I've had dependencies in my youth. I don't hide it, and I'm not ashamed to talk about it — without necessarily going into detail. It's part of my story, and two JaOcCo designs speak directly to that.
Freedom
Freedom wasn't born from an abstract idea of freedom in a broad sense. It comes from there: from what it means to come out of a dependency, to take back control of your own life after a period when you didn't really have it. The word "Freedom" printed on a t-shirt isn't a generic motivational slogan to me — it's a word it took me time to be able to apply to myself honestly.
Rebuild & Rebirth
Rebuild & Rebirth goes further in the same direction: rebuilding, being reborn, after a difficult period. It's a design developed with an outside designer, but the starting idea — the sunflower emerging from rubble — comes directly from that. Rebuilding something — a life, a brand, a way of being — after hitting a low point.
Why I'm talking about it here
I could keep this private and let the designs speak for themselves, without context. But it feels more honest to say where it really comes from. JaOcCo wasn't born from a desire to create a fashion brand. It was born, in part, from a desire to turn a very difficult period into something that could speak to other people — without ever pretending that wearing a t-shirt fixes anything. It doesn't. But it can be a reminder, worn on yourself, of what you've already come through.
Designed in Switzerland by an independent brand. Small batch — limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide. Made to order to reduce textile waste.