The term ‘Don’ usually refers to an immensely strategic leader of a powerful family or community. A don is usually responsible for the economic and social welfare of the people around them, which at times creates pressure that can be crippling. Macy Jahoda, better known on social media as @macethadon, redefines the typical, associative characteristics of being a don. Macy’s unending confidence and indelible belief in self gives her the same presence and regalia of a don, but her mesmeric smile and electrifying charisma brings an alluring touch of femininity to the persona. The pairing of her willfulness and her refined taste level has pushed her into the realm of creative entrepreneurship with her new active wear clothing line, Mace The Brand.
On May 24th, 2019 Macy received her biggest blessing in life to date – the birth of her daughter Sylver Ann Black! Despite being grateful for the support of her loving family, as a don, Macy immediately understood that she was now responsible for the overall well-being of a new life. The selflessness that defines Macy at her core led her to take on more responsibility as a new mother than just providing for her child. As a sports and fitness enthusiast all her life, Macy was compelled to share her journey back to peak physical condition after pregnancy. She took this valiant step to share her imperfect journey on social media in the hopes of inspiring other women who struggle to find motivation to stay in shape, especially after a pregnancy. Fundamentally, Macy Jahoda is perpetually committed to empowering women with confidence, style and exclusivity.
If you know anything about Macy, you know that she lacks neither sensual appeal nor work ethics. The allure of her untarnished, bronze skin and perfectly sculpted physique never created any illusion of entitlement within her spirit. Macy knows what she wants and knows the value of working hard for it. It’s only natural that her journey into creative entrepreneurship with Mace The Brand is reflective of her determination. Despite being a lover of dance as her primary means of creative expression, design is a new facet of creativity for Jahoda and she undertook unconventional processes of trial and error in figuring out the perfect active wear designs.
Macy has a multicultural family background, being part German and part American. This multiculturalism has shaped the way Macy has gone about forming her own family, and that’s how her connection to the Caribbean was created. Her daughter, Sylver, and Sylver’s dad are Jamaicans; hailing from the peaceful parish of St. Elizabeth. We started by asking Macy about what incorporating Jamaican culture into the family she has now created means to her. She jovially stated, “I’ve always been in love with Jamaican culture because my best friend growing up and her mom is Jamaican. When I went to Jamaica for the first time, it was a very humbling experience. I’m more from the city so I had never seen so much rural life before and that was different for me. It made me very grateful for everything.”
Macy was very vocal about the role Jamaica played in inspiring the creation of Mace The Brand by saying: “Jamaica inspired a piece in my collection called ‘One Love’ – it’s a short sleeve crop top with a heart on it. The biggest way that Jamaica influences me though is to channel everything that I have inside and be authentic. Jamaicans embrace their uniqueness, and they are not trying to be anything but Jamaicans. That’s what I love about them, they taught me to embrace my differences.”
All good fashion brands thrive where there is a solid brand philosophy, and Macy’s core brand philosophy is about encouraging persons to enjoy the beauty of becoming. She stated, “I’m the type of person that is always thinking about the future and being hyper-focused about proceeding on my journey. I was a bit impatient but as I got older, I realized the reason for my success is that I love to figure out problems. Reaching the goal is fulfilling but trying to figure out different pieces of the puzzle of life is where the fun is, that’s where the action is, that’s where the adversity is and that’s where the story is!”
Jahoda was transparent about the practical challenges she had to overcome, specifically to facilitate the initiation of Mace The Brand. She shared with us, “This is my first time designing a collection! I have always loved fashion and experimenting with different styles, but the biggest thing I found challenging was the intricacy involved in designing. For example, designing an athletic tights is more than just sewing two legs; there are other panels I have to adjust, or even taking a quarter inch from the waist can really alter your whole design. That was my learning curve!”
Macy’s fundamental aim is to empower women with confidence, style and exclusivity through her designs. She is a profound lover of dancehall music and she extols the often-criticized genre for being an inspiration to her brand by connecting her to the source of female liberality. She stated, “I think that what dancehall does for me is that it gives me an excuse to really just ‘bruk out’. You don’t really get that opportunity all the time, especially as a mom. Dancehall gives you a moment to just be free and embrace your sexuality as a woman. I think it’s a great vehicle for female liberality – there are two sides to every coin, it all depends on how you look at it.” In closing, we tested Macy’s knowledge of dancehall and quizzed her about her favorite dancehall songs and artists. She noted that “Mr.Officer” by Vybz Kartel is her all-time favorite, but she is in love with “Torpedo” by Skillibeng and praises him for having the dancehall song of 2020 in her opinion.
