

Thank you, man. Thank you so much, man.

[Manny Jackson]

Salute, King.

[JoJo Simmons]

Thank you, brother.

[Manny Jackson]

Right. And the things that you speak on and everything like that. I really do believe in what you all are building. And I was like, I want. Want to be able to help elevate the messaging and the apparel, because you're a fly, brother.

[JoJo Simmons]

Thank you, brother. Thank you. And.

[Manny Jackson]

And we make fly clothes.

[JoJo Simmons]

Coming from you, that's. That means a lot, bro.

[Manny Jackson]

You know what I'm saying? We appreciate it, but no, and. And honestly, you know, I'm like, I want to help elevate their story in the ways that we can and with the authenticity that we have. And so I'm like, yo, how be. It'll be kind of dope to make, you know, some signature jackets for you or signature hats and everything. And, you know. You know, your team fell in love with that idea just as much as I had it. So, you know, being someone that actually is a fan of someone and getting a chance to have a moment where you actually are able to take an idea and invest in it and create it, you create it from a place of passion.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah.

[Manny Jackson]

You know, and that's how I approach things, what I'm passionate about. And the Last Prisoner Project, when you all brought that to the table, it just made a lot of sense for me because of our R3 collection, which is. And which we call it R3 squared, which is reform, retribute, reinvent. And that was a big part of the DNA before the street sleeper came full circle. So now I just feel like we're gonna bring this whole entire story even closer. And I really appreciate the opportunity. And I wanna. Like I said, I want to level up. And I think when people see the merch, all of it, they're gonna be like, yo, that's dope.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah, you going crazy. Like I said, we'll show them the hats in a bit. We also know you got some. You upcycling some stuff with us with the last prisoner project. You showed me kind of what you. You got going on. But, like, I love to know what goes through your mind when, like, there's a story I heard about you at a party where you grabbed the pillows and you turned them into an outfit. What goes to your mind in moments like that

[Manny Jackson]

ask for. It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

[JoJo Simmons]

Oh, yeah, I love that quote. Especially when I'm smoking weed somewhere. I'm probably not supposed to smoke weed.

[Manny Jackson]

Whatever, whatever. And I. And the things that's happened for me in my career was not because someone actually told me.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yes.

[Manny Jackson]

It was because I went out to go and get it. The doors that opened the Will I am thing was not that someone told me to do. I snuck into that party, and I was just too fly for them to deny. Talk to him, you know, and say it again.

[JoJo Simmons]

He was too fly.

[Manny Jackson]

I was just too fly for them to deny. And the thing is, like, even at that party, I was, like, trying to figure out who I could ask. I could ask Alicia to give me. I don't care, Manny. Whatever. But. But I'm like, nah, I'm gonna just take the pillows. Cause ain't nobody caring about them. They just laying there anyways at the end of the night. And I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to get the intentions, the attention of backwoods. But I wanted to do it in a subtle way. I wanted them to see something that was flavor, that had a story to it. Yeah. Because I feel like the story is. Is what makes it even more valuable stories.

[JoJo Simmons]

The most important part, that's what we were able to come in and tell back, was like, listen, we love what you're doing. You know, you guys are gonna sell backwards anyway. But tell the people the story of how you're in the community and really do care. You really are making a difference and really are giving $20,000 to somebody that's actually trying to make a difference in this community. You know what I mean? So I'm happy that the storytelling shines through a lot nowadays. And a lot of companies and big corporations understand without the Storytelling, you really can't survive out here. You know what I mean?

[Manny Jackson]

You want me to tell you what's really funny? So this year, when they gave me the 20,000, I asked permission to get the pillows. I was told no.

[JoJo Simmons]

Wow.

[Manny Jackson]

And the girl didn't even know who she was telling no to, that they had just gave me 20,000. I could stole the pillows again. But I wanted to save that moment. And the reason I said it and I'm saying it now, and I told Tony this too, laughed about it, But I wanted to save that moment because that is the thing that opened the door.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah.

[Manny Jackson]

So it was a reminder to me. Manny, do you.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah. Do you always subscriber talk? Tell him, yo.

[Manny Jackson]

Always do. You can't nobody do you but you. You know, I tell people, the main thing for me is believe in all your crazy ideas because they're yours for a reason.

