In this week’s blog post, we’re highlighting one of the amazing companies involved in our MENTAL WELLNESS BOX project. With the theme of Mother’s Day in mind, we curated products from across North America, specifically reaching out to companies with a mental wellness/mental health component to their company.
Jaclyn and Joanna, JAC+JO, are sisters who grew up in Montreal and were surrounded by art and creativity. From a young age, they learned to paint, draw, sculpt and design jewelry with their mother, Anzie. Jac and Jo decided to create a new line of jewelry, designed for millennials, when they were approached by clients who were looking for just that. In May of 2018, they decided to launch JAC+JO, an accessibly priced collection of fine jewelry. Today, Jaclyn and Joanna collaborate in design and business and focus on making original pieces that our generation will live in comfortably. "We focus on making our pieces clean, simple, and unique."
As sisters, Jac and Jo are each other's strongest source of inspiration. A portion of JAC+JO sales will be donated to women's interest groups and cancer research organizations.
BRAND SPOTLIGHT: JAC+JO
JENNIFER: Hi Ladies! Thanks so much for speaking with us today. To get started, tell us a bit about JAC+JO and how this part of ANZIE came to be!
JACYLN: Hi Jennifer. So nice to have this opportunity to chat! Here at JAC+JO, our philosophy is “la Vie en Couleur” or Life in Color. We are all about living life to the fullest and feeling good. We want our collection to be fun, different and easy to wear.
We started our company with the Lifesaver collection which is dedicated to raising funds for colon cancer research and awareness. Anzie and Barry, her husband and our father, created this collection when he was traveling for medical treatments that helped him beat the odds against his illness.
JOANNA: Designing jewelry started as a hobby, something to distract us from the hardship we were going through and it has now become a way for us to give back to this cause.
Our inspiration for the collection is often from nature with free-flowing dew drop balls of gold and silver around settings, the celestial cosmos, and the Mediterranean. We’re largely inspired by the sea and the stars because our connection with nature is what makes us feel healthy and free.
JENNIFER: I completely get that connection to nature! Nature is filled with inspiration, from a design point-of-view. What kind of an impact do you strive for, or what are your goals regarding the mental wellness/mental health component to JAC+JO?
JOANNA: We are so happy to be involved in this cause. We’re having more conversations about mental health and supporting each other more than ever. Our goal is to continue to support this cause and ensure that everyone around us has a support network.
JACLYN: And we hope to help people feel good about themselves, even during hard times, whether it be through self-love or sending a gift to a loved one. We really feel that colour is uplifting and working with colour definitely makes us happy. We hope to create meaningful pieces that remind people of what makes them happy too.
JENNIFER: That’s such a great reminder about colour – it really does affect us, even when we aren’t realizing it. You both sound so passionate about the work you do! Tell us more about any upcoming projects or collaborations that JAC+JO are up to?
JOANNA: We’re excited to be collaborating with you! And we’re also working on a new “create your own story” collection where the client can be involved in creating their own unique piece. We’re going to be selling charms, initials and chains separately so the clients and create their own.
JENNIFER: I love that idea!!! I will have to keep an eye on when that becomes available. So what made JAC+JO say YES to being a part of our MENTAL WELLNESS BOX project?
JOANNA: We love teaming up with fellow Canadians, we love that you're working on helping others, and we love that you’re creating a unique experience!
JENNIFER: Awe – that’s wonderful! So glad to have JAC+JO involved. So as we all know, its been a bit of a tougher year for everyone with the global pandemic. What are the tools or coping strategies that have helped you this past year?
JACLYN: Finding ways to express yourself is important. I reconnected with my old friends that I grew up with and we created a Zoom friends night every week on the same day. It gives us something to look forward to every week and a place where we help each other out with any issues we’re dealing with. It’s like free therapy and it’s fun!
JENNIFER: Fantastic idea! I have definitely found the Zoom connections with family and friends have become a big part of my toolbox. Well, I can’t thank you both enough for chatting today. I look forward to more opportunities of collaborating together! And good luck with all your future projects.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JAC+JO CLICK HERE.
ORDER THE MAY 2021 MENTAL WELLNESS BOX BY CLICKING HERE.
