Ava "AJ" Jones

Ava

“AJ” “…..until you want to do something to change your physical appearance or the way you look, Joneslove up on yourself every second that you get because you may not get a second chance to do so.”—A.J.

ith a population of over six-million, Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth in North America. As an international center for business, finance, arts and culture, Toronto, recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world, is where Ava “AJ” Jones lives, and lovin’ up on oneself is what this X’Treme Nailz beauty does!

Ava or AJ as she likes to be called, born in Jamaica and later raised in Canada is a fashion designer, and knows what it means to pour love into herself while encouraging other women to do the same. “I am a couturier, which is a custom oneof-a-kind designer. I create pieces for clients that are looking for a unique style, or custom fit. If they are attending a gala, weddings, parties or any other type of function, I will design these pieces for them. I’ve been a fashion designer for over three decades which also includes a small ready-to-wear collection. I am committed and dedicated to creating collections for primarily the plus-sized community. So, if you are a bigger, thicker, fuller-figured woman, I am definitely the designer for you! I cater and focus on women with a fuller figure simply because I feel that it is so much easier for ‘regular’ or ‘standard’ sized women to find fashions anywhere with the plus sized market heavily underserved.”

Having designed an engagement dress for Tionna T. Smalls of VH1’s “What Chilli Wants” and several pieces for Canadian recording artist TiKA, Ava has also presented collections at NYFW (New York Fashion Week), CFW (Caribbean Fashion Week), Montreal Fashion Week and Houston Fashion Week. As a

full-figured lover of unique oneof-a-kind fashions, I understand what it means to feel good when you know you look good, especially wearing a unique piece designed just for you! AJ continued, “It’s definitely more difficult to accommodate the bodies that are a little bit fluffier in the middle, around the hips, bustline and so forth, and I think for years we’ve been shunned by the fashion community where they would provide fashions for us, but they were not fashionable. They weren’t stylish as the other things that you would see the smaller-sized women wearing, and since I am considered to be a plussized woman myself, I felt it would be fitting to create a collection representative of the women that I love and support. Don’t get me wrong, I love and support all women, but I feel that we are underrepresented in the fashion world. So, ‘Pheline Designs’ became my thing! As we discussed earlier, we all want to look and feel good. As a six foot, full-figured woman myself, there is nothing worse than to spend hours, days and sometimes weeks, looking for that perfect outfit for an event only to arrive and find the same piece worn by other women because of the slim selections available for the plus-sized divas!

We asked if there was a difference in styling for her clients in Canada and styling for her clients in America, and AJ said that her creativity depends on who she is working with and not as much as to where she is working. However, having traveled all over the United States, AJ shared that she finds her American clientele are more open-minded when it comes to fashion being more risqué. Risqué, yes, I completely agree. We love sexy! We love pushing that envelope to the edge with individuality, uniqueness, and creative expressions on the runways, red carpet and even personal events! With AJ’s love of self and fashion sense, X’Treme Nailz International also adds the title of “Nail Diva” to complete the package!

X’Treme Nailz: How long have you donned X’treme Nails?

AJ: Oh my goodness! It’s funny that I just had this conversation with my nail tech a couple of days ago. So I would say about ten to fifteen years! This is the shortest they’ve been. Across the board, they’ve been about three and a half inches long. Currently I am 100% natural and they are about two inches in length with the shortest about an inch. I tend to let them grow as they are, so the lengths are mismatched!”

X’Treme Nailz: How often do you have them maintenanced?

AJ: Approximately every three to four weeks.

X’Treme Nailz: What do you see as the pros and cons of wearing the X’Treme Nailz?

