I HAD TO DIG DEEP ALL OF 2020 AND UNDERSTAND MYSELF TO UNDERSTAND WHAT 2022 WOULD BRING FOR AIMEJ JIMAY. I HAD TO THINK ABOUT WHAT I WANTED AIMEJ JIMAY TO SAY TO THE WORLD. WHAT THE BRAND HAD TO STAND FOR AND PROMOTE. I KNEW THAT I WANTED AIMEJ JIMAY TO MEAN SOMETHING. I KNEW I DID NOT WANT TO DESIGN WITHOUT PURPOSE. I THOUGHT OF WHERE IT ALL STARTED AND MY WHY. RIGHT AWAY I KNEW MY DUTY AS A VENEZULAN AND IMMIGRANT TO AMERICA I HAD TO SHOWCASE MY COUNTRY THROUGH MY EYES. YET I STILL HAD NO WAY HOW TO EXECUTE IT IN A WAY THAT WAS DIGESTIBLE. I KNEW THAT MATERIAL AND COLOR WERE TWO THINGS I WOULD CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON. MY WHY WAS PRETTY EASY, MY FAMILY. I GREW UP AROUND ART AND AROUND CRAFTSMANSHIP. THIS WAS SOMETHING WOULD ETERNALLY BE WEAVED IN AIMEJ JIMAY. I KNEW THAT WE WOULD NOT GIVE THE WORLD ANYTHING THAT WAS NOT CRAFTED WITH QUALITY IN MIND. I STARTED WORKING WITH MATERIALS SUCH AS WOOL BAMBOO COTTONS, ITALIAN  SILKS, AND THE SEARCH CONTINUES. MANY ITEMS ARE STILL TUCKED AWAY BEING TESTED TO ENSURE QUALITY AND DURABILITY. WOOL IS ONE OD THE FIRST MATERIALS THAT CAME TO LIFE THROUGH OUR THEMATA HOODIE ( THEMATA IS OLD GREEK: "SOMETHING TO SEE"). WOOL IS A COMMON NATURAL MATERIAL THAT PEOPLE  WOULD WEAR IN MY HOMETOWN, MERIDA, VENEZUELA. THEY WOULD WEAR WOOL JACKETS OR HOODIES WHEN THEY WOULD GO INTO THE MOUNTAINS. I REMEMBER GOING ON EXCURSIONS INTO THE MOUNTAINS WITH MY FAMILY AND WOOL SWEATERS KEPT US WARM IN THE COOLER AND WET CLIMATES. I STARTED TO LOOK CLOSELY AT MY FAMILIES TALENTS AND HOW WE COULD WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER. AS I DID THIS, I LEARNED MORE AND MORE ABOUT MY FAMILIES HISTORY. IT TOOK ME BY SURPRISE HOW MANY PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY WORK WITH THEIR HANDS TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL GARMENTS, SCULPTURES, KNITS, AND THE LIST GOES ON. IT ALL STARTED TO MAKE SENSE AND I KNEW THAT I HAD BEEN HEADING THE RIGHT DIRECTION. I SAY ALL THIS TO SAY THAT WHEN WE LOOK WITHIN AND INTO OUR PASTS WE CAN DISCOVER MAGIC; MAGIC THAT HAS BEEN THERE WATING TO BE APPRECIATED.

I DECIDED TO WORK WITH MY LITTLE COUSIN ISABELA GIL WHO IS ON HER WAY TO BEING A GROUNDBREAKING ARCHITECT. AS A TEAM WE DESIGNED ORCHID FLOWERS TO HONOR OUR ROOTS. THE ORCHID IS THE NATIONAL FLOWER IN VENEZUELA. THIS MEANT A LOT TO US, SINCE VENEZUELA IS GOING THROUGH A CRISIS. THIS CRISIS HAS FORCED SO MANY TO LEAVE THEIR  HOMES AND FLEE TO OTHER COUNTRIES. BEING FORCED TO START FROM SCRATCH. JUST LIKE THE ORCHID WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GROW IIN ALMOST ALL ENVIRONMENTS AND PERSEVERE. THAT IS HOW THE 0917 TSHIRT WAS BORN.

FOR OUR INTRODUCTION OF KNIT WEAR I WORKED CLOSELY WITH MY MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER SOURCING THE BEST MERINO WOOL WE COULD FIND. THEN MY GRANDMOTHER AND I SPENT MONTHS PERFECTING THE RIGHT SIZE AND DESIGNS FOR THE WOOL HATS. WHICH WILL ALL BE 1 OF 1. THEY ARE ALL HAND KNITTED BY GRANDMOTHER, WHO HAS BEEN AN ARTIST AND EDUCATOR HER WHOLE LIFE. 

THIS IS HOW AIMEJ JIMAY WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN THE WORLD. WE ARE COMMITTED TO SHOWING YOU THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY, FAMILY, TEAM WORK, AND CREATING PRODUCTS THAT CAN HOLD VALUE IN YOUR LIVES. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE YOUR ITEMS LIVE FOREVER SO WE PROMISE TO ONLY USE THE BEST MATERIALS AND SOURCE THE BEST CRAFTSMANSHIP; WITHIN OUR FAMILY OR OTHER BUSINESSES THAT ALIGN WITH OUR BELIEFS.

WE ARE EAGER TO SHOWCASE AN ARAY OF PRODUCTS ASIDE FROM CLOTHING. STAYED TUNED AS WE DIVE DEEPER INTO THE WORLD OF AIMEJ JIMAY.