I could write a purely upbeat post here. I'd rather write things as they are — including what's positive in it, because there is some.
Where things really stand today
We've come some distance: a brand that exists, designs, a still-small but real community, a lot learned. At the same time, there's a fact to face: we can't live off it yet. That's not a failure, it's an observation.
What that teaches me
The logical next step, looking back, would have been to build JaOcCo alongside a job — until there was enough audience, enough sales, and a real understanding of what people actually like. Not to jump in 100%, with no safety net, with as little knowledge of the craft as I had at the start. That's probably the direction I'm going back to: a job on the side, and the brand still being built, more slowly but more solidly.
Why I'm publishing this anyway
Because JaOcCo was never meant to be a perfect showcase. If you're wearing a JaOcCo piece, you're wearing something made by someone who's still learning, as he goes, how to make this project work — not by a company that already has all the answers. And it's still going.
Designed in Switzerland by an independent brand. Small batch — limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide. Made to order to reduce textile waste.