AJ: You know honestly, I don’t feel that there are any cons for me in particular. I’ve had them so long that they are a part of my rhythm. I treat my nails very rough and people always say to me, “You should be careful!” I should be delicate, you know, but I feel that when you are super careful with them, that is when you tend to break them more. So, I go about my daily routines and I do what I normally do regardless of whether I have nails. I still braid my daughter’s hair when she needs me, and of course, people ask the idiotic questions like, “How do you clean yourself?” “How do you cook?” Clearly, I’m not suffering, and I’m not that eat-out-all-ofthe-time kind of person! Also, I’m very much into hygiene and just like my physical outer appearance, I take very good care of myself and I’ve raised children. So, you kind of learn to navigate life having nails. They don’t stop anything, so for me there are NO cons necessarily. The most difficult thing that I may have had difficulties with, was probably tying my shoelaces if I am putting on a pair of Converse. Outside of that, they don’t impede my ability to design. They don’t impede my ability to do hair. They don’t impede my ability to cook, therefore, they don’t impede my ability to do anything that I choose to do.

X’Treme Nailz: And the pros? (Laughing)

AJ: (laughing) The definite pros are that they are absolutely sexy and beautiful! When I speak, I talk with my hands a lot and I think that it accentuates everything that I’m saying because the nails are there like a focal point! So there are definitely more pros than cons in wearing X’Tremes. But, I wish I could just stand on the top of a building and yell out to the people who ask the asinine questions of how I clean myself in the bathroom, though! I think to myself, under ‘normal’ circumstances, who is using their fingernails to drag along their private and sensitive parts? Does that make ANY sense?

X’Treme Nailz: Like you, and other nail divas, I LOVE my nails. They are a vivid expression of who I am and I can’t imagine being without them. Unfortunately, we are all asked those same questions! It comes with the territory of daring

to be different! I find that the ignorance usually comes from those that have adapted to the stigma of long nails or don’t understand that we didn’t just run to the salon yesterday and emerge with the lengths that we wear. Some of us have been in the nail game for decades.

AJ: I completely agree. There are also those who have recently gotten their nails done. They are like half of a centimeter long and say things like, “Oh my gosh, my nails are too long for me, I can barely do anything! I don’t understand how you function with yours that long!” I try to be polite and let them know that I’ve had my nails for years. For her, it’s kind of like practicing, you know? It’s funny, because then I tell them that I braid my daughter’s hair and that usually kills the argument altogether. They can’t understand how I can braid coupled with the fact that I am braiding with nails. At this point, it’s like, “She can braid, and she can do everything she said she can do!” People are silly, very silly!

X’Treme Nailz: What do you think about what I like to call the ‘new extreme nail craze’? You know we’ve been in this movement for years and people are now jumping onboard?

AJ: That’s exactly what it feels like. They’re playing ‘catch-up’. When I was a kid, Flo Jo was one of the first women that I remember with those long beautiful nails! I was like, “Oh my God, her nails are beautiful!” I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to grow my nails long! I also remember one of my aunts had really long nails as well! This is back in the eighties and nineties, so it’s funny to me that this younger generation is just now playing the catch-up game. It’s almost like they believe THEY are the creators of the long nails, you know the coffin and stiletto nails with all of the colors and designs. Their nails are really nice and it’s flattering to some degree. However, there are some that can be gaudy and too over the top with all of the attachments. I saw some created with little food items like hamburgers, french fries, milkshakes and a little drink! For me, that was too much, especially for everyday wear. But, in and of itself is a fashion statement. I like the designs and the different colors. I also love the different styles and some of the jewels. But, I don’t know, I like more of a class sophisticated style. Yes, something a bit more classy for sure.

X’Treme Nailz: That was a segway into my next question. Do you see any prejudices with wearing X’Treme nails?

