You guys are quite familiar with Emi-Jays due to our raffle of some Emi-Jay products at our most recent event (check out the recap!). We got the chance to ask Emily and Julianne a few questions about their lives, their brand, and their community service work.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Potential University and Class Year: Unknown – Class of 2017
Potential Major: Emily – Undecided || Julianne – Communications
What inspired Emi-Jay and how did you set your plans into motion?
Emi-Jay was inspired by the growing trend of hair accessories we observed when we were in 8th grade. We set our plans into motion by having our moms take us downtown to the LA garment district; from there we went back to Julianne’s house and began experimenting with our materials on her bedroom floor.
What makes Emi-Jay different from other brands?
All of our products are handmade here in the US with imported fabrics. We offer an extensive array of prints and vibrant colored elastics and all of our hair ties have our signature diagonally cut “tail”.
Your product is loved by celebrities as well as collegiettes, how has your brand’s popularity changed your day-to-day life?
It has been so surreal seeing our hair ties on the wrists and in the hair of people of all ages across the country – it serves as a reminder of just how far we’ve come.
Describe a day in your life.
We go to school every day from 8am-3pm. After that, our afternoons are filled with homework and Emi-Jay projects, whether it’s picking out new products, doing trend research or working on projects related to Step Up Women’s Network.
You both are heavily involved in charity. Can you speak to your personal involvement and Emi-Jay’s role to support charitable initiatives?
From the start, we always knew that giving back through our product was really important to us. Thus, our recent partnership with Step Up Women’s Network was a natural progression. It’s so exciting to be able to work personally with girls our age and hope to inspire them with our own story, as well as sponsoring 15 girls’ first paid internships through Step Up’s Young Luminaries Program!
What’s your favorite Emi-Jay product?
Julianne – Our new spectator headband (coming this spring!)
Emily – Our entire Neon collection
Who is your role model?
Our role models are our moms.
What advice would you give to collegiettes interested jumpstarting a similar project?
Above all, be passionate and have confidence in your project. Success might not be instant, so it’s important to be persistent and stick with what you love, whether it be a product or an idea.
We have to ask, are you applying to Princeton?
No we did not apply.