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Alumni Spotlight: Jihad Harkeem '08

Jihad Harkeem is a Renaissance man. If you think that implies he’s a “jack of all trades,” you’re mistaken. Unlike that Jack, who was a master of none, Harkeem has mastered quite a few—and they are all creative. His artistic energy is infectious and his creative output has left a mark on projects ranging from brand and event activations to graphic and interior design, from consulting on runway fashion shows to collaborating with the likes of Bitcoin and Invisalign.

“I’ve always been an artistic person and I’ve always loved creatingthings,” said Harkeem. “I loved art in school and loved getting

involved in anything I could in regards to creating.” Fond memories of creative expression at Peck include drawing a Goya-style pastel picture of a cat in third grade that was selected to be the official Peck birthday card that year, working on the yearbook, and serving as the principal designer on the committee to create the eighth-grade class banner.

“I’m super grateful to Peck’s art and music teachers and for the resources at Peck that made everything possible, because I feel like I learned so much and was exposed to so much at a young age,” explained Harkeem. He also believes Peck contributed to his early interest in fashion and fashion publications, ironically, due to the requirements of the school uniform. “When I wasn’t in uniform, I got to choose anything I wanted to wear and I just got wild and crazy,” he recalled.

Harkeem’s art adventures continued after Peck at Avon Old Farms School. The school had wonderful facilities, but with so many students focused on athletics, Harkeem practically owned the art department. For college, he chose Fordham in New York City. He convinced his mother that the school’s proximity to Manhattan would give him a head start in the art world through internships and networking. He had good instincts.

Harkeem has flourished in the Big Apple both during and after university. While in school, he served as the private graphic designer and marketing agent for one of the top-grossing real estate agents in the city. He also gained a wide range of experience working with designer Hanley Mellon. After graduation, he spent time working with the publications Beauty Fashion and Cosmetic World, smaller trade publications that allowed him artistic freedom. Next, he explored the social scene, working with popular events producer Travis Bass. Throughout these creative explorations, he made connections and expanded his network with authentic and eclectic personalities in a whole host of creative fields across the city.

“I have been really fortunate because in my early experiences I gained both uptown and downtown connections and influences. Also, in creative industries in big cities you normally have to claim your territory and work so hard at one thing for years in order to get experience and get to the places you want to be. But I was able to work for people who let me play around and see what I liked,” said Harkeem.

Harkeem’s ability to multitask, hone various creative skills, and say “yes” when artistic adventure presented itself served him well. He recently completed an eight-month contract to launch a new color cosmetic line for Glossier. He appeared as on-camera talent in last summer’s Mercedes-Benz Pride campaign, and he co-produced a guerilla-style sidewalk fashion show during fashion week last September that was featured in Vogue.

Along with his partner, he has formed a creative duo known as Clyde and Clyde. This year, they planned to officially launch an exciting platform for men known as Good Looks. “We want Good Looks to be the community and platform that introduces all men to the conversation about skincare and self-care,” explained Harkeem. “These subjects should not be seen as feminizing or something men should not be proud to think and talk about.”

But 2020 threw a wrench (or several) into the Good Looks launch plans. With the Covid-19 global pandemic and the unrest around racial justice issues, Harkeem said, “We took a real pause. There was so much more important work to do than selling products.” His team was able to use their growing Good Looks platform to highlight issues that they felt needed to be discussed in a raw and real way. “What we were posting didn’t need specifically to align with the brand,” Harkeem said. “We just wanted to do something that is necessary and right.”

For the week of Juneteenth, for example, Good Looks turned their Instagram live platform over each day to savvy Black women in fashion, entertainment, finance, and photography, among other industries. “We wanted our platform to be a place for people to have conversations, make donations, and be exposed to work by Black artists,” Harkeem said. “And when we finally do properly release Good Looks, we will continue on this path.”

Now that Harkeem’s work is picking up again, the Good Looks emphasis on pushing back against “acceptable” expressions of masculinity seems more apropo than ever. “This isn’t about us being wrong or right; this is just us living our lives. And that is really just kicking it, relaxing, but also making a space for us to talk about things we wouldn’t normally hear talked about.” A podcast called A Cold One With the Boys is in the works for release later this year, along with some truly unique product releases.

Though the world has changed in myriad ways since Harkeem’s departure from The Peck School, his ties to the place where he first flourished as an artist run deep. He encourages his fellow Peck alumni to always keep learning, and to be open to mentoring and leading younger generations with an interest in their field. Harkeem remembers seeing Alexis Maybank McCluskey ’89 (former founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Gilt Groupe) featured in an issue of Peck News and being wowed. “If I could inspire someone like she inspired me,” he remarked, “that would make me so happy.”

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