AJ: Yes, you have to be mindful. I think today, the young people are looking at what the celebrities are doing and they are following their trends and that’s okay, but they have to remember that the celebrities have their own money. They are working for themselves and not on a 9-5. I worked in the corporate sector for three years, drafting contracts. It was an automatic assumption that because you look a particular way, you lack intellect. Then once you speak in a corporate manner, they are taken aback because of your appearance. This is still very real and it is very much in the forefront that you are expected to look a particular way depending upon the industry that you are in. Now I’m an entrepreneur and I own my own business and can do pretty much whatever I want and of course, the nails fit into the brand of the line and fashion industry. But when you’re working for someone, or in a business, especially in the corporate world, you have to be mindful that they may not outright alienate you, or make a direct attack, but they cannot afford you the opportunities for advancement based on your appearance if they don’t like your nails, your hair or maybe your tattoos. And I think that that’s one thing that this generation needs to be aware of.

X’Treme Nailz: Unfortunately, we are seen before we are known. It is the norms that society has set upon us. Therefore, if someone is different, the preconceived notions of our appearances fall in place automatically. So, do you have a signature color or a go-to-style?

AJ: When I first started I didn’t. I didn’t even know what the style was. It was just ‘regular’. It’s really funny because I used to call them the ‘porno’ style because that was the style worn in the adult films versions. So, that is what I would ask for. You know the long nails with the straight square across the tops. I did that for a couple of years and then I graduated to the ballet slipper shape. Then the stiletto for about three years and then back to the coffin. So, I prefer somewhere between coffin and ballet. As far as color, for years I never wore color. I stayed with the nudes, corals and peaches. But for the last four years or so, I have really been open to all different colors, and I have to have at least one nail completely sparkled and I make sure that my toes match. I don’t match my outfits, but my nails and toes must match...even the designs!

X’Treme Nailz: So outside of Flo Jo (Florence Griffin-Joyner), your auntie was your nail and fashion inspiration?

AJ: Yes! I remember as a kid, she loved to wear stiletto heels and her nails were really long and curved and they were always painted red. To this day she is still my favorite person! She helped raise me for part of my life in Jamaica. She was always very fashionable. I remember she used to rock this big Afro, bell-bottoms and high heeled wooden shoes. She wore very little make-up, just lip gloss, but her nails were dazzling with that red! Oh my goodness! She was just so bad-ass!

X’Treme Nailz: Now we’re talking about my era! Afros, bell-bottoms, platform shoes and Soul Train! We were definitely the era of the bad-asses! We were doing our own thing! Living our own lives, bucking the system!

AJ: Yes! You know exactly what I’m talking about! I used to sneak into her closet when she wasn’t around and prance around in her things! I couldn’t wait to be a teenager so that I could wear her shoes! Those were the bad-assed looks! (laughing)

As AJ and I continued to chit chat about things other than nails, I became grateful for the platform X’Treme Nailz International has launched allowing us to meet and share the backstories of nail divas around the world. You know, we are no different than the next person. We talk about family, fashion, relationships, current events, makeup, shoes and nails! I mentioned this to AJ and wanted to hear her thoughts. AJ: You know, people just see our nails and our differences, they don’t realize that we have a backstory. Yeah. I think that it’s a necessary part of getting to know the people who are in this community. I also think it’s necessary in helping members of the nail community to connect with other members. I feel like the most debilitating thing is feeling like you’re alone. Like there’s something weird or wrong with you. It’s really great knowing that there is a community out there that has members who are just like you. And when you look at the backstories, like with you and I in this conversation, learning about one another and our personal influences, growing up in the era of our icons, the way we look at the world, I think it’s great knowing a person’s history and culture. Thinking about myself, I’m originally from Jamaica and I spent part of my life there. Women were very conservative when I was growing up and it wasn’t until we moved to Canada where there was a bit more freedom. I believe my aunt found herself when she was able to wear the bell-bottoms, Afro and the brightly painted nails. That wasn’t something she was allowed to do in Jamaica because the community we lived in was very conservative. So seeing her in Canada, you would never know her backstory unless you had that conversation. So, I believe that it’s really important to know a person on a whole so that you have a better understanding of who they are, not just the image that’s presented face forward of them.

