Did you ever have something that plays a big role in your life, a thing which impacts you and shapes who you are? You might not think that a little stain on the jeans of a 14-year-old kid could create a better future for many people, but Jessie Rose Schwartz, a new junior in Dana Hall this year, has turned the stain on her jeans into a lifelong impact. She has created a company, EPICROSE, which sells hand-painted apparel and donates 100% of her profit to food allergy research.

Jessie suffers from a severe food allergy. Her allergy started when she was in 5th grade with the tree nuts and then evolved to coconut and sesame seed. It was a turning point in her life which took a lot of adjustment. “Obviously, very scary for me,” she said. But this scary allergy has changed her whole life.

Jessie’s big idea was sparked in the summer going into sophomore year.  As Jessie told me, “One day, I had a stain on my jeans and I was like wow, I should just like draw over that and cover it so I decided that I would just paint on my own jeans,” this is the little beginning which leads to her awesome project.

The story continues, as Jessie decided  “ I can sell these but I don’t wanna just sell stuff and make money, I want to make a difference. And I thought about what matters the most for me and because allergy has such a big impact on my life, I decided that I would create something that helps people with allergies.”

Her first piece was a pair of high-waisted jeans with a butterfly on the thigh and flowers on the ankles. But her most challenging and most favorite project is the pair of Converse high top sneakers in a red hot chili pepper theme. “I think that’s kind of awesome and there’s the first thing that I’ve ever done for Men aside from a jacket. It’s kind of hard to figure out something that guys will be interested in buying but I think they are pretty cool,” she said.

One of the most popular themes she creates is imagery of waves.“Wave has kind of been a big thing. I feel that everyone is really interested in the wave. So I’ve done ocean wave on jeans and I have also done it on sneakers so those are pretty fun.”

Every piece is 100% custom-made. The style of the brand EPICROSE is the heart-made painting. Jessie always hides special little details in every piece, especially dots and splatters. “I’m really into designing details so there will always be special little details in everything,” Jessie said.

If you have an idea in your head, don’t be hesitate to tell Jessie about it. “People will DM me on Instagram or contact me in another way and they will send me a picture or describe the idea that they have in their head of something they would want. I go from there and I make it happen. I never say no to anyone.”

Now Jessie is starting to work on a new project which nobody knows about yet. The new product will be with a reasonable price. “It will be something that everybody can take part in,” according to Jessie.

Isn’t it awesome? Go grab your phone and check out the Instagram @EPICROSE.INC

Don’t hesitate to support this amazing young woman and her company