Christopher John Rogers

Christopher John Rogers (B.F.A., fashion, 2016) was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Encouraged to pursue the arts from a young age, he was enrolled in fine arts classes and obsessed equally over Japanese anime and the works of Gaugin and Ellsworth Kelly. Rogers' introduction to design came through creating costumes for his comic book characters. He would use found fabric or garbage bags, draping them onto a form — whatever he could do to make his vision come to life. It was this innate sense of experimentation that initially shaped his design process. He spent many Sundays in the pews of a Southern Baptist church in awe of the attention to detail that went into monochromatically coordinated ensembles, complete with feathered hats, stockings, and gloves. These experiences cemented in him a firm decision to pursue fashion design as a career.

Rogers launched the CJR brand with his SCAD senior thesis collection. After graduation, the collection received major press and editorial placements when Cardi B wore the "Eddie" coat to a major award ceremony. Since then, the brand has received international placements in Vogue, WWD, T Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle, along with prominent celebrity placements on Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Beyoncé, Adele, Lady Gaga, Anne Hathaway, Lil Nas X, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kamala Harris, among others.

In 2019, Rogers was awarded the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund's top prize and named one of Forbes' 30 Under 30. In 2020, Rogers was honored by the CFDA as American Emerging Designer of the Year. In 2021, the brand was selected as one of nine finalists in the LVMH Prize competition and named American Womenswear Designer of the Year by the CFDA.

Today the brand is sold with select retail partners including Alara in Lagos, Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Browns in London, Joyce in Hong Kong, McMullen in Oakland, Calif., Net-A-Porter, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

The Christopher John Rogers brand exists to create emotional and intentional clothing with a focus on effortful dressing, directed toward a client with a strong sense of self. The brand delivers clothing with an emphasis on quality manufacturing and timeless appeal, while simultaneously encouraging their customer to take up space.