British perfumer and entrepreneur Jo Malone CBE visited Cosmotel on Day 2 and we were literally freaking out. Jo is the founder of the popular brands’ Jo Malone London and Jo Loves. Who does not love these two *iconic* brands?
With a packed house, there’s no denying how much we’re in awe of her and luckily for us, she took us through a whole lot of fragrance secrets, her journey to success, her new brand Jo Loves and so much more.
Road to becoming a businesswoman
Having founded her eponymous brand Jo Malone London which brought us the best of fragrances, she now moves on to her new venture brand Jo Loves. Jo shares how she decided to launch her own brand, “I grew up in a family where there was little money so, from the age of 11, it was my responsibility to put food on the table. It was a happy childhood but a very tough childhood.” She later started working with skin therapists at the age of 18 and later opened her first skincare clinic. Fast forward to today: She has over 43 years of experience in the biz *literal goals*.
Advice to aspiring entrepreneurs
While sharing her story, Jo said, “Sometimes you have to be brave, you have to take risks. You have to do things just a little differently and if you make a mistake, you just apologise and keep working harder.” I’m sorry but we can’t not share this with ya’ll. I mean, how inspiring is she?
Jo Malone on launching her second brand
In conversation with Cosmo ME, Jo shared her greatest accomplishments which included, “Jo Loves was a really special moment because starting another brand was really tough and challenging. It was more than what we could’ve imagined. The first Jo Loves store opened at 42 Elizabeth Street in London, which was also the shop where I got my first job. That was a pretty special moment.”
Speaking of the challenges opening Jo Loves during the pandemic, Jo recalls her first global deal, “I felt like an 18-year-old kid again and I knew how hard that was. But then, we opened in Shanghai, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Dubai. We did all of those in four months while sitting at the kitchen table. If we can do that in the pandemic, what else can we do? What else can we all do?”
Moving away from Jo Malone London
Jo said, “Everyone always asks me, ‘What’s the difference between the two brands?’ and I think about it like having two children. Jo Malone London is the one that’s gone to university has a family and all of that. Jo Loves is the one that still lives at home and needs me. Jo Loves is all about story-telling, entrepreneurial spirit, it’s about finding the Olympian within you.”
Every fragrance has a special story behind it
She reveals how every fragrance she’s released has a backstory to it. So, we definitely couldn’t resist not knowing the story behind our fave Orange Butterflies by Jo Loves. “Orange Butterflies is the ingredient of happiness, which for me is orange blossom. So, orange blossom is a beautiful garden in the south of France and it has a little perfume museum which tells you the story of fragrance. It’s like travelling through time,” said Jo.
“And, as you go down, there’s a little garden at the back that’s filled with roses and orange blossom trees. It’s magical. I remember standing there one day with a cup in my hands and the moment I stirred, there was this sudden smell. It felt like butterflies were all around.”
Jo Loves’ best sellers in the Middle East are…
We’ll cut to the chase and say it: Jo by Jo Loves. Shop here, Dhs454.
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