Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnna Green.
Hi Johnna, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was a Pilates instructor that also loved jewelry. I used to buy Jurate’s custom jewelry and was obsessed with her hoops (in fact those hoops are still our best-selling piece of jewelry) at my local day spa. Adventually, I met her and started doing a trade for Pilates sessions for her jewelry. I previously had a kid’s accessories line and ended up moving on from it because balancing two babies without a business partner was too much for me. Jurate was such a talented jewelry maker but lacked the sales and marketing skills to grow her business, so I asked if she wanted a partner. Without thinking about it she said yes! At that time I thought I was just going to be a sales rep and honestly knew nothing about the world of wholesale. The first year (2017) we worked on designing our collections, packaging, and marketing materials. By January 2018 we landed our first showroom. I don’t think either of us knew what we were getting ourselves into and really have had to learn everything along the way.
Jūratė Brown is a Lithuanian-born Los Angeles-based jewelry designer and metalsmith who has had a love for design since an early age. Growing up in a communist country, fashion and design were almost non-existent. Jūratė began making the designs she coveted for herself at a young age, developing skills that later led to her talent as a jewelry maker.
Being Jūratė’s biggest fan, SoCal native (and jewelry-obsessed entrepreneur) Johnna Green, suggested that they become partners… and Jūratė said Yes! In December of 2016, they made their partnership official, and Jūratė and Johnna became partners (at times, it seems more like wives). Blending their two cultures together they have created a playful, statement-making, on-trend line keeping quality and sustainability in mind within every piece of jewelry they design.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth road (INSERT LAUGHTER HERE)! Put it this way, we have never been in therapy with our husbands but we have gone to therapy multiple times together! The first few years were rough. First of all, there was a cultural difference and we barely knew each other when we partnered. We were doing every aspect of the business 100% ourselves. Jurate is a fur mama and was making ALL the jewelry in-house by herself and I was packaging, billing, marketing, selling, and accounting (which if you know me, that is a scary thought) while having two kids under the age of 5. Plus aside from Jurate being a great metalsmith and my love for sales and jewelry we really had no idea what we were doing. But seven years later, we got along great. We learned to “stay. in each other’s lanes,” look at mistakes as learning opportunities, instead of being defensive being self-reflective and we have tons of respect for each other.
Sustainability and quality has always been incredibly important to us (Jurate especially) so the first 5+ years we had everything made either in-house or locally. Which gave us a lot of control but also drove our costs up tremendously so our profit margin suffered as well as making our designs more affordable for customers. I am really happy to say after years of research we found a production company in Thailand that is sustainable and their quality couldn’t be better. Actually working with them has made the sustainability and quality of our jewelry better than ever and we can offer our designs at half the price. We still do make a portion of our collection in-house it’s nice to be able to do it all.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about JLA?
Blending their two cultures together we have created a playful, statement-making, on-trend line keeping quality and sustainability in mind within every piece of jewelry we design. We try not to take ourselves too seriously and design simple but statement-making pieces that add a bit of edge or individuality to your look. With Jurate being Eastern European and me (Johnna) being a So Cal girl our line reflects our different cultures. You will see the urban influence mixed with natural materials and clean lines. We like to think that we offer our customer an opportunity to express their personality and individuality through our jewelry.
The details are really important to us from our packaging with fun affirmations to our pendants with sweet reminders hidden in the back. Our jewelry really is made with a ton of thoughtfulness and love.
Our latest collection “Better than Flowers” is a unique twist on more traditional necklace cards that is sure to bring a smile to your loved ones’ faces. Whether it’s for a divorce and you need to tell your bestie they can do better, welcome a new mom to the shit show, or send healing vibes when a friend is experiencing loss. We got you!
In the summer of 2023, we introduced our LA Luxe clothing sets which immediately sold out. They are 100% cotton and made in LA. It’s the most comfy chic outfit ever.
All trend jewelry is under $100
We are very proud of our eco efforts.
To bring our designs to life while we use a variety of eco-friendly materials. Including recyclable metals such as solid gold, gold filled, and silver and plated with 100% recycled silver and gold.
To reduce waste, we offer complimentary re-plating on all plated JLA jewelry. So your well-loved JLA pieces will not end up in a landfill, lessening your carbon footprint. So you can feel good about the quality and sustainability in the trend jewels you invest in. Not only is JLA’s packaging really cute, it is also made of reusable and recyclable materials.
Any big plans?
We finally feel like we created a brand that truly represents who we are. We are looking forward to expanding our gifting collection, “Better than Flowers.” It really has been a way to share our playful side. Our best-selling LA Luxe set has new shades coming this Spring as well.
Pricing:
- All jewels are under $100
Contact Info:
- Website: shop-jla.com
- Instagram: @shopjla_
Image Credits
Sierra Young Instagram is @Sierra.young, and our graphic designer for our necklace gift cards is Becky Allison @beqdesign
