Jamal Blackman: Chelsea keeper, on loan at Leeds, has a clothing line aimed at bigger men and women
STANDING at 6’7″ tall, Jamal Blackman has always struggled to find clothes that fit.
So, the imposing Chelsea keeper, currently on loan at Leeds United, decided to do something about it.
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Chelsea goalie Jamal Blackman has his own clothing line
Taking on the advice of his mum, the youngster from South London set up a clothing label in 2016 called Prodigieux.
What started with snapback caps, blossomed into T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and jackets.
The emphasis on the clobber was that it had to fit and look good on bigger people, tall men and curvier women.
Most recently, the Croydon-born goalie, who shared a healthy rivalry with Jack Butland at England youth level, introduced bikinis to his fashion line.
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Wearing his own label, Blackman models his Prodigieux range
SunSport popped into Jamal’s Leeds abode for a cuppa and chatted about his threads and hopes for Prodigieux.
Jamal told SunSport: “There’s quite a lot of designers out there that don’t make clothes that fit big people.
“I’m 6’7†and it was always a problem for me finding clothes I liked that would fit my body.
“If I found a top I wanted, often the arms would be too short or I’d lift my arms up and it would look like a crop top.
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Prodigieux was set up by Jamal in 2016
Prodigieux London
The fashion line also sells women’s bikinis at a reasonable cost
“The idea behind Prodigieux was to find something that was more me.
“I liked Gucci, Balmain, Louis Vuitton and Sik Silk. So I thought that’s what everyone is going for, tight wear, so that was all inspiring.
“I think everyone in football wants to look good. Fashion means a lot to the players.
“I used to see players wearing things and think that would look nice if I could fit in it.
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Jamal admitted he set up Prodigieux because he found it hard to find clothes that fit him
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Standing at 6’7″ tall, Jamal cuts a commanding figure
Prodigieux London
The ‘Nimah’ animal print bikini sells on Prodigieux’s website for just £30
“And fashion has always been a part of my life. My family, my mum, brothers and sisters have always been fashionable.
“She used to dress us up in little sailor outfits and stuff like that, although that was probably more of a fashion disaster!â€
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And it’s Jamal’s mother that has been crucial to the creation of Prodigieux.
He revealed: “It was my mum who said why don’t you go with something that’s more you and that was where the idea to branch out into other things.
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Blackman models their streetwear style oversized jacket that sells online for £250
“I started off with my hats. Everyone was wearing snapbacks when I first started my range.
“I had about 50, so that was one of the things I thought would be good to begin with.
“I had players and friends asking me where I got my hats, I told them I made them and they’d ask me if I could sort them out for some.
“After that, I thought I wanted to add more to the fashion label, but I didn’t want to go with standard clothes.â€
Instagram @prodigieuxldn
Originally, Jamal started with snapback hats
Jamal conceded that Will Smith was one of his fashion icons growing up and he was a big fan of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air’s style.
“High-tops, jeans, baggy tops… I thought he was cool.â€
And Smith, standing at 6’2″ tall, would certainly benefit from Jamal’s extensive range, which the shot-stopper hopes to push through social media.
“I just want to reach out to people, who like me, struggle to find things that fit them.
Instagram @prodigieuxldn
Prodigieux sells hoodies for men and women
“There are people on social media who are that little bit taller and women that are curvy, so I’ve tried to aim the label at people that can’t get what they want.â€
With the help of a team of four other creatives, Jamal said he was very hands-on with how the clothing should look.
“I started with a few designs that I’d seen, speaking with people and worked with a few teams.
“They had a few ideas and we all pulled together, saying what we liked and added things as we went along.
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Jamal revealed that he’s reached out to celebrities on social media to help spread the word about Prodigieux
“We also reached out to everyone famous, who’s big on social media, especially on Instagram.
“We’ve ask many people what they like, because feedback is very important. It helps to know what people want.â€
Jamal admitted he’s also been lucky to receive the support of the football community in helping spread the word of the brand.
“I’ve had a good feedback from my teammates,†he said.
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Jamal is currently on loan with Leeds
“Everyone loved the hats when I brought them out, and then I brought out the T-shirts which went down well.
“Then, when the bikinis came out, everyone was talking about them and getting them for their partners.
“I had Chelsea teammates Cesc Fabregas wear a couple of hats, Kurt Zouma too. Nathaniel Chalobah, Patrick Bamford, Nathaniel Clyne and Dominic Solanke also wore Prodigieux.
“It helps quite a bit because they’ve got such a big social media following themselves.
“People will see the players wearing the products and think they look nice and would like to wear them too.â€
The name for the label itself is loosely translated as meaning phenomenal in French.
The former England under 19 international admitted that he owes Chelsea goalkeeping coach, Christophe Lollichon for the name.
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Jamal admitted he chose the name Prodigieux because his French goalkeeping coach always said it during Chelsea training sessions
“Basically, being at Chelsea for so long, I grew up with a lot of French players.
“My goalkeeping coach, who was a massive influence on my life, used to say the word a lot.
“I picked up that word, he said it a few times in training, so I thought I could use that.â€
Many curvy women struggle to find a bikini that, not only fits them, but suits their body shape.
Prodigieux London
Curvy women struggle to find bikinis that fit them perfectly, according to Jamal
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SunSport’s Jon Boon sat down with Jamal Blackman to talk about Prodigieux
Jamal hopes that Prodigieux can help give them the confidence to flaunt their curves.
“With bikinis, again that was social media driven,†he divulged.
“I noticed that a lot of women with a curvier shape found it hard finding bikinis that suited them.
“My mum’s 5’10â€, my sisters are curvy and they wanted something that would work for them better.
Prodigieux London
Jamal hopes Prodigieux will give curvy women more confidence wearing bikinis
“But the main aim behind the bikini range is to make sure everyone can feel confident wearing one and still look good.â€
Being a forward-thinker, Jamal has even catered for the environmentalists – with a part of his range being good for the planet.
“We spoke to a few companies who do that kind of thing,†he revealed.
“With people being more cleaner, healthier and helping the planet, we wanted to try it out ourselves.
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Also part of Prodigieux’s range is an environmentally-friendly fashion line
“The material is still really good, it’s high-quality and it takes to the prints well, so we haven’t lost anything. I’m very proud of it.â€
At 24 retirement is the last thing on Jamal’s mind, but the reality is footballers do have to think about a life after football.
Although he sees clothing as a way of financially supporting himself when his playing days come to an end, he’s also keen on cars.
In fact, parked in his driveway are two stunning motors – a Range Rover Urban, customised by Marlon Harewood’s AC13 Premier, as well as a Mercedes S65.
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Jamal is a keen car enthusiast, owning a Mercedes S65 and a Range Rover Urban
“Being quite young, trying to try out things while I can, clothing was something I turned to first and it’s done well.
“Maybe if it continues to do well, I can keep pushing it after my career. I also love my cars, so that’s something I’d like to explore further.
“I drive a Mercedes S65 and have a Range Rover Urban. My Mercedes is styled a bit like the Batmobile.
“I grew up as a fan of Batman and when I saw that S65 I really wanted one.â€
