Joelle Jean-Fontaine is a Dorchester-based Haitian fashion designer and the founder and CEO of the high-end women's fashion brand Kréyol (also known as I Am Kréyol). She is known for designs that feature bold silhouettes and unique fabrics, blending traditional feminine styles with Afro-Caribbean cultural influences.

Career and Recognition

• Brand Launch: Joelle and her mother, Yolette Fontaine, launched Kréyol in 2005, which has since grown into a lifestyle brand offering clothing, art, and housewares.
• Fashion Weeks: Her collections have been showcased at major events including New York, London, and Caribbean Fashion Weeks.
• Awards & Features: She was named one of the top Haitian designers to know by Teen Vogue and awarded "Best Clothing Designer" by Boston Magazine in 2017.
• Social Mission: The brand has a strong social mission, using fashion as a catalyst for change. A portion of sales supports poor and disenfranchised women in the U.S. and Haiti. She has also partnered with organizations for awareness campaigns, such as an HIV/AIDS initiative with Action for Boston Community Development. 

Background

Joelle Jean-Fontaine's designs are deeply inspired by her Haitian heritage and her mother's entrepreneurial spirit and creativity. Her mother, a seamstress and engineer, ran her own fashion boutique in Haiti before the family migrated to the United States in the late 1980s due to political unrest. Jean-Fontaine carries on this family legacy, drawing inspiration from the resourcefulness of her grandparents and the traditional fabrics of her culture.