Introducing our new ambassador - Fashion designer Jake Posner
Wednesday 5 October 2022
Jake Posner is a dyslexic entrepreneur in the fashion industry. Jake has channelled his dyslexic strengths into launching the hugely successful brand NO ONE TRUE ANYTHING, a sustainable fashion brand with a mission to create real change & opportunities, whilst raising awareness for those with dyslexia.
Today Jake's work and mission is recognised worldwide and was recently featured in both Forbes Magazine and The Guardian showcasing how the brand is different due to dyslexia and neurodiversity playing a huge part in the brand story and designs.
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Jake as a valued ambassador, we look forward to working with you on our shared goal, to build a dyslexia friendly society.
Watch Jake's full story here
Read Jakes Q&A: When he was diagnosed, how his dyslexia has impacted his career and what becoming a British Dyslexia Ambassador means to him...
Tell us about your diagnosis
I was about 8 or 9 and I remember having lessons outside the standard English and Maths, as I was falling behind my class mates and my learning support teacher recognised it and thought that I could potentially be dyslexic, so she called my parents in and she advised that I get assessed, a couple of days later it came back and confirmed that I was dyslexic.
How did you come up with idea for your company?
I was always interested in clothing and fashion, I got my first full time job at 16 and my first paycheque went on clothing! So I always wanted to make clothing, but I wanted it to be so much more, to tell a story and I had a dream one night that I started a clothing brand, the next day I got to work on it! I thought that the way to really tell a story and a way to engage people would be to incorporate my dyslexia, and that’s how I came up with the idea!
What challenges did you face?
I faced a few challenges, I wasn’t very good at school, I didn’t understand the work they were asking me to do and I think being dyslexic, we think in a different way, the one line, one track, one fits all approach, doesn’t work for everyone and I found myself becoming the class clown because I was getting frustrated with the work that I could not do and didn’t know where I was going to end up or how my results were going to turn out!
What skills do you feel you dyslexia gives you, that has made you so successful?
I think my dyslexia has given me a different way of thinking and in my instance, I think it is more about the creativity side of things and the story telling, everything within my brand has a narrative to it. So for example the key branding is broken down, it is hyphenated, the reason for that is because it is broken down in syllables which reflects my way of breaking down words, or how I write them. DEB-UT the 2 syllables of Debut.
We also have the company logo which is 3 horizontal lines and 2 vertical, some people would look at that as just 5 lines, for me it’s much more than that.
5 brand pillars - sustainability, community, innovations, storytelling and creativity. That is where I feel my dyslexia comes into full!
What does becoming a British Dyslexia Association Ambassador mean to you?
To me it means a lot, it is something that I have lived with all my life, and I feel like I have always wanted to be in a space where I can give something back to others, I feel this really does give me that platform to do that. I want to give back to the community where we can all have that connection. It’s something that means a lot to me.
What advice would you have for someone who has recently been diagnosed?
Honestly shout about it and really embrace it! You’re all going to have your own path, your own journey and 90 percent of people aren’t dyslexic, just 10 percent of the population! We have that different thinking.
I have just recently added that I am dyslexic into my email signature, so that when people get an email from me, they can understand there may be errors or things spelt wrong.