NYFW: Jay Godfrey, from working in finance to debuting designs at fashion week

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It may have been a battle of snow vs. style, but the weather didn’t stop designers and fashion-lovers from bringing their A-game to New York Fashion Week.

After kicking off on Thursday, the Lincoln Center and surrounding venues have welcomed thousands of attendees to see observe the work of creative designers.

Among the first to premiere their Fall 2014 collections was celebrity fashion designer Jay Godfrey, a New-York-based designer who creates womenswear described as sleek, sexy and sophisticated – and his new collection is no different.

Godfrey made his debut at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this year, marking a big moment for the young designer, who had always dreamed of pursuing fashion.

“It feels great! I’m ready, I’m excited that we’ve really pushed the meter forward in a big time and super cool way and we get to show the world here in New York,” Godfrey told theGrio backstage at his show on Thursday.

Godfrey studied finance in undergraduate school and went on to work on Wall St. after college but soon decided leave the industry to follow his passion in design and enrolled in Parsons School of Design.

His background in business and well-executed creative vision only helped to catapult him to the national stage; after landing several impressive internships with big names like Hugo Boss and Oscar de la Renta, Godfrey launched his very own collection.

“I was a finance major and I was a banker before I got into this crazy business and it’s days like today where I thank my lucky stars that I made the right decision,” he said.

His latest collection is inspired by the classic ’70s rock-and-roll image and the children of major rock-and-roll legends like Zoe Kravitz and Alexandra Richards.

Models donned plenty of black leather, fringe, snake print and sequins with matching fedoras that completed the head-to-toe ensembles.

“I can definitely see Tika Sumpter wearing items from this collection  – she’s very into the hats and she’s very fashion forward,” fashion blogger Joy Adaeze told theGrio.

“I can see Zoe for sure and even Beyonce, with the new, reborn very fashion-forward Beyonce with a hat, and a great suit and and platform shoes, doing the whole ’70s rocker thing,” she added.

Designer Godfrey seems to agree, saying: “I can definitely see Rihanna wearing this collection,” later adding, “Obviously, I’d love to see Beyonce in one of these dresses of course!”

Follow Lilly Workneh on Twitter @Lilly_Works