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Listen "Adding Color (and A Twist) to Midwestern Basics with Joie LaFrentz of Jola"
Episode Synopsis
In episode 80, Joie LaFrentz shares all the thoughtful decisions that go into designing for Jola, her line of colorful basics with a twist . Learn how she balances design, production, sales, and admin for her business all from remote Iowa.
Joie LaFrentz was born and raised in Iowa and has always had a love for design, color, and fashion. She studied both fashion merchandising and design before ending up with an art history degree. After living all over the country, Joie settled back in Iowa to raise her family amongst hard-working people and open spaces. The idea of having her own line was always in the back of her mind, so after having four boys who were past their toddler years, she took numerous classes to ensure she had the foundation needed to launch JOLA. When she’s not trying to keep her growing crew fed or running to their activities, she spends every free minute sourcing sustainable fabric, manufacturing partners, marketing her line, and spreading the word on how color can be uplifting in our daily lives.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The education Joie invested in before starting her brand
How the midwest lifestyle inspired the five blouse designs
The values Joie incorporated into her business from the start
How color plays an important role in Jola - and in our lives
How Joie found the perfect fabric even without prior experience with textiles or sewing
How Joie found her factory
Why manufacturing in the USA is important to Joie
How Joie has grown beyond her comfort zone to sell the Jola collection
The balance between transparency and privacy and authenticity that Joie has found for her business
People and resources mentioned in this episode:
Jola website
Jola Instagram
The New School (Parson’s School of Design)
Factory45 sustainable fashion brand accelerator
Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.
Joie LaFrentz was born and raised in Iowa and has always had a love for design, color, and fashion. She studied both fashion merchandising and design before ending up with an art history degree. After living all over the country, Joie settled back in Iowa to raise her family amongst hard-working people and open spaces. The idea of having her own line was always in the back of her mind, so after having four boys who were past their toddler years, she took numerous classes to ensure she had the foundation needed to launch JOLA. When she’s not trying to keep her growing crew fed or running to their activities, she spends every free minute sourcing sustainable fabric, manufacturing partners, marketing her line, and spreading the word on how color can be uplifting in our daily lives.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The education Joie invested in before starting her brand
How the midwest lifestyle inspired the five blouse designs
The values Joie incorporated into her business from the start
How color plays an important role in Jola - and in our lives
How Joie found the perfect fabric even without prior experience with textiles or sewing
How Joie found her factory
Why manufacturing in the USA is important to Joie
How Joie has grown beyond her comfort zone to sell the Jola collection
The balance between transparency and privacy and authenticity that Joie has found for her business
People and resources mentioned in this episode:
Jola website
Jola Instagram
The New School (Parson’s School of Design)
Factory45 sustainable fashion brand accelerator
Do you want fashion business tips and resources like this sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for the How Fitting newsletter to receive new podcast episodes plus daily content on creating fashion that fits your customer, lifestyle, and values.
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