Love, family, and representation are the heart of JZD which has emerged as a leading Queer Latina owned lifestyle brand. With humble beginnings in 2016, they initially drew attention from consumers for their trendy and empowering pink “Latina Power” that represents community, culture, and the deep connection Latinx people have to their roots. Jen and Vero are the founders, partners, and proud Mexican women who engage and champion their community with a wide range of products. Sweaters, hats, journals, tote bags, jumpsuits, and t-shirts are just a few items in their growing collection that are vivacious, quirky, and full of powerful Latinx phrases that will have customer hearts soaring. We’re so honored to chat with these fantastic founders (who recently launched in Target”> about all things JZD!
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Discover more inspiring beauty industry founders with our Leaders in Curl series. For Hispanic Heritage Month we’re focusing on Latinx founders.
What was the inspiration behind JZD?
The inspiration behind JZD was wanting to create a lifestyle brand that builds community and celebrates culture every day, while also having a brand that reminded us of our power. That combined inspiration is what led us to create our now iconic Pink Latina Power Tee. When that t-shirt went viral, we realized that so many in our community felt the same way. At that moment we decided to focus on creating products that made our community feel represented and connected to their roots.
What were common Latinx messages or themes you wanted to avoid when creating your products?
The messages we avoid are any topics that perpetuate stereotypes. We focus our products on empowering and celebrating our community so we always run all ideas by our team to ensure we are uplifting our community.
Who were your Latinx inspirations growing up and why?
JEN: My parents were and continue to be my biggest inspiration. They are such a beautiful definition of strength and perseverance. The values they taught me and the special moments they created for me have shaped me into the person I am today.
VERO: One of my biggest inspirations was mi Tio David. He taught me so much about life and seeing his work ethic taught me to aspire to greatness.
How do you define your “Latina Power”?
Latina Power is the power within us. The one strengthened and celebrated by our ancestors. It’s that little magic that we get from cafecito at 8pm. It’s the boost of confidence we feel when we put on our gold hoops. It’s the power that makes us who we are.
Your headwear focuses on the “dad hat”, what made you choose this as the first accessory for customers?
Vero is a dad hat fanatic and she feels most confident when wearing a dad hat. We took that confidence and blended it in with a little Latina power to create items that would inspire our community and that would make them feel like their best self. We want every item that we create to make our customers feel confident and incredible.
How do you celebrate cultura in your everyday life?
Everything we do is centered around celebrating our Latinx culture and community every day. We are Mexicanas through and through, from the meals we create together to the rituals and traditions we celebrate, our world revolves around our Latinidad. It’s really such a joy to be able to bring a brand to life via all of our products, which is about including all of who we are as Latinas and share in that celebration with our family, friends and our customers. Whether it’s our Latina Power t-shirt or our new Corazon Latino t-shirts with Target to our Viva La Mujer Que Lucha crewneck, everything we do is to allow us and our community to feel represented and celebrated.
How do you balance your roles as partners in the business?
Being in business together is both fun and challenging, but we always try to focus on the fun part of working together, because it truly is incredible. Through the years Vero and I have gotten to know our strengths and weaknesses in business, and we have gotten really good about each handling the areas we are h4 at and delegating our weaknesses, which has led us to have very defined roles in the business.
What is one piece of advice you would give new entrepreneurs looking to break into the market?
The most important thing is to remain authentic within every aspect of your business. Figure out why you want to start in this field, write it down on a little paper and remind yourself of it daily. Then start today. Quit waiting for the perfect moment and instead create it. Once you’ve started, surround yourself with a community of like-minded people who will celebrate the wins with you and encourage you to keep going when things get hard.
Read next: Rizos Curls Founder Julissa Prado Talks Curls, Cultura, and Community
