When Jody Davis envisioned the places her career as a fashion designer would take her, a baseball field wasn’t on the list. But on July 12, there she was throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Camden Yards ahead of the Orioles game against the Miami Marlins.
“I won’t say it didn’t bounce, but I got it over home plate,” Davis said with an infectious and self-deprecating laugh.
“It felt amazing! And then just to get the reward from the crowd made it even more exciting.”
July has been full of excitement — and Orioles magic — for Davis, whose downtown Baltimore boutique, Jody Davis Designs, specializes in polished yet practical womenswear.
The Baltimore native designed an exclusive collection of clothing for the Orioles’ Birdland Hawaiian Shirt giveaway, which took place on Tuesday, July 8, and Saturday, July 12. Using the team’s Hawaiian shirt design for 2025, which features the face of the Orioles mascot, crabs, flowers, and tropical plants, she created six stylishly sensible garments, including pants, dresses, a jacket, and two-piece set.
On July 12, fans at Camden Yards — the first 20,000 of which received a free Hawaiian shirt — were able to bid on the items in an auction at the Orioles Authentics Store on Eutaw Street. As of this week, the collection has raised more than $1,000 for the Baltimore Design School, where Davis is a board member.
“I want [people] to feel like these are one-and-only pieces that are stylish but functional. They can wear these pieces to the game, but they can also wear them after the game, or if they’re just running some errands,” Davis said, noting that every piece has pockets and incorporates elements she’s known for, such as playful trim.
But mostly, “I just want to make them see that there was love that went into these creations.”
Baltimore Beat sat down with Davis to learn more about her career and her lifelong devotion to fashion.
Grace Hebron: You’re a graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), created your own clothing collection, and have worked as a designer for more than three decades. What first piqued your interest in fashion?
Jody Davis: I loved fashion while I was in high school. One of the things that I prided myself on was always dressing well. But back then, I didn’t realize that what I looked at as a hobby was actually my gift. I’m so thankful to now be walking in my gift.
GH: I read that you first started sewing after graduating high school, but it took you seven years to fully dive in. What made you realize that you wanted to design clothes full time?
JD: After graduating from high school, I got a job with the government. And, you know, back then, that was a thing. I was told when I was young, if you got a job with the government, you would be set for life. But after seven years, I realized that I wanted something more.
When I decided to apply at FIT, I was not initially accepted. I was told that my garments passed the test, but that my sketching still needed a lot of work. I was encouraged to take two classes at Baltimore Community College, and to commute to New York City for two draping classes on the weekends.
When I went back for the second interview, as fate would have it, I got the same counselor. I said, “You suggested I do these two things, [which] I did. I got A’s in all of my classes, and here is my portfolio.” She stated, “I don’t need to see your portfolio. Your determination shows me that you really want to be here.” To this day, my sketching is just enough to get the point across.
GH: But I think that’s amazing. What really made an impact was your grit and creativity. For instance, I read that the first outfit you designed was cut from an old, yellow table cloth.
JD: [Laughs] Yeah. It was a beautiful, yellow, linen tablecloth, and it had scalloped edges. Back then, I was basically just cutting a garment with holes to put your head, arms, and body in. It wasn’t a whole bunch of major construction. [It was] just what I was able to do.
That’s when I started getting compliments from family and friends. I was thinking they were just being nice to me, but when I wore that particular outfit to visit my Aunt Ruth, who lived out of state, she was so impressed. She was a very special woman, and very elegant. She made it her business to encourage me to keep pursuing fashion, or whatever it is that I wanted to do. That’s why I’m so passionate about mentorship and giving back to the younger generation. If you can see someone who looks like you doing things that you want to do, it gives you a level of confidence.
GH: Since then you’ve designed for well-known names including Iyanla Vanzant, along with Maryland’s First Lady Dawn Moore. Could you have predicted back then, when you first made that yellow outfit, what your future had in store?
JD: Maybe not back then, but as I started to pursue a career in fashion, one of the things that I had in my journal is that I wanted my brand to be a household name. [I didn’t know] how long the journey would take. I just know that when you write those visions down and make them plain, they come true.
GH: I’m a believer in that too. Sometimes, all it takes is writing something down.
JD: Yes. That doesn’t [mean you know] how long it’s going to take, and it doesn’t mean you can just sit there and wait for it.You’ve got to put the work in.
GH: Speaking of hard work and patience, describe your design process.
JD: I start with a thought, like “What do I have coming up?” “What pieces do I need to have available?” “Is this for a dinner or a business meeting?” Then, I will look for a particular fabric. Then, I take the fabric that I’m going to work out of and start draping it on my dress form. There are folks who can sketch the idea out. My creativity comes from draping the idea. I may have one thought in mind, but then I start draping, and it turns out to be something different or more exciting.
GH: You’re a native of Baltimore and a graduate of Western High School. How does the city of Baltimore inspire your design work?
JD: There’s a sense of style in Baltimore that is just individual. Us Baltimore natives are not afraid to express our individuality. That sense of being authentic to who you are is something that was instilled in me way back when I attended Western High School, and it has carried me on this journey in the fashion realm. I don’t try to emulate some other designer or some fashion trend or whatever is going on. I stay true to me and what I love, and that comes through in what I design.
GH: What else inspires you right now?
JD: I love a fabulous shoe. Once I see a shoe that I love, I start incorporating what I want to wear with that particular shoe. I love colors. I love textures. I love pairing the unusual together.
GH: What’s the biggest thing designing clothing has instilled in you?
JD: If you put your mind to it, and you put the energy and effort into it, all things are possible. And belief is a key factor. The belief that things are possible is half the battle.
GH: If you were a piece of clothing what would you be?
JD: I would be a dress with a frilly bottom and fitted top. Just something that I could spin around with and [spread] magic around the world.
GH: Any advice for new designers on the scene?
JD: Find your niche. Find what gives you joy and passion. Don’t be swayed by what you hear are the biggest trends, colors, or styles. Be your own authentic self, because that’s what the world needs and wants.
GH: What’s next for Jody Davis Designs?
JD: What’s next is the continued elevation of the power suit, something that I have worked on and continue to perfect. Lux Leisure is a collection that we are rolling out with fashionable, luxury leisure [apparel] that you can wear to the office. You can wear it while you’re traveling. You can also wear it out on a weekend.