JoJo Pierre: Founder Of The Fastest Growing Black-Owned Home Decor Brand
Jojo Pierre, the founder of Lakay Designs, is determined to become the first Black-owned and operated home decor brand to fill up to 1 million homes with her unique African-inspired décor and lifestyle products.
What started in 2015 as a humble endeavor to appreciate African culture by interpreting it as home décor has now turned into a business that has brought the African community closer together. The company’s unique designs allow people to revel in the glory of authentic African art and décor that comes straight from the people who make it.
Lakay Designs is now fully prepped to make 2020 a memorable year by hitting a major milestone. The company is aiming to spread its unique and high-quality products across 1 million homes by the end of the year. This unique campaign aims to increase the visibility for authentic traditional African art and prints in the interior design market while also helping Lakay Designs create immense progress in the value chain for Black-owned and operated businesses.
The ideology behind Lakay Designs is simple yet profound. ‘Lakay’ is the word for ‘home’ in Haitian Creole. The business name signifies the groundwork that Jojo and her family put into creating the brand. While Lakay Designs still holds its family business values very close in every step of the process, it has grown to provide opportunities to many members of the African community beyond Jojo’s family. Serving a diverse portfolio of clients since 2015, the company’s current catalog of products includes wall art, print art, home décor, furniture, bedding, bathroom accessories, clothing designs, kitchen accessories, office interior décor and much more.
Jojo comments, “Here at Lakay Designs, we are an African inspired interior design company working with compassion and camaraderie as our core values. While we aim to create a widespread recognition for authentic and traditional African art with our designs, we also aim to help our African community with our business endeavors. Ever since our inception in 2015, we have been able to make commendable progress year after year and 2020 is going to be no exception. We have made it our mission to work hard and have our designs become part of one million homes across the country. Succeeding in this endeavor would be an immense milestone for Lakay Designs and it would allow us to do so much more in the future.”
Lakay Designs works with bona fide engineers who work to streamline the manufacturing process and thus improve the overall quality of the final product. While some work at the assembly line is done by tools and machines, a lot of the work is done by hand to preserve traditional African heritage and imbue the products with an artisanal element. All of this culminates in a diverse range of products, with each product having its own unique features and purposes. In addition to home and office décor, the company also creates products for restaurants, bars, and many other service-oriented businesses.
Jojo adds, “While we are highly goal-driven, we always make sure to serve the greater good and support a worthy cause. We work closely with the COBBA Orphanage that aims to provide a steady life to orphan and underprivileged children in North Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Started by Pastor Valembrun Estinfil, the orphanage currently houses 24 children and we contribute a portion of our proceeds to the orphanage so we can do our part in helping those who need it and deserve it the most.”
More details about Lakay Designs and their unique mission can be seen on their official company website at www.lakaydesigns.com/store.