Jill Ryder speaks about her blazers the way some people talk about first albums. There is affection, a little awe and the sense that each one carries its own story.
For years, Ryder repurposed vintage band T-shirts, cutting and reworking them into one-of-a-kind tops that sold briskly in boutiques. But fit was always a challenge. “One day I thought, a blazer seems more universal,” she says. So in September 2025, she pivoted. Blazers offered freedom. Worn open, oversized, or tailored by attitude rather than measurement, they felt timeless. And ready.
Under her label, Standout Upcycled Fashion, Ryder began sourcing high-quality men’s blazers that looked nearly new. Onto them, she layered concert tees sourced from vintage and resale shops, choosing darker palettes and familiar bands. The logic is visual more than literal. “My husband will say, those bands wouldn’t play together,” she laughs. “But to me, it’s about colors and shapes.” Genre matters, but harmony matters more.
The process is slow and deliberate. Each graphic is reinforced with adhesive, stitched by hand and heat-set. Placement takes the longest. Ryder treats each jacket like a composition, adjusting until it feels right. The result is wearable memory that holds up.
What excites her most is the research. Older logos. Forgotten eras. A country blazer recently sent her down a rabbit hole on Sun Studio in Memphis when she came across that logo. “I learned Elvis and Johnny Cash recorded there,” she says. “I had an old Elvis pattern, so I put those together.”
Ryder sells through North Shore boutiques, Etsy and most actively through Instagram, where her process and finished pieces live side by side. Community, she says, is the engine. “This is where I live. These are my people.” She pauses. “Each blazer is like one of my babies. I just hope whoever buys it loves wearing it as much as I love making it.”
Her latest pieces appear on Instagram (@standoutbyjill), with select jackets available on Etsy.