Keep reading to learn all about the founder of the most comfortable pajama sets on the market!
This is J is taking the pajama market by storm with their ultra-comfortable and cozy sets! This Is J is 100% Made in Canada, where the brand knits, dyes, prints, cuts, and sews in their community to create a truly local product. All of their fabric patterns are hand-drawn in their Toronto studio, creating the distinct This Is J look through design detail and colour.
Today, HOLR is sitting down to meet the founder, Jaimie Harris, to learn everything about her journey – from where her inspiration comes from to what we can expect next from This Is J!
Tell us about how you founded This Is J.
As a student at Dalhousie University (many years ago!), I sewed a headband to keep my hair out of my face while studying for exams. I was wearing it shopping a few days later and a store owner asked me where I got my headband when I told her I made it, she asked me if she could place an order. From there I started making fashion accessories, which evolved into designing and printing my own fabric before launching into pajamas and loungewear.
Can you talk to us about why local production is important to the brand?
It is a way to maintain our handmade quality, while ethically employing people in our community. It helps lower our carbon footprint by keeping manufacturing close and allows us to continue to take a hands-on approach with everything that we do – from our creative process to sampling, production, and packaging – we have control over every step!
What makes This Is J stand out from other brands?
Functionality is at our core which leads us to approach comfort from a tactile and emotional perspective, treating fit and feel as equally important parts. We also dye and print our own fabric bringing our unique sense of pattern and colour to our collections.
This Is J has the most comfortable pajama sets on the market- can you talk to us about the meaning of comfort-driven designs?
We start with the feel of the fabric, ensuring that our textiles have a soft hand and gentle touch. We then perfect the fit of the garment and how the fabric drapes with each shape. We appreciate that all bodies are unique and that fit and feel are very personal to the individual so we strive to create a solid foundation in our styles to allow the wearer to find something that makes them feel good. We try to stay away from constricting elastics that can cut into your skin and instead build gentle stretch into our knit fabric and use drawstrings for easy fit adjusting.
Where does your pattern inspiration come from?
Scouring antique markets, traveling off the beaten path, and observing the natural textures in nature have always been big inspiration sources for me. The last 18 months have also brought my focus back to handcrafting, such as, working with thread and embroidery which creates such beautiful textures.
Are there upcoming launches we can expect to see and shop from the brand?
Yes! Over the last year, we have brought our focus back to our pattern design roots, so you can expect to see new patterns and colours from us launching every few weeks. We have two more big ones coming this year so stay tuned!!
Published by HOLR Magazine.