ABOUT THE DESIGNER
about the designer
ACFW Award-winning couture designer of the year 2017, John Leon, founder and creative director of John De Leon (Formerly known as John JNL Leon), was born in Philadelphia on November 1991 to parents originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico. Leon is self-taught and has been running the growing business since 2011. John has had a passion for fashion design for as long as he can remember. At the tender age of 5, Leon was sketching fashion illustrations of original design without understanding or knowledge of the fashion world. Years later Leon found his passion for fashion design evolving into teaching himself to sew, manage a team, and run his own business.
Within the following decade, Leon has showcased 5 seasonal collections in multiple cities throughout the East coast, including Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and New York City. The collections were later featured in two online magazines, Parvenu and Bravura, twice published in Fashion Ave News Magazine, and showcased in Philly Style Magazine. Leon has dressed multiple private clients such as Fox on-air commentator Dr. Nina Radcliff, former Miss New Jersey Brenna Weick, Mrs. Pennsylvania America 2013/Mrs. Haiti International 2015 Andrea Graham, ACFW producer Jeana Bowling, and 2025 Grammy Nominated opera singer Karen Slack.
In 2017, Leon's fashion illustrations were discovered by window designer Michael DeLuca. The pair would then collaborate to create a window design showcasing the prestigious luxury retail store Boyds Philadelphia. For this project, John created women's and men's fashion illustrations which were enlarged and displayed in the store's two front entry windows throughout the spring season of that year.
For 2018, Leon was the judge for best evening wear and best costume category at the Mrs. NJ & PA International Pageant. He would return the following year as co-host alongside Dr. Nina Radcliff. Later in 2019, Leon spoke at Stockton University about being an entrepreneur in the fashion industry and mentored young fashion designer graduates from the Art Institute. In the Fall Leon would then expand his brand by adding bridal to the JNL label, releasing two bridal collections, Spring and Fall, showcased at Philly Fashion Week and Atlantic City Fashion Week.
In 2022, Leon once again collaborated with Michael DeLuca in creating an enlarged lingerie fashion illustration display for the front windows of Center City Philly shop Je Suis Jolie. Following the positive reception of the completed work, Je Suis Jolie founder Jennifer Rosen was quoted as saying "It was extremely important to all of us that the fashion sketches celebrated diversity by featuring different body types and skin tones to show how inclusive we strive to be each and every day."
Leon would go on to create a holiday doll collection in memory of his younger sister Lisbeth Leon in 2023. Lisbeth unfortunately passed away from asthma in 2006 at the young age of 10 years old. As kindred young aspirants to fashion design in their childhood, John considered this collection a fond dedication to her memory and the reification of interest in design which laid the groundwork for his creative path. "My sister and I were very close and making clothes for her dolls out of socks was something I loved to do" -John Leon.
Today, Leon is known not only for the cohesive collections he has developed but also for the increasing recognition of his custom creations. Consistently evolving, JNL will continue to bring eccentric, glamorous, and creative designs to the greater Philadelphia community through private consultations, fashion shows, and related organizations.
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