View source for Jermikko

{{short description|American Fashion Designer}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Jermikko
| image         = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [[brackets]] -->
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
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| birth_name    =  Jermikko Shoshanna Taliaferro Johnson
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1946|07|22}}
| birth_place   = [[Chicago]], Illinois, United States
| death_date    =
| death_place   =
| other_names   =
| occupation    = Fashion designer, businessperson
| years_active  = 1972–present
| known_for     =
| notable_works =
}}
'''Jermikko''' (born July 22, 1946) is an American fashion designer and businessperson based in [[Chicago]]. She was the first African-American woman to own a store in Chicago's upscale [[Magnificent Mile]].
==Early life and career==
Jermikko was born as '''Jermikko Shoshanna Johnson''' in Chicago in 1946. She began making clothes as a teenager, altering and redesigning family members' outfits. In 1972, after graduating with a BFA from the [[School of the Art Institute of Chicago]], she apprenticed under designer [[Stanley Korshak]] in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kim |first1=Joann |title=Self-Made |url=http://www.saic.edu/150/self-made |publisher=School of the Art Institute of Chicago |access-date=October 17, 2019 |archive-date=February 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200208145846/http://www.saic.edu/150/self-made |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1979, she opened her own fashion business. She has designed pieces for [[Spike Lee]]'s 2015 film ''[[Chi-Raq]]'' and ''[[Empire (2015 TV series)|Empire]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chicago Designer Jermikko's Designs Make It To The Big Screen |url=https://atlantadailyworld.com/2015/07/17/chicago-designer-jermikkos-designs-make-it-to-the-big-screen/ |work=Atlanta Daily World |date=July 17, 2015}}</ref> In 2016, her hoodie design appeared in [[Beyonce]]'s "[[Pray You Catch Me]]" video.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Joann Yj Kim |title=Beyonce 'Lemonade' sweatshirt made by Chicago designer |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-beyonce-lemonade-designer-chicago-ent-0526-20160526-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune |date=May 27, 2016}}</ref> Jermikko is the Executive Director of Design and CEO of the Jermikko and JJ Hobeau labels.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jermikko: Coat Fashions |url=https://abc7chicago.com/archive/8550742/ |publisher=WLS-TV |date=February 20, 2012}}</ref>
==Awards and honors==
*1997 Designer of the Year Award from the Apparel Industry Board
*1999 Manufacturer of the Millennium Award<ref>{{cite news |title=ABC 7 Celebrates Black History Month with News, Programming and Vignettes. |work=Chicago Citizen |issue=46 |date=February 3, 2016 |page=3}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/jermikko-shoshannah-johnson-39 Jermikko interview on The History Makers oral history project]
* [https://www.wbez.org/shows/south-side-stories/masters-of-invention/e788c961-d307-482d-beb2-6b6c7583218a WBEZ interview with Jermikko]
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[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American fashion designers]]
[[Category:American women fashion designers]]
[[Category:African-American fashion designers]]
[[Category:American fashion businesspeople]]
[[Category:University of Chicago alumni]]
[[Category:School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Chicago]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:21st-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American women]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American women]]