Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Drago.
Hi Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have always loved fashion. I remember looking at how celebrities dressed and thinking I wish I had their clothes. When it came time to choosing a career, I opted for business and marketing. I had a successful career in advertising, specifically pharmaceutical advertising. I enjoyed learning about different diseases and knowing that the work I was doing was in some way helping people. Eventually, it was time for me to step away from the corporate world to start a family.
When my daughter was born, I loved being stay-at-home mom, but was also transitioning from a business professional, to staying at home, and becoming a mother. I was struggling with what my identity was outside of being a wife and mother. I was feeling the need to have something for myself again. Around this time, my cousin reached out to me to see if I would be interested in starting an online women’s clothing boutique. It was the right offer at the right time. Since we would start off as an online business, I would still be able to be home with my daughter and work my own hours. So, we started our boutique, August Skye.
Fast forward a few years, August Skye was still up and running, but my cousin had to take a step back from the business. Around this time my husband became terminally ill and I was trying to take care of him, my 2 year old daughter, myself and the business. The business fell to the back burner and I was doing the bare minimum just to keep the boutique afloat.
After my husband passed away, the boutique didn’t feel like me anymore and I was having a hard time finding a connection to it again. I considered closing up shop, but never could pull the trigger. I didn’t want to close, but I wanted that connection again. I decided to take a step back from the business for a few months; and think through what it would take for the boutique to feel like me again. I decided I needed to start fresh, and relaunch the boutique under a new name and a new look. It was a risky business decision, but my amazing customers stood by my side. In November 2021, Jordy & JoJo was born.
The name Jordy & JoJo is derived from my daughter’s, Jordan, nickname, and what I used to call my husband, Joe. The new branding colors of navy and magenta put life back into the boutique. It felt inviting and fun; a place where women could feel like this is where they belonged.
Eventually I’d like to have Jordy & JoJo become a one stop shop for women. I’d love to open a physical store that offers beauty services also, but for now I’m taking it one day at a time.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It certainly has not been a smooth road. We jumped into this blind, no planning, no money, nothing; which is ironic given my marketing background.. So there has been A LOT of trial and error. Many mistakes have been made, and so much testing to find out what works and what doesn’t. I sit there sometimes wondering why we didn’t have a plan in the beginning. It’s still a learning process, and every day I continue to learn something new, but I am so happy I decided to stick it out. I have so many great ideas for Jordy & JoJo and things I’d like to implement. I don’t know if we will ever be a smooth running ship, what business does 100% of the time, but we will be a ship that runs. I’m excited to see where the next few years take us.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Jordy & JoJo is an online women’s clothing boutique. We offer on-trend, quality styles at affordable prices; and carry sizes S-3XL. Jordy & JoJo is for all women and provides style that works for your lifestyle.
What I love most is that being an online boutique we’re open 24/7. So women can shop on their schedule and from anywhere. Being a SAHM, I know comfort is a big priority, but we still want to look presentable. Jordy & JoJo allows you to go from day to night, while also providing options for everything in between, such as work attire, date nights, girls nights, showers and weddings, workouts, etc.
There are some new services that we will be offering soon. I recently became a certified image consultant and color expert; and will allow me to help our customers with color profiling, styling, personal shopping, and closet clean-out based on what it right for them. I am so excited about being able to offer these additional services to our customers and I feel like this will be a differentiator for us from other boutiques.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
We’re already starting to see shifts in the fashion industry since COVID. Consumers are shopping online more and I don’t see that changing. I’m not saying that brick and mortar stores will go away, but we will see less of them, and maybe they’ll have a different purpose than only selling product. We need to meet our customers where they are more than ever.
Styles are much more relaxed these days and focus on comfort. I think we’re going to continue seeing more of that, but there will eventually be a shift towards more structured styles again. You know…everything old is new again. I love the fact that a dress and cute sneakers is an acceptable outfit.
Technology is going to continue to play a huge part in fashion. There are already clothing items that provide space for your devices. I wouldn’t be surprised if somewhere. down the line clothing is going to incorporate devices into their design. 3D printers are becoming so popular. I’m sure at some point we’ll be able to make clothing on 3D printers. How crazy will that be?! And we can’t forget about virtual reality. There is much that can be done with this technology. You’ll be able to try clothes on without actually trying them on, and see yourself from all angles.
Consumers are moving towards healthier lifestyles. Designers are using sustainable materials, and I foresee more fabrics being made from recycled materials. Safe, non toxic options, are top of mind for consumers now. I bet within the next few years, we’ll see non-toxic dyes and other safer materials being used to make. clothing.
This is just the tip of the iceberg and there will be so many new developments over the next 5 years.
Contact Info:
- Email: jennifer@jordyandjojo.com
- Website: www.jordyandjojo.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/jordy_and_jojo
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jordyandjojo
