Defining our product
In last weeks blog we wrote about the process of developing stories to build our collections. Our hope is of course that these stories are expressive of our lifestyle, and ultimately inspiring to our audience. We have always believed the process of putting on an item of clothing in the morning can change your mental state for the day ahead. With this in mind, we need to consider a lot of variables to make sure the Jam community is always going to wake up right!
It was about two years into starting Jam that we sat down as a family and started to brainstorm what our clothing meant to us, and what we wanted it to achieve. We created various lists of the kind of setting the clothes would be worn in, how they would be worn and by whom. The list actually went on so long that we spent two full days trying to figure out a key set of product criteria for a Jam Industries garment. How do we make garments that are cosy for the sofa days, smart for the working day, warm for the breezy days on the beach, stylish enough for an evening meal, easy to share amongst the family? We wanted to make clothes that work for all ages, and we wanted to make clothes to be lived in. For a long time. Im sure you’re starting to get the picture, and whilst I don’t want to sound like the Mugato character from the Zoolander films; its not JUST a jumper! To us at least.
On day two we decided to build a narrative for ‘A day in Jam’, and finally we were starting to create some order. The day would go something like this…
“An early morning stroll to the beach for a fresh dip in the ocean, followed by a quick shower and smarten up for work. After work it was back to the beach to meet the family and some friends for some sunset drinks, maybe another dip. Sophie (our sister) and Mum caught a chill so we shared our jumpers with them for the walk home. We dumped the beach stuff at home and went straight to dinner in a restaurant, before a few night caps in a bar with friends.”
We figured there’s very few who wouldn’t enjoy a day like this, and many who can relate to it. Now we just needed to create the wardrobe, and make sure it fitted into a bag small enough to carry with us. Finally, we figured it out. We created 4 key criteria that now define all of the products we create. They are the following;
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Trans-seasonal - A garment to be can be worn year round, because we all know the UK is susceptible to four seasons in a day.
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Trans-scendable - A made up word by us referring to a garments timelessness, enabling it to be worn by all ages.
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Trans-portable - An easy to pack garment that works in multiple locations “from beach to bar” “From city to surf”
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Comfortable - Comfortable clothes are the ones we wear most. If its comfy, it will most likely be lived in.
We hope this insight into our design process is helpful if you are on the fence about shopping with our brand. We endeavour to stick to these criteria across all of our new collections, and almost all of our garments. Next time you think about buying a new jumper, remember… its not just a jumper.
