Tell us about yourself. Where are you from and where do you live now?
I like to say that I am a bit of a Northeast nomad. I was born in New England, raised in Georgia, went to boarding school in Massachusetts, college in Florida and then started my career and my first business in NYC. After many many years in New York, I pursued a fabulous opportunity right outside of Philadelphia and have been here ever since.
What did you do before starting Jane Win?
It’s a bit of a long story. I held positions at Calvin Klein Cosmetics and Barneys New York before starting my own accessory line, Buzz by Jane Fox. We were in over 100 retailers. It was an absolute grind, and so much fun. I learned so much but eventually started thinking that I wanted a little less grind and a little more…stability 😉 Around that time, my accessory line, Jane Fox, caught the eye of the Lilly Pulitzer team – who convinced me to move to Philadelphia and launch their accessory collection. During my 11 years at Lilly Pulitzer, I launched handbags, jewelry, footwear and then eventually became Fashion Director, where I set the themes and colors for the brand. I later moved into the role of SVP of Creative Communications and Marketing. Working for Lilly was one of the greatest gifts for a couple reasons. First and foremost – Lilly herself. The spirit of that woman gave me a lot of confidence to be ME. She clearly loved color and print…as did I – but more importantly she held those who were truly ‘themselves’ in the highest regard. That has stayed with me – Jane Win is a unique brand with a point of view. We love connecting with customers through the designs and the meaning behind them and Lilly would have LOVED THAT. The second reason working at Lilly was such a life changing moment for me is that I was ‘trained’ under two Harvard Business School grads (who were then CEO and President, owners of the Lilly brand) and they took so much time to teach me the ‘business side of things’. We did all the background work to make sure the FUN of the brand was built on a solid foundation of business planning. Without them Jane Win would not exist – I would not have the business foundation needed to start a brand from scratch if they had not taken me under their wing. It’s such a lesson in paying it forward. After being there for 12 years (that’s a long time!) I started to get a little itch. I wanted to create something for me – a brand that connected with people. And that’s where the story of Jane Win begins…
How did you start Jane Win?
In 2017, I went to the Women’s March in Washington DC with my two daughters and I realized that, while I LOVED my job at Lilly Pulitzer, I had been there 11 years and I wanted to build something. I wanted to create something from scratch, something original that connected with women…and I wanted my kids so see me do it (and help!). I knew I wanted there to be meaning behind each piece. I knew some of the words I would use. I knew that I would make everything feel very special, from the quality of the coin to the beautiful packaging. I knew that it would be a company that is predominately online so I could build a relationship with people across the country. I started playing with the list of words we would bring to life. I drew the first coins on a trip to Italy. I worked with a caster on Philly’s jewelry row to create the samples. We had a launch party in December 2018 where ALL my friends showed up for me and our entire family worked together at the event to talk about the collection – of only 8 coins at that time. I launched the company because I wanted to be a role model for my own kids – so they could see someone build something from scratch. Many ask - why coin jewelry? I was inspired by the Roma people in Europe circa 1900 and their coin jewelry. These nomads created jewelry from their money. It was meant for more than adornment; it was a decorative method of transporting their wealth. They showed off what they had with their jewelry. I realized that my own wealth is based on life experiences rather than my finances. I wanted to ‘show off’ these milestone moments that make us who we are. The coins allow us to mark an occasion and also have something to hold on to – a physical reminder of a memory or event.
Congratulations on launching your latest collection! Can you tell us more about it?
Ahh I am so excited about our spring collection! We are constantly launching new products and our spring collection is focused on our favorite spring motifs like butterflies, flowers, and spring critters and spring milestone moments. We have engravable lockets launching very very soon and more customizable pieces. The Forever coin was made just for graduates and the card that comes with each piece will make you cry. We love flowers for spring and for Mother’s Day. Each spring we create a collection around our Joy coin, which was designed to celebrate motherhood. The coin features three hollyhock leaves that meet in the center. This year we have two Joy Daisies, Forget-Me-Not carved flowers, and a Dogwood Joy coin, and stunning Full Bloom Daisy, hand carved in Mother of Pearl with a guiding star accented with a pink tourmaline stone adorning the center of the flower.