We’ve all been there: standing in front of our closets full of clothes, but still nothing to wear. Over the years, Julia Campbell, owner of JEMS Boutique in Downtown Charlottetown, also struggled with having zero time to get ready in the mornings. Even with a closet full of amazing clothes, she never felt in the mood to wear any particular pieces. She longed for simple, basic items that would pair well with anything in her wardrobe, that she could dress up or dress down, wear multiple times per week in a variety of ways and of course, feel fabulous in. “Pieces you could mix and match with,” she says. “You could go from day to night in, go from home to work, or if you had an engagement in the evening.” So along with her mother/business partner, Maureen Campbell, the mother-daughter duo decided to design the solution: Go2 Clothing, a collection of quality basic essentials for women. The clothing line was launched out of JEMS Boutique in 2015 and now sells wholesale to 15 locations in Canada. “Our line focuses on fitting as many body types as possible,” Julia says. “It’s really easy to fit our line into what you’re already wearing to get more mileage, to get more looks.” “Having pieces that you feel good in, to really gain confidence in your image.” The core program started out as a line of all black pieces, but the full collection has expanded with the addition of new
colours and patterns each season. The simple line of essentials works for everyone, regardless of age, size, style or profession. From the simple go-to white t-shirt to the off-the-shoulder top designed for the spring-summer 2018 season. “Finding the right type of cotton that you could wear under a jacket or a blazer and also with jeans, but having a nice enough material that you could dress it up or dress it down,” Julia explains. Some of the pieces in the new line include an amazing white button-up shirt/tunic; a fun peplum top, a style that has been around forever, and a couple of beautiful dresses in fun seasonal patterns and colours. Working in a clothing store every day, Julia hears often what her customers are looking for. She and her mother feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to their clientele and to design pieces based on customer requests. “We had three pieces this year based solely on what our customers wanted,” she says. Store Manager, Cameron Cassidy, says it is not uncommon for a few of the girls to show up at work all wearing the same top in different colours, styled in different ways. “It’s all about how you put it together, we encourage people to individualize their own style the way they want,” she says. “It’s about what’s going to work for you long term.” Fashion is amazing, and having those intricate and interesting pieces in your wardrobe can be wonderful. But Go2 Clothing focuses on style rather than fashion. “Fashion is that amazing piece that you’ll wear a few times a season, but
you may not wear it again for a while,” says Julia. “We try to focus on style and getting women comfortable.” Julia says the success of both JEMS and Go2 Clothing would not be possible without their loyal, local customers. “We want to give back,” she says. Every year during the launch of the new seasonal collection, Go2 Clothing fundraises for Island causes. Last year, they fundraised for Anderson House (FVSP) and the year before, every month they chose a different charity where $2 from every item purchased was donated. And for this year’s spring/summer launch in April, they collaborated with Kinley Dowling, a local singer and artist who advocates consent culture, and Dr. Sarah Stewart-Clark, co- founder of Island Mothers Helping Mothers, to raise money for Island victims of sexual assault at walk-the-red-carpet event. “At one time there was at least 50-60 people in the store, which was great,” Julia says. “That is definitely a part of this line. We’re a women-owned business, a mother/daughter team. Supporting womens’ initiatives is always part of the plan.”
JEMS Boutique 102 Queen Street Charlottetown, PEI 902.894.1457 www.jemsboutique.ca
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SUMMER 2018 www.pei-living.ca
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