Jenny Rose models one of her favorite pieces, the oversized cowl in a hazelnut mocha wool blend
Heads up to the fashion forward — Jenny Rose is a name and face that you’ll be wanting to keep in mind for a long time to come! She started her own knitwear shop on Etsy while she was just 18 years old, together Jenny Rose and her items from Remember A Day have been featured on the front page of Etsy and even got a spot in a Huffington Post gift guide. With 875 current sales, 5,852 admirers, and a line including scarves, hats, sweaters, gloves, legwarmers, and headbands, this is just the tip of the iceberg for the FSU junior whose big dreams for the future are entirely within reach.
Her Campus (HC): So Jenny, tell us a little about yourself.
Jenny Rose (JR): I’m Jenny, I’m almost 21, and I am the sole employee and owner of Remember A Day which is the name of my Etsy shop wherein I sell hand knit sweaters and scarves and such. I’m a junior majoring in retail merchandising and product development.
HC: How did you decide to become a retail major? What interested you about it?
JR: When I was 7 my dad said to me “you’re going to be a buyer one day” and later when I was trying to pick my major for college I saw this one and I saw “potential jobs: buyer” and felt like it was all coming together.
HC: How did you get started in knitting? What made you decide to open up your Etsy shop?
JR: I learned how to knit when I was 8 and I would pick it up occasionally but it was just sort of in the midst of another range of hobbies I’ve had. I’ve always been interested in crafts and sewing and making friendship bracelets and such, but when I saw knitters who were really making money on Etsy, I really thought I could do that. So, I picked up my knitting needles and brushed up on some of the basics and got to work.
HC: How many hours a week do you typically spend knitting and how do you manage to balance running your shop with your school work?
JR: The first thing I do when I wake up is check my email and see if there are any contacts I need to respond to or listings I need to renew. Knitting-wise, it varies with the season so in the summer I barely knit and in November and December I can be knitting as much as 7 or 8 hours a day. I’m always knitting in class when I just have to listen. Right now people kind of have all their stuff for the winter so I’m knitting maybe 5 to 7 hours a week.
HC: Did the success of your Etsy shop take you by surprise? What would you attribute this success to?
JR: I was so surprised by my first order! I looked at my shop and when I saw I sold something I was in disbelief, but I took that as major encouragement. At the time, Etsy was still relatively new so I didn’t have as much competition. When I was 18, the administrators picked me to be one of their featured sellers and it drove so much traffic to my shop. I think I’ve been very lucky, but I’ve definitely worked hard to make my items and marketing better. I always think my success is directly proportional to how much effort I’m putting into it.
HC: Where do you get your inspiration for new products? Do you draw from any specific designers or style icons?
JR: Last summer I was working at Lucky Magazine and two weeks into it all the employees were called into a meeting and they’d got a new Editor-In-Chief, Eva Chen. She mixes high end with brands like Top Shop and I look up to her so much as a woman in the fashion industry. She’s friendly and not snobby at all, and she’s very productive and organized and I really aspire to be like her. In terms of knitwear influences, I get that from all over. I get that from movies and stuff, I always notice everything. I have like…knit-vision and I ‘m always thinking how I can incorporate those elements into my design.
HC: What type of yarn do you use? Do you have a favorite product that you make?
JR: I use one kind of yarn in 25 different colors; it’s a thick acrylic wool blend. I like crocheting the oversized cowl because it takes 3 balls of yarn in a row and it’s the same stitch, so it’s very zen and it takes a long time so I can get really into it. I can watch like 2 movies while I’m doing it. I call it “knitflixing.”
HC: Are there any new products in the works or ones you’d like to experiment in making?
JR: I’m planning on opening another Etsy shop soon that’s less seasonally based. I’ll just say that I do want to expand my Etsy, but I’m also looking at other projects as I get closer to graduating and entering the workforce.
HC: What do you hope to do after graduation? Do you want to work professionally in the fashion industry?
JR: Right now I’m considering grad school but ultimately I want to try my hand at fashion journalism. Having worked at Lucky Magazine, I’ve really enjoyed creating original content. I really had fun being creative with that, but if that doesn’t pan out I’d like to look at the business side of retail, so perhaps a buyer for a major company.
To purchase or check out more of Jenny’s beautiful knitwear, be sure to visit her shop on Etsy!