X’Treme Nailz: Well said, my friend! Exactly, it’s just that simple. Is there anything that you want to say to those that may be considering growing their nails or just explore wearing nails? AJ: It definitely is an investment that you shouldn’t enter into lightly. It’s one of those things that your heart has to be vested. There is maintenance and that can become costly. Like you, I remember I had a conversation with this gentleman and he was like, “If we ever dated I would definitely have to put aside at least $300 every month so that you can get your nails done because I know the maintenance of your nails costs a lot of money.” I’m glad that he understood that and I neither denied nor confirmed, and he continued with, “One of the things I appreciate is the fact that you do take care of your hands and feet.” And I do it, not for the show and not necessarily for anyone else, but just for the pure pleasure and enjoyment for myself. But I also know that it is a financial investment. So, the one thing I would caution is don’t make yourself go broke, trying to keep your nails pretty, to impress anyone. If you can do it and it doesn’t cause you financial hardship, then by all means do it. You know, you have to have balance. If you decide that you still want to enjoy the nails without the investment, there are gel polishes and an array of gorgeous, custom made press-ons which is a very popular thing now. That way, you can wear them and take them off whenever you like. Whatever your decision, don’t allow anyone to deter you from your greatness! If your nails are your glory, if your nails bring you joy, do your thing!

We continued to chat and we talked about body shaming in the plus-sized community as well as being able to love yourself and the skin that you are in. We recognized that although it doesn’t always happen, these conversations should start with our chil-

dren, especially those of color. When we see our youths exploring or determining paths towards their happiness, they should be encouraged. We are all unique individuals and to know that you have the love and support that allows you to love your authentic self is amazing in building the confidence needed to maneuver through life. It takes strength to dismiss the negative comments and the ability to accept the positives. When AJ recognized early on that her daughter would be tall and full-figured, she had that selflove conversation. “... if nothing else for creating fashion, wearing my nails, coloring my hair, living my life on my own terms, I wanted her to know that at 6’ and plussize, it will always be okay for her to be comfortable in her own skin as she sees fit, and not by the dictation of others. I started mentally preparing her to accept her body the way that it was. There are people who are going to not like you, and that’s okay, because there are going to be people who love you! You are going to be a diva and absolutely gorgeous...as a full-figure designer, it was really important as well to let her know that she didn’t have to be limited by the standards that the fashion industry sets. She is free to dress herself as she wants.” For fashion, AJ went on to remind the full-figured divas that we do not have to be limited by fabric, color or movement. “If it is made to fit you and you feel fabulous in it, you wear it, period! And to the naysayers, “Kick rocks!”

At X’Treme Nailz International, it will always be our mission to encourage and support self-love amongst our X’Treme Nailz community and our young people. Either way, you’re not going to please everyone, so you have to live your life the way you see fit, allowing others to conform to you and not conforming to everyone! With the support and reinforcement of people who love you, you figure it out and find your way.

AJ: Before we leave I just want to say to the readers, that until you want to do something to change your physical appearance or the way you look, ‘love-up’ on yourself every second that you get because you may not get a second chance to do so! I think it’s awesome and phenomenal that you’re 6’. I tell people this story all the time. From the time I was a fourteen year old, I had a best friend named Alison. Alison was 6’ when we were in high school and I loved her with all of my heart. I worshiped the ground she walked on because of her height and I always wanted to be tall. It’s ironic that I raised a daughter of this height!. I look at her and marvel all of the time, and when I stare at her sometimes she’s like, “Mommy, why are you staring at me?” I tell her it’s because she is tall and beautiful and I love her! So, Michelle I love you. You are a force to be reckoned with. You are an amazon and you are a diva!

Although you may not be an ‘amazon’ in stature, you are one in the heart of all hearts! I thank you for loving on yourself, loving on your family, loving on the fashion industry and X’Treme Nailz community and finally for loving on ME! I love you, too!

To contact Ava ‘AJ’ Jones for your oneof-a-kind design:

eMail:

phelinecouture@gmail.com

IG & Twitter:

Pheline Design