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Jimnojean.com is an online store that brings shoppers art, homeware and conscious beauty products, most of which are created and produced in Africa. It was founded by Keagan Carlin and offers a carefully curated selection of products by stockists, 95 of whom are women. Carlin tells us about the Jimnojean journey.
Jimnojean is an unusual name. What does it mean?
My husband and I were brainstorming names for the store and I was looking for a name of African heritage that meant something to me. Greg suggested gymnogene, a beautiful rare bird found in parts of South Africa that has now been renamed the African harrier-hawk. I thought the word had a great ring to it and it resonated on a personal level because of my deep love for the bush. I reworked the spelling and here we are today!
You come from a brand background. Talk us through the Jimnojean journey from idea to actualisation.
Jimnojean was still an idea when I moved back to South Africa from Dubai. I was determined to make it happen, so the first thing I did was start approaching potential suppliers and stockists to plot out a business model. Once I had done the homework and fleshed out the plan, Jimnojean was truly born.
I realised quickly that I would need to work fast to get the show on the road and, five months later, we were ready to launch. I’m very proud of the brand – what it stands for and what I’ve been able to create so far as a one-woman business. Creating the brand identity as well as the look and feel was by far the most challenging yet enjoyable part of the process.
Where did you GO for inspiration when designing that distinctive look and feel OF THE brand?
The Jimnojean aesthetic came really naturally to me. As I’ve grown older, I have realised that I know exactly what I like and how I like things to look. I wanted something bold, but, more importantly, feminine, so I started with the logo and it all fell into place from there.
What makes the Jimnojean shopping experience unique?
Ninety-nine percent of the product offering is created and produced in Africa. We are focusing heavily on quality of product, not quantity, and shining a spotlight on a distinctive offering not currently found in the mainstream market. We’re proud to say that most customers probably wouldn’t have had the pleasure of exploring a curated collective such as this before.
How do you go about curating brands for the platform?
We have a strict list of criteria for the range of Jimnojean products. We consider everything – from the quality of the item, market saturation of the specific product and price points to, most importantly, a fresh aesthetic. We are working to curate a unique luxury offering of truly special African products.
Sustainability is a huge focus for Jimnojean. How are you planning to implement an environmentally aware business practice?
In this day and age, how can one not be focused on a more sustainable future? Sustainability is a fundamental part of the Jimnojean business model and we are on a journey to try to make the brand as green as possible.
Focus areas include making packaging environmentally recyclable and, where it isn’t, we’ve made sure the consumer can re-use it in a functional way.
A second area of focus is on the product delivery from us to the consumer. As a conscious step towards using less plastic, we’ve chosen a courier company that does not wrap packages in plastic for all Johannesburg deliveries.
It’s not all perfect, but we’re striving to meet our sustainability goals every step of the way, and we will always aim to be transparent and ethical with our business choices.