[JoJo Simmons]

Real talk, man. So that's two things, man. Well, three things. Do you believe in your crazy ideas? And hit that subscribe button, man. Make sure y' all hit that subscribe button. Make sure I know y' all so into this conversation. But don't forget, if you're watching this right now and you haven't hit that subscribe button, hit the subscribe button. We love the, you know, you to join this community and drop some comments in that comment section for sure. So, Manny, man, I want to talk about, you know, you've won awards for your work. What did that recognition mean? You have to grind it for so long. And I know you're still grinding, but winning awards up to this point, how did that feel after grinding for so long?

[Manny Jackson]

Well, you know, you just. You just kind of. Kind of have to keep putting yourself out there.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah.

[Manny Jackson]

You know, once again, a full circle moment. Because all of this happened all together, but it all happened with the. The same level of intention. So for me, it just told me to. It reminded me to trust myself. It reminded me to trust my crazy ideas. It reminded me that when I get those ideas at 4 o' clock in the morning and 3 o' clock in the morning to actually get up and make those phone calls.

[JoJo Simmons]

Act on us.

[Manny Jackson]

And act on it.

[Commercial Announcer]

It.

[Manny Jackson]

Act on it. When I came up with the Street Sleeper, it was a moment that I acted on. I literally walked around my block. Me and my boy was going to the club, and I walked around the block. I was like, yo, let me just walk around the block real quick while this dude get ready. I walked around the block. And when I walked around the block, I counted 22 people sleeping on the street. And out of those 22, only three people were sharing a blanket. And I walked. I got back to my apartment, and I was like, I gotta do something about this. It's something I can at least do. And I walked up, and it was a box that Tony had sent me probably a month, and I hadn't even opened it right. And I was like, let me open this box. And I opened the box and everything was there. And I was like, it's full circle moment. I'm gonna go to my studio the next day. And we made what we call now as the street sleeper, right? And the pro. The thing that was so dope was when I finished it and I saw it, I was like, this is dope.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah.

[Manny Jackson]

I trusted myself. And the next week, we were showing it. The very next week, we were showing it at Sustainable Fashion Week. The very next week after that, we was going to another country. We was doing a podcast. It all just happened that way. Why? Because I showed up, I took action. I didn't even question myself about it. That's the level of authenticity that you have to have with yourself. That level of resilience, and you got to have that lack of fear.

[JoJo Simmons]

I love that, man. That was a great answer. So here on this For Good podcast, we always ask everybody this. What does For Good mean to you? And how do you apply it in your work and in your life?

[Manny Jackson]

I love that. For Good just means being a person that's intentional about what you're doing in life, you know? You know, one of the stories that resonates with me and resonates with my son, I remember we was. We was leaving an event that we was doing. We was doing an event for Holt Healing, and we had got all this donation of clothes, and I end up taking that wrong exit. And we got to the bottom of the hill. It was a guy standing outside. He had a sign up, and he was asking for some food and money. And I rolled down the. I said, hey, do you. What size pants you wear? He was like, I don't know, maybe 32. I was like, do you want. Would you like some clothes? And he was like, yeah. I said, I don't have any money. And I popped the trunk and he had no idea. And I told my son to get out the car. And we just dropped off bunch of clothes for him. Like some fly outfits, fly shoes. I got him fly right then and there, right in the middle, dark night.

[JoJo Simmons]

Fly, deny, fly.

[Manny Jackson]

Too fly. But the thing was, he was so touched. But My son, though, he remembered that

[JoJo Simmons]

moment, I love it.

[Manny Jackson]

He remembered that he remembered it, and he brings it to my attention because it made such an impact in his world. And those are the things, when you ask me what for good is, those are the things that I'm talking about. It's about the intention. So if you see someone in a specific position that you can help, do

[JoJo Simmons]

it, do it, do it, do it. If it's in your power, if it's

[Manny Jackson]

in your power, if it's in your will, how, if you know a person, whatever, just do it. And I think that's the DNA of being for good.

