Not your Mother’s Diaper Bag

Written by Stephanie Proft Wednesday, January 04 2012

Snapshot: Kristin Hunziker, co-founder, Ju Ju Be

Founder Kristin and family

Kristin Hunziker is one-half of the duo behind Ju Ju Be, a company that produces diaper bags that are fashionable, functional, and made of environmentally friendly materials. If that's not enough, add that they can be machine washed. After working together elsewhere, Hunziker and business partner, Joe Croft, decided to start the San Clemente-based company in 2005.

Hunziker graduated from the Apparel Merchandise, Production & Design program at Iowa State University, and her first job out of school was technical design coordinator for infant-toddler wear at ShopKo Stores. From there she went to Lands’ End to work in quality and product development for the kids’ team. Then she worked as a footwear developer at apparel company Oakley, which is where she met Croft.

Ju Ju Be products are sold at a number of retailers, including Nordstrom and Amazon. And they can be purchased online.

Womenetics: How did the two of you meet and how long have you known each other?
Kristin Hunziker: Joe and I met at Oakley about 11 years ago. We worked together in the design department on the footwear team.

	Founder Joe and family

Womenetics: Your company has grown considerably since 2005 when you started. What growing pains have you encountered along the way, and how did you adjust to the growing scope of your operation?
Hunziker: Coming from large companies, not that much surprised us as we began our growth. Pains would simply be the investment in inventory.

Womenetics: Your website features the Pink Room, a message board for mothers. What inspired you to incorporate this communal aspect to your site?
Hunziker: When we started Ju Ju Be we wanted the customers to feel like they were talking to their best friend over coffee. That is how we wrote our copy, and everything else fell into place with that mentality. The great thing about message boards is that you can have loads of BFFs and make new friends all the time. I have to admit that we never once anticipated the love that we get from the board, nor did we anticipate the desire [of customers] to collect Ju Ju Be bags. It's really fun.

Womenetics: Both of you worked in the apparel industry before creating your own line of merchandise. At what point did you decide to make Ju Ju Be a reality?
Hunziker: Joe and I were doing freelance work together when we were approached by a good friend of Joe's. He suggested we make private label bags for a company called Babystyle. I was really excited about the project and ran with it, considering I had worked on diaper bags at a past job and the fact that I was pregnant. During many rounds of meetings with Babystyle, we decided that it would be much more fun to start our own line. It gave longevity to the project.

Womenetics: Ju Ju Be is named after a person, Julia Star Croft, a 9/11 baby. What is your connection to her, and what made you name your company after her?
Hunziker: Julia is Joe's only daughter. Ju Ju Be is her nickname. When we were brainstorming names for the company, that was the one that stuck because it's fun, cute, and stands for someone important. When Julia was little she thought all of the stickers and bags were "hers.” Now she is a little designer. She makes dresses out of extra fabric and shoes out of tape. She's extremely creative, and I believe she's rubbed off on my children, as they now make shoes out of tape. She will be running the company before long.

Womenetics: What is your design process for Ju Ju Be products? Has your approach to design changed at all now that you are the owner of the company?
Hunziker: More times than not, our designs come from a need, rather than the usual push for new SKUs to build the business. So that basically answers both questions.

To clarify more, the "need" comes from our fan base. The Pink Room and Facebook are fabulous ways for us to hear from our "super fans." They tell us what they are missing in their worlds. We then take those ideas and spice them up Ju Ju Be style, and, voila! Our best example of this is the B.F.F. This is our No. 1 selling diaper bag now. It started as a pipe dream in the Pink Room. After surveys and prototypes, we felt we knocked it out of the park. Our sales show that the teamwork between our fans and the Ju Ju Be team worked.

Womenetics: Do the two of you have separate roles within the company or do you work collaboratively? Who specializes in what?
Hunziker: We have our own roles, but we have no problem working collaboratively. No design goes out the doors of Ju Ju Be without both of our influence and stamps of approval. However, I manage all facets of product development from concept to sales hand-off. When we have guest artists, etc. it is still my job to hit the deadlines and be sure our fans have something new to drool over.

Womenetics: How involved are you with the manufacturing process of the diaper bags?
Hunziker: Very. My degree in college was apparel development, merchandising, and design. All of my jobs from college until present day have been focused on product development. It is my favorite thing to do.

Womenetics: Both of you have children. How do you balance the needs of yourself, your business, and your families?
Hunziker: We simply couldn't do it without our spouses and our network of friends and family. Both of us are type A, and we work a lot. We actually love to work, but the bottom line is that family comes first. In the grand scheme, we always remember that key fact.

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Stephanie Proft is the editorial assistant at Womenetics and a recent graduate of Georgia State University, majoring in print journalism and minoring in anthropology. She was born in Lichtenfels, Germany to a native mother and an American soldier. She has since lived happily in a variety of settings, including the Northwest and the Southeast. She is generally fascinated by culture, and the way it shapes our experiences.