THE DAPPER DEFENDER
KAREEM JACKSON TALKS FAVORITE DESIGNERS , SHOE COLLECTIONS , AND A FUTURE IN FASHION
Kareem Jackson wears a tailored purple Devon Scott suit , pinstriped shirt and grey tie as he poses in the VIP showroom of Mercedes-Benz of Sugar Land . Flanked by well over one million dollars ’ worth of super cars , the eighth-year Texan sits down with me to discuss his love of all things fashion .
“ It ’ s about how I ’ m feeling that day ,” Kareem responds when asked what inspires his style choices . “ There are some things I ’ ll stay away from , but I ’ ll wear pretty much anything ... It really depends on how I feel once I try it on .”
The Alabama defensive back turned NFL standout has long been known as one of the more dapper gentlemen in the Texans locker room . On Sundays during the season , Jackson arrives at the Texans ’ facilities dressed to the nines in designer clothing . In the past , he ’ s been voted best dressed by his teammates , a title he has lived up to . He ’ s also been known to sport some impressive footwear throughout the week . When asked how many pairs of shoes he owns , Kareem chuckles before answering , “ No clue .” His best guess is “ five closets ’ worth .” When you ’ re measuring your shoe collection by the closetful , it ’ s safe to call you a connoisseur .
I ask Kareem who some of his favorite designers are at the moment . “ I ’ m a huge fan of the Fear of God collection ,” he replies . The LA-based brand , founded by Jerry Lorenzo in 2012 , is in its fifth collection and is a favorite of Kanye West and other Hollywood fashion elites . “ Also Amiri , by Mike Amiri . I ’ ve been wearing that a lot lately .” Much like West ’ s Yeezy , both Amiri and Fear of God are known for focusing on oversized , grungy street wear that borrows aesthetics from both 90s punk and modern hip-hop .
A few years ago , the Texans organization came to Kareem with an opportunity to help design a line of exclusive Texans gear called “ Kareem Jackson Fly Guy ”. I ask him about that experience , and if he believes it opened the door for him to pursue fashion design as a career after football . “ It was an opportunity they came to me with because they know how I feel about fashion . And that put me in a position to be able to start my own line called Fly Guy “. Kareem admits that , with a busy football and training schedule , he finds it difficult to devote the time necessary to help the Fly Guy brand grow . Still , “ that ’ s something that when I do make the decision to one day retire , I ’ ll definitely devote 100 % of my time to making [ Fly Guy ] a household name .”
Finally , I ’ m curious to know what the dynamic is like between Kareem and fellow Texan fashionista , DeAndre Hopkins . Do the two engage in friendly competitions to see who ’ s best dressed on Sundays ? Or does he view their fashion interest as more of a shared passion ? “ I see the things he wears on a week-to-week basis , definitely have a ton of respect for him when it comes to that . I ’ d say it ’ s a shared passion ,” he says . “ For me it ’ s about how you feel . At the end of the day it ’ s what you like . I can ’ t say my fashion is better than his ... It ’ s all fashion . It ’ s about what makes you feel good about yourself when you ’ re getting dressed .” It ’ s probably hard not to feel good about yourself when you dress like Kareem .
52 LOCAL | 11 . 2017