Designing her own direction

For Jaden Antonia Rose, creativity has become a way to transform lived experience into work that allows her to be seen and understood.

Story by Jaelin McQueen

Published Sept. 24, 2026

Surrounded by clothing racks and styling supplies, Jaden Antonia Rose poses during her self-directed editorial project “To Be Seen” for Issue 07 of The Rage Magazine in downtown Bellingham, Wash., on April 10, 2026. The project highlighted Black women while incorporating Antonia Rose’s own experiences as a Black woman and creative. // Photo by Jaelin McQueen

Jaden Antonia Rose exists between creative worlds. At 24 years old, the Black and Puerto Rican stylist, model and upcycle designer is building a career through fashion while searching for a voice that feels entirely her own.

She describes herself as “eclectic,” “sporty,” “color-coordinated” and “comfortable,” with elements of “whimsy” and alternative style shaping the way she presents herself to the world. Fashion has become both an outlet and a reflection of the different spaces she moves through.

Using a lint roller on model Blessing’s pants, Jaden Antonia Rose prepares for a shot during her self-directed editorial project “To Be Seen” for Issue 07 of The Rage Magazine in downtown Bellingham, Wash., on April 10, 2026. Antonia Rose styled every model in the shoot as part of her growing work in fashion styling and design. // Photo by Jaelin McQueen

Growing up in Atlanta, Antonia Rose was surrounded by a predominantly Black community, but still often felt different – not necessarily in a negative way, but as someone whose personality, interests and style existed outside of mainstream expectations. After moving to the Pacific Northwest, that feeling became more isolating. Around predominantly white spaces, Jade experienced a level of othering rooted in racism and the hesitation or discomfort many white people have toward Black culture and identity. She also felt disconnected from Latino communities in Bellingham because being Puerto Rican made her feel outside of the more commonly represented Latino identities around her.

That sense of navigating multiple worlds also extends into how she thinks about creativity itself. For Jade, fashion is constantly shaped and expanded by lived experience. She sees curiosity and movement outside of fashion as essential to her creative voice, through outdoor sports, travel and everyday life.

Tethered images appear on a computer screen as Jaden Antonia Rose reviews photographs during her editorial project “To Be Seen” for Issue 07 of The Rage Magazine in downtown Bellingham, Wash., on April 10, 2026. Antonia Rose emphasized attention to detail is an important part of her creative process. // Photo by Jaelin McQueen

“I want to keep pursuing fashion and learning more about what interests me within fashion and listening to that,” she said. “Also, allowing myself to be curious about outdoor sports and traveling and all these things that I naturally am. Fashion is super boring if you don't have any other experiences to add to that. It’s like painting without any inspiration, like, it's just there.”

Between shots, Jaden Antonia Rose directs models during her editorial project “To Be Seen” for Issue 07 of The Rage Magazine in downtown Bellingham, Wash., on April 10, 2026. Antonia Rose has recently expanded from modeling into styling, creative direction and fashion design. // Photo by Jaelin McQueen

Much of Jade’s creative inspiration comes from family memory, especially her late auntie, who upcycled basketball jerseys into dresses and reworked sportswear in ways that deeply influenced Jade’s own approach to fashion and design.

“I always think about her, and I think that she’s with me when I design things,” she said. “Specifically when I'm upcycling sportswear I think of her.”

*While watching models during an active shoot, Jaden Antonia Rose twirls her hair, a habitual gesture she uses when focusing and working through creative decisions. // Photo by Jaelin McQueen*

The photos capture Jade during a transitional moment in her creative life. She is no longer only modeling for other people’s visions. She is beginning to direct and create her own. During shoots, Jade moves between styling, directing poses, reviewing images and overseeing every detail with intense focus. “I’m a very thoughtful person when it comes to creative work,” she said. “I always think about the possibilities or outcomes of what people are gonna think of.”

That attention to detail reflects how seriously Jade takes the stories she wants to tell through fashion and art. “Through art I can have a voice,” she said, “because people might not listen to me day to day, or we might have a conversation and they may hear a fourth of what I'm saying. Truly having a voice is when I'm making art, or writing or making a collage.”

Jade sees herself standing at the edge of a professional creative career, but is still searching for exactly where she belongs within it. “I'm walking through the courtyard,” she said, “and I'm entering the door to this giant mansion, but I still have to do all these other things to, you know, find the room with where my dreams are at.”

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