JE PLEURE, OR “IM CRYING” IN FRENCH, IS MORE THAN JUST A PHRASE - ITS A SYMBOL OF THE POWERFUL AND COMPLEX EMOTIONS THAT TEARS CAN EXPRESS. BASED IN THE CITY OF DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND, JE PLEURE IS BRAND THAT EMBODIES THE CREATIVE VISION OF ITS FOUNDER, JACK KING. WITH A FOCUS ON CAPTURING THE RAW ENERGY AND INTENSITY OF CRYING, WE TRANSFORM THIS POWERFUL EMOTION INTO A DYNAMIC ART FORM.

OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS OF RUNNING JE PLEURE, I'VE HOSTED SEVEN SHOWROOM EVENTS, WITH THE MOST RECENT ONE BEING A COLLABORATIVE SPACE OPEN FOR TWO WEEKS RIGHT HERE IN OTEPOTI. THESE EVENTS HAVE NOT ONLY ALLOWED ME TO ESTABLISH A DEEPER CONNECTION WITH CUSTOMERS BUT HAVE ALSO CREATED A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT FOR LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS TO COME TOGETHER AND NETWORK.

MY FOCUS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ON LIMITED QUANTITY RELEASES, ENSURING EXCLUSIVITY FOR OUR BUYERS. WHEN IT COMES TO CREATING GARMENTS, I ADOPT A DUAL APPROACH BY SPLITTING PRODUCTION BETWEEN OVERSEAS MANUFACTURERS AND IN-HOUSE PRODUCTION IN MY STUDIO LOCATED HERE IN OTEPOTI. I MAINTAIN CLOSE AND PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH EVERY OVERSEAS MANUFACTURER I COLLABORATE WITH, CREATING TECHPACKS, OVERSEEING MANY SAMPLE STAGES AND QUALITY CHECKS. ADDITIONALLY, I PERSONALLY INSPECT AND PACKAGE EACH PRODUCT THAT COMES INTO MY HANDS, FOSTERING A GENUINE CONNECTION BEFORE IT REACHES YOUR HANDS.

FROM THE DEEPEST SADNESS TO THE MOST PROFOUND JOY, WE BELIEVE THAT CRYING HOLDS ENDLESS MEANINGS AND POSSIBILITIES.