We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joie LaFrentz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Joie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

While spending the majority of the last 16 years at home as a stay at home mom to 4 boys, I soon realized that what I chose to wear each day impacted how I felt throughout the day. Bright colors I enjoyed made me feel better as did taking the time to get out of sweats and pajamas. Plus, I needed washable, comfortable shirts that I could dress up and dress down depending on the tasks at hand. Finding styles and colors in sustainably made options were few and far between, and with my background in fashion and textiles, I decided to solve this problem myself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

JOLA is a contemporary brand conceived by the need to create colorful shirting options that help set daily intentions. Colors create energy, and by thoughtfully choosing to wear specific colors in our closets, our moods and needs can be positively impacted. Through sustainable fabrics and expert craftsmanship made by skilled artisans in the USA, every JOLA shirt is created to ensure wearable style and seasonless longevity.

Consciously selected notions are used along with recycled labels and hang tags. Dutiful pricing reflects the selection of superior materials, ethical sustainability standards, and a commitment to quality fit and tailoring. All fabrics used are sustainably made with Tencel, modal, bamboo, and organic cotton when available. Three out of the five styles of shirts are made from Standard 100 OEKO-TEX® fabrics. Two styles use TENCEL™ Modal fabrics. The PJ Top is made with corozo buttons, which unlike plastic buttons, will eventually biodegrade over time. The Vest is made with buttons from upcycled horn that has been discarded naturally. Made in small batch orders, JOLA is doing its best to keep firm tabs on quality control, eliminate waste, and manufacture with common sense principles and standards.

Knowing how resourceful it would be to have one shirt take on all the responsibilities of the day, JOLA designs are both comfortable and classic enough to be worn to the office, snuggle a child, or head out to a late dinner. Dress them up with skirts and heels or go more casual with jeans and sandals; the options are limitless.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I first thought I needed to brush up on my design, color theory, and CAD skills, so I enrolled in online classes from The New School. While those were beneficial, they didn’t give me the direction I was still needing to get my ideas out of my head and into motion. Through a class I had taken, I read an article about Factory45. Luckily this was right before the enrollment period, so I signed up for an interview. I was accepted and spent the next 4-6 months going through the program. By the time the program finished, I had sourced fabric, developed a basic website, was in contact with a sample and pattern maker, and was on my way.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I have yet to have a shirt returned and only two exchanges in my two years of business. I believe that this has to do with the amount of time I put into making sure each size of shirt fits a multitude of body types. Also, the materials that I use for JOLA are far superior than what can be shown in photos, so everyone is always pleasantly surprised when they see the shirts in person.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopjola.co
• Instagram: @shopjola.co

Image Credits
Justin Blair, Flying Solo