It is how JJJJound started.
My city ‘produces’ some pretty cool people.
Montreal.
It is full of coolness.
It is where JJJJound began.
It started as ‘Found.’
Justin R. Saunders.
I could really dive in deep here with how it all began.
I will do a shallow dive instead.
Back around 2006, he created a ‘Mood Board’ for himself.
Before ‘Mood Boards’ were even a thing.
Really, before anything was a ‘thing.’
Before Instagram, Pinterest.
It was a BLOG.
He collected photos of things he liked.
Things he found inspiring.
Things he thought were beautiful.
Interesting.
Amusing.
Streetwear.
Style.
Strive for.
You get the idea.
But it was for him.
There was no text, it was all images.
Aligned by colour.
He named it ‘Found.’
Then one day he took the ‘F’ off and put his first initial ‘J’ instead.
Jound
Then out of the blue, he decided to put the ‘J’ in four times.
JJJJound
Over time, a particular ‘taste’ began to emerge.
As this ‘taste’ emerged, the audience for his BLOG grew.
He was sporadic with his posts.
His audience would go nuts waiting for his next ‘collection.’
Like today as people wait for a ‘drop.’
It really is quite fascinating, isn’t it?
I saw a quote that said something like ‘one man’s attempt to define a universal version of good taste.’
Oh my gosh, I am jumping over so much ‘stuff,’ here and fascinating ‘stuff.’
How he began to branch out.
Who he connected with.
The likes of Virgil Abloh.
But he always stayed on his own road.
He liked the anonymity and the mystery of it.
Over painstaking time, he began to turn JJJJound into a brand.
Imagine changing your ‘Mood Board,’ everything you curated and found, into a brand.
How cool is that?
I will leave the JJJJound background here.
Look into him on your own.
It is quite a fascinating journey.
I want to introduce you now to the brand.
…And what a brand it is.
The first word that comes to mind, and well, the only word, really, is meticulous.
From idea to design to creation to ‘testing’ to launch can take years.
It shows.
The thing that strikes me most about his site is when you click on ‘Shop,’ third down, you will see BASICS.
I do not know what other brand still uses this word.
It is my favourite word in the Style World.
By clicking on BASICS you get to see what a designer is all about.
What their version of BASICS is.
How they interpret BASICS.
What BASICS means to them.
How they see BASICS.
For some, it is their jumping-off point.
But for others, it is where they want to remain.
JJJJound wants to remain.
JJJJound is all about BASICS.
BASICS done well.
Really well.
Simple.
Celebrate them.
Create them like no one else does.
You will pick up on this within seconds of being on the site.
Nothing will jump out at you first.
Give it a few minutes.
Click on something that appeals to you.
Enlarge it.
Look at it closely.
Then, suddenly, you will get everything.
You will want everything.
If it were 2006 and Justin came across JJJJound, he would most definitely add it to his ‘Mood Board.’
More importantly, keep coming back to it.
I am going to keep the theme going here of not pointing you to any specific item.
I want to introduce you to him.
Let you discover him on your own terms.
FFFFound him the way you want to find him.
https://www.jjjjound.com/en-ca
‘FOUND’
Insert magnifying glass emoji here.
‘Wear it OUT’