Fashion Designs by "Just Ike"

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS—The Flour Bluff community is no stranger to school spirit, although Senior Isaac “Ike” Holland, has taken it to a whole new level with his latest creation: a one-of-a-kind #1 Fan jacket, designed for the Ultimate Flour Bluff supporter, Felix Deleon Jr. “Mr. Flex”. Holland, known for his passion for fashion, poured his heart and soul into this jacket, combining school pride with his unique style.  

His teacher, Mrs. Rachel Johnson, recognized Holland’s potential, and  purchased the fabric for the project.  What Holland created was not just a jacket, but a wearable tribute to the Flour Bluff Hornets sports teams.

“[Mrs. Johnson] told me to cover up as much denim as I could, while still giving a nice spirit for the school,” ” Holland said.

The jacket itself is a masterpiece. Holland transformed a simple denim trench coat into something extraordinary. He quilted the sleeves with a checkered race flag design, which gave the jacket energy. On the front, the words “Flour” and “Bluff” are on each side in bold letters. On the back, a “#1 Fan” and “Hornets” were carefully stitched by  ribbon. 

“I feel like the hardest thing was having to sew the ribbons on, because it’s all about placement with the seams, and placement with the ribbons and making the letters the same size,” Holland said. “On top of that, sewing ribbon with a sewing machine [is] difficult because it is more [paper-like] than [fabric]...” 

Some of the  most noticeable elements of the jacket are the ribbons on the bottom back of the jacket, that flow with every move, and give way to the sneaky stars hidden beneath. 

“[The ribbons added to the back gave it] a medieval look,” Holland said. “When [Mr. Deleon Jr.] runs, it flows in the wind.”

The final touch to Holland’s work of art was the pockets. The jacket took a week and a half, as he spent time during school and at home. 

“[This] was my first quilt - [Well,] technically just the quilt top, but it’s so amazing.” Holland said. “I wish I could just keep the sleeves for myself, and give him the rest of the jacket.” 

Holland’s passion for fashion didn’t just appear overnight. His journey began last year when he made a Barbie outfit for the pep rally that was Barbie themed. 

“I made a Barbie outfit for the pep rally last year. I learned that I could sew, and that I was good at designing stuff,” Holland said. 

After the pep rally, he continued to enhance his skills, and created a pair of patchwork pants that had a floral design. 

“It was asymmetrical, and I loved how it turned out. That’s when I knew I wanted to pursue fashion seriously,” Holland said. 

Because of his motivation for more successes, he took his talents and decided to compete in the Visual Art Scholastic Event, also known as VASE, which is known as one of the best competitions in Texas for visual arts. 

“I made a pair of pants out of leather and upholstery fabric and gave it a very Mexican culture vibe, mixed with a little Native American-esque [style] for the colors…and the leather,” Holland said. 

As a senior, after high school he plans to continue his fashion career and dive deeper with his artistic endeavors.