Meeting Jo Malone

Hi everyone,

Hope you are all well and looking forward to the bank holiday weekend - I know I am! Does anyone have any plans for St. Patrick's day? I am undecided as to whether I should head out or be a granny and stay at home haha! 

Next Thursday I am at the Irish Fashion Innovation Awards in Galway and then Friday I am at Belfast Fashion Week so lots of content to come and stay tuned to my snapchat and Insta-stories if you want to see the coverage from both events. 

Last Thursday in Dublin, I had the honour of meeting one of the most iconic ladies that created one of the most iconic brands, Jo Malone. I was going to do a segment on my snapchat where I talked all about it but then thought I would share it via a blog post as I know a lot of you don't use the platform after that annoying update. 

I have always been interested in her background, business story and how she grew her brand essentially from her kitchen table to being one of the most recognised worldwide. It was hands down the most inspirational event I have been to and she was so down to earth, approachable and normal.

There was complimentary champagne and refreshments which went down very nicely after the 4 hour journey. As it was the launch of her new range, Jo Loves into Space NK on Grafton Street, we were able to smell the products and get a feel for which one would best suit your taste buds. My favourite was the green orange and coriander which you can see pictured below. It is a given that her perfume has a very distinct smell and if you enjoy strong scents like myself, you will love this one. 

After we mingled for a while, Jo then landed to give her interview with Melanie Morris from Image magazine. She talked us through how it all started with skincare, renting a small apartment with her husband and having just about enough space for the 2 of them, reaching her first million, people telling her she would never make it in business, falling ill with cancer and having to sell her business to Estee Lauder to grow it globally but having no input in it for 5 years. She said that it was one of the hardest things she had to do and "sobbed the whole way home" after turning the key for the last time. I can only imagine this was a very hard thing to do after all the time and money that went into creating the brand. In 1999, Jo sold the business to Estée Lauder and remained Creative Director until she left in 2006. In November 2011, she launched her new brand Jo Loves. 

             

Jo had stated that she suffers with severe dyslexia and because of this is unable to drive as she can't tell her left from her right. She also left school with no qualifications and I think that is a testament to her and what she created globally with an MBE also to her name. There were 2 pieces of advice that really stood out for me - "Always aim to be the best in whatever it is you do. Don't ever settle for second or third place" and when Jo had lunch with Oprah Winfrey in her apartment she told her to "Always put your own individual stamp on everything you do" I wanted to share these with you as I think they can be applied to everyone in all areas of life. I fell in love with her dress and she told me it was from Rixo London if any of you feel like a little purchase!

As it was International Women's Day, Jo had bought each person that attended the event a white rose which was such a nice thing to receive. All in all, it was a lovely evening and I feel so honoured to have met such an iconic lady that I had admired for so long - next on the list is her autobiography! 

Until next time, 

Emma

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