GET TO KNOW - JOJO YAN JIAO
Founder and Designer of Jovonna London
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Since its launch in
2007 Jovonna London has grown from strength to strength, a collection highly identified
by the infusion of its influences from street fashion, to catwalk as well as from the
vintage markets, creating a highly functional, uniquely stylish and
fashionable collection. Distributed in exclusive boutiques worldwide, as well
as being available in most Topshop stores, online and offline, Jovonna London
is continuing to flourish and expand within the highly competitive ready to
wear markets.
With an
increasing celebrity clientele and fan base, Jovonna London is also regularly
featured in publications such as Grazia UK, Look, Cosmopolitan UK and China, Fabulous,
and Style, and is also most popular with bloggers and style icons alike.
Today we have an exclusive and exciting opportunity to find out more
about the designer and founder of the brand, Jojo Yan Jiao; from her love of fashion to aspirations
and inspirations for each collection. Enjoy this great insight into the brains of Jovonna
London...
Tell me a little about
yourself, your fashion background before you started Jovonna London, and Why did you initially
want to start to brand?
My earliest memory of
fashion was when my mother told me the story of how all her clothes from when
she was born till her school years were all pattern cut and hand made by my
grandmother, and how my grandmother, a full time house wife used to make
clothes for neighbours and relatives in exchange for favours. And she was quite
in demand!
Since then the idea of making
garments for others to feel and look good about themselves, creating their own
visual statuses, embedded a great impression on me. My mother carried the
family tradition of being stylish and well dressed; subsequently I wanted to
carry the flame also. When I finished my degree in International business in
the UK, I decided to pursue my fashion career by setting up Jovonna London in
2007, and soon after my debut in Pure London, I was approached by ASOS and
Topshop, gaining two high street giants stockists under my belt that very same year.
My label took off and was distributed
globally, however I maintained a close nip on trade, specifically targeting the label
towards girls who want something unusual and stylish. Often I hear Jovonna fans
claim that whenever and wherever they wore Jovonna, they always commented on
how ‘cool’ and ‘stylish’ they looked, and Jovonna does shine through in a way
that doesn’t overwhelm the wearers’ personality.
Where do you seek
inspiration for your collections?
To put it into simple
terms, I design garments that I would wear myself. The brand is that personal to me, that anything I wouldn’t put on
myself, would certainly not be launched on the shop floor.
My inspiration can be
from multiply sources, such as movies, pop culture and catwalks. When I travel, I take
a lot of international trends into my designing, however London remains to be
my principle source of inspiration, capturing the essence of a effortlessly trendy, individually stylish London girls, who stands out from the crowd for all the right reasons.
The label has
certainly evolved over the last few years, growing from its girly and feminine
roots, and maturing into a more sassy, urban and chic feel. However the brands DNA is defiant to remain fresh, unique and designed with immense care each season.
Who are your style
icons? If you could pick a
famous person e.g. model, actress, to shoot in your next look-book who would
you choose?
My ultimate style icon is Audrey Hepburn as she is cool, stylish, effortless and elegant, whilst possessing a somewhat internal
childishness within her personality and nature. For modern starlets I am very fond of Kate Bosworth,
Sienna Miller, Olivia Palermo, and Miroslava Duma. They are all strong women but
with a soft touch to them. It will be an absolute dream if I can get someone
like Kate Bosworth to do our next look book.
What is it about
fashion in London that most attracts you, as the brand is London based?
I can go on and on
about how wonderful London is to be honest, however from a retrospective fashion point of view, its the diversity and inhibited strong fashion culture that attracts me to the City. In addition it houses some of the most amazingly
talented designers that influence the global fashion world each season, from the likes of Christopher Kane, Roksanda Ilincic, and Jonathan Saunders, which are only a handful of the talent the city bares.
Although the city is very fashion conscious, fashion means more to its inhabitants that are beyond labels and designers, as style and individuality derives from the very streets of London.
The true inspiration comes from the individuals like the classic east London girls, composing their looks from borrowed boyfriend gear, hand me downs, to unique finds in yard sales, who of course still managed to look cool and turn heads.
Describe your own
personal style?
I am an 'all heart'
Jovonna Girl myself; I believe my brands essence is a reflection of my own taste and style. Although I appreciate finer things in life, I still get a thrill in finding
gems in vintage warehouses and local markets.
My current uniform
would be Topshop jeans, jumpers or sweats combo with some nice detailing. At
nights, I wear a lot of high heels and dresses and I am a self-confessed
heel-holic, my favourites are Charlotte Olympia, Givavito Rossi, Nicholas
Kirkwood, and for classics I go for Louboutians.
What one piece of
clothing can you not live without currently?
My Jovonnista Boyfriend coat as it’s so easy to dress up and down, not to mention roomy enough to wear my
biker jacket under, perfect for winter layering! and also my beloved quilted
Chanel combat boots with chain detail, wait that's two things! Ha!
If you were to pick a
look for this season from your collection what would it be and why?
For AW13-14, the most favoured and worn look is our Phoebe wrap up coat teamed with our classic Charlie cut out
shirt, combined with Jules high-waist shorts. This is such an easy outfit to wear, for most occasions such as a lunch date, to shopping or gallery hopping with the girls. Most importantly its Über comfortable but stylish enough to hit the city. The coat itself is a classic wrap-up design, made
of ultra soft materials, while the shorts contrasts a playful side of the look, and not to mention our Charlie cut-out shirt, which is a classic must have in every girls wardrobe as it particularly goes with everything!
Where do you see the
brand in the next 5 years?
Our goal for the next five
years is to open up markets in the US, Australia and expand within other European
countries. I would of course like to develop our brand identity, and increase the exposure to make Jovonna a well-known boutique
label.
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