"Jia" means "Home"
I created the beautiful, comfortable Jia Loungewear tops so that I could feel free and "at home" in my new home (now filled with step kids, friends, and neighbors).
It only made sense to call this life-changing product "Jia," which translates to "home" in Mandarin [ 家 ].
Why Chinese? My best friend, Betty (hi, Betty!) who speaks Chinese as her first language, had taught me a few little words and phrases throughout the years. We had been using variations of the phrase "Jia" because I had always really enjoyed the fact that the translation of "family" in Mandarin is literally the phrase "home-people" ("Jia ren" 家人 ).
How sweet is that? I love the reminder that my family and close friends are still my "home-people" even though we do not physically share a home. The feeling of "home" can be evoked from anywhere and by anyone, rather than being tied to the physical location of a house or dwelling. My home-people are still my home-people, even when far away!
Betty and I have spent many hard years together as friends and elective home-people. From the late nights and grueling work of optometry school and research programs, to seeing patients while still dealing with the pains of "adulting," relationships, loss, and other emotional wayfinding, to best-friend-ing from across the country, we had to find a way to create our own home within the chaos. We talk often about consciously creating our lives, and I think a very important aspect of this is surrounding ourselves with the home environment, and the home-people, that evoke the desired feeling of "home."
When I joined my fiancé and step kids as a new family, being able to let loose and feel fully comfortable at home (literally, not being bound-in and strapped-up while lounging) signified a huge step in the process of joining my new home-people and making a new home. I consciously created Jia Loungewear for this purpose.
So, from my home to yours, I hope each Jia+Kate item brings you that feeling. Welcome home!