Family Support Program: Finding Family, Community, and Passion for Design through Chicago House

When Jacques Agbobly’s family emigrated to Chicago’s West Side from Togo, Africa in 2007, they faced a lack of strong community and an immense language barrier. Jacques and his brothers struggled in school, and their mother wanted to give her children more resources and better opportunities. These challenges prompted the Agbobly family to move into Chicago House’s Family Support Program (FSP) after their first year in Chicago.

“The first day we came to Chicago House, they threw an ice cream party for my brothers and I,” Jacques recalls. “I felt so special just to be surrounded by so much love. Everyone knew each other; all the kids went to the same schools and did their homework together. [In the summers] we did…a whole bunch of activities together. It taught me that family isn’t just people who you are immediately related to, and that was really impactful for me.”

Chicago House placed great emphasis on the boys’ futures, often asking Agbobly and his brothers what they wanted to be when they grew up. Through this prompting, Jacques formed a desire early on to pursue a career in fashion. He consumed as many design videos and shows as he could and set his sights on attending Parsons School of Design as early as middle school. Chicago House connected Jacques with Boris Powell, a Chicago-based Black designer, with whom he designed his first dress. “Seeing how something I drew on a piece of paper can become a real-life thing was so great,” Jacques says. He premiered his first runway look at Chicago House’s Spring Brunch & Fashion Show in 2012.

Today, Jacques lives in New York City and is completing his BFA at Parsons School of Design. He recently secured a studio space, where he says he has been falling in love with fashion again. “Moving to New York has been a dream come true,” he shares. “I feel that being here elevates my abilities.”

Jacques’ family was one of forty-three to be permanently housed through FSP. Alongside supportive, independent, and community housing programs, Chicago House provides over 425 individuals and families with a safe, affordable place to live each year. “The work that Chicago House does is very impactful,” Jacques shares. “I’m able to be here today because of the wonderful dedication the staff was able to put into the young kids in the after-school program and I hope that they continue to invest in the future of young minds.”

As for the collection he shared at this year’s Spring Brunch & Fashion Show, Jacques said, “You can expect a lot of layers. It’s about identity, it’s about traveling, it’s about migration; it’s about the different layers interwoven within our identities. As someone who’s a queer person—I’m also a Black person, I’m also an immigrant—there are lots of things that make up who I am.”

Hear the full interview with Jacques and Chicago House CEO Michael Herman and view his Spring Brunch runway looks.