[JoJo Simmons]

Yeah, I love it. That's my biggest word is intentionality. Intentional. That's what we use here on the podcast, is make sure you. Everything you do, you do it with intention. Whether it's eating, whether it's working on your mental health, whether it's working on your physical health, whether it's being a better father, brother, son, mother, wife, husband, whatever, it's about doing it with intention. It's not about being perfect. Nobody's ever gonna be perfect. But you can do things with intention. And talking about mental health, I know you said you were in the mental health world a lot. Therapy. How do you protect your mental health and your creativity?

[Manny Jackson]

Wow, that's a really great question.

[JoJo Simmons]

Thank you.

[Manny Jackson]

I have to think about that one, and I'm going to tell you why. Because my creativity is part of my mental health. So protecting my mental health from my creativity is my healing power. I don't know if I really do protect my mental health from my creativity, because my mental health, My creativity protects me from my mental health. You know, when I'm in a position to really take myself out of a specific place in my mind, it's because I'm not tapping and trusting my creativity enough. And that struggle, this question brings up a lot of emotion behind this for me because it takes me back to those days, into those nights, those hard days and them hard nights where I was sleeping in the car, sleeping in this weird position and weird space, and my creativity was the thing that I had when I hopped on my iPhone and I recorded my podcast, and later, later on, made a T shirt and put that recording of that podcast in that sweater and told that story that became my dope dad's collection. It was my creativity. So my creativity really protects my mental health.

[JoJo Simmons]

I love that answer. And for all the creatives out there, I'm sure you just broke that down in a way that sometimes they don't understand. They don't understand that your creativity is sometimes your savior. Sometimes it saves you from yourself. You know what I mean? So, last question as we get out of here.

[Manny Jackson]

What's up?

[JoJo Simmons]

You know, when it's all said and done, what do you want people to say your work actually did for fashion culture and community?

[Manny Jackson]

What I want my work to say it did for people, is it connected people, it elevated people, and it made people think about what they want to bring into this world. That's what I want my clothes to do. I really care less so much about just the fact that my clothes are fly. That's part of it, but it's really about the connection that it has. One of the things is, you know, we have the red flag on our hat, right? And everybody says, well, why you go with the red flag? And I have a lot of meaning behind it. I said, because when you see a red flag, what you're supposed to do, stop. And the spin on that for us is if you see that red flag anywhere in the world, you're supposed to stop. You're supposed to talk to that person. You know, you're not gonna see millions of these hats and hats and thread house out there. But when you run across that, that's your responsibility to connect with that person, because there's a reason that you all are in that space together wearing that red, red flag. And so that's what I want to

[JoJo Simmons]

leave the world with a lot of, brother. You want to just leave the world a better place, you know what I mean? And inspire people to think about what they're doing and think about how they're talking and think about people. Think about what's deeper than just them, right? So I got to give you your four good flowers before we get out of here. They're not real flowers. I just tell people I'm giving them four good flowers for the things that you've been doing for the community, not only for yourself, but for the community. For when you. You saw people that needed help and you showed up, you took action. You didn't. You didn't. You didn't shy away from the pressure. You didn't shy away from the moment. You didn't shy away from your creativity. You didn't shy away from your crazy ideas. You stepped up, and your crazy ideas have landed you in places I'm sure you would never believe years ago. So I got to give you four good flowers, my brother. Thank you for coming on this For Good podcast.

[Manny Jackson]

Thank you so much.

[JoJo Simmons]

Before we get out of here, let people know where they could find you or anything else you got going on.

[Manny Jackson]

Oh, man. Yeah, definitely. So. So first of all, stay in tune for the street Sleeper initiative with backwoods. More of that collaboration. Our whole entire street sleeper project. Definitely be on the lookout for our collaboration with for good. And if you're looking for myself, I'm Manny Jackson online, and our brand is Thread House Co. House is h A U s Thread House co. You can find me on all platforms. Say what's up?

[JoJo Simmons]

Yes, sir. We here with my guy, Manny Jackson. This is the four Good podcast. Make sure y' all tap in with Thread House and we will tune into y' all next time at the 4Good podcast, where we focus on the good, never the bad, and we're measured by what we do, not what we have. Till next time, guys. It's your guy, Jojo Simmons. My brother, Manny Jackson. Until next time.

[Manny Jackson]

Peace, Carol g.

[Commercial Announcer]

Get tickets now at livenation. Com. Don't miss Carol G.