A NOTE FROM JANE
Welcome to the Jane Win Girl Gang, Corroon ✨
I love a good adventure, and Kelly has created the perfect travel companions. From packing to takeoff, Corroon makes getting there — and everywhere in between — a little more stylish. So excited to share Kelly’s story and her beautiful brand with you!
Tons of love and xx Janie
Kelly! Let's start at the beginning. What inspired you to create Corroon, and was there a specific trip or moment when you thought, "This brand needs to exist?"
I was living abroad with my young family, and we were traveling all over the place. I would find my jet-lagged eyes resting on the luggage carousel thinking how boring it all looked. At the time, there were the beautiful, high-end pieces like Louis Vuitton, or there were generic-looking black and silver Samsonite types of things. There was nothing in between that was chic at a decent price point. Now of course, there are a lot of great brands, and we like to think that our products are a great compliment to any of them because of the function and customization that we offer.
You grew up believing travel was something to dress up for. What's your go-to travel uniform today?
Yes, we were definitely expected to dress up to travel, and to this day my 85+ father still wears a blazer when he boards a plane. I love thinking about what I’m going to wear on the plane and think it sets the tone for the whole trip. It is the first thing I plan out. I love an unstructured blazer from Rag & Bone or one of Veronica Beard’s with a warm zip-in dickey. I wear wide-leg jeans and a few different tee shirt layers to adjust for all the temperatures. If I am stretched for space, I try to wear sneakers that look cool and that can also be used for a workout. I always travel with a cashmere scarf from Andraab, it is the perfect weight and size to use as a blanket on the plane and a chic scarf when you land. And of course, our Big Daddy bag, which has become kind of an iconic airplane bag at this point!
You've lived everywhere from the UK to Asia and worked with brands like Chanel, Ralph Lauren, and Selfridges. What's the biggest lesson you've carried into building your own business?
I have two: Don’t be afraid to ask for help and admit you don’t know something. I think early on I was trying so hard to win over suppliers and factories so that they would work with me, I made a lot of expensive mistakes because I was afraid to acknowledge what I didn’t understand. And the second is that customer service can make or break you. One unhappy client can negate thousands of happy ones. People spend a lot of time and money designing our custom bags, and we feel terrible if they don’t love the result, so we always try to go above and beyond to make sure people love what they buy.
At Jane Win, we believe jewelry tells a story. Is there a piece you wear on every trip that holds special meaning?
I pile on a bunch of special pendants together when I travel. I think this is another great packing strategy, as I will wear them on a long chain so that I can get it off easily in security, and also pack a choker so that I can swap them all out for different outfits. I am obsessed with my new Jane Win Sun Ray pendant. It has these beautiful cabochon stones which blend so well with a turquoise and ruby pendant I have from my grandmother. I always wear a little gold charm shaped like a bag that my kids gave me when we celebrated our company’s 10-year anniversary. I think that both new and old jewelry is such a significant way of expressing who you are as a person.
Girl Gang is all about celebrating women we admire. Who's a woman that's inspired your journey, and what did she teach you?
For sure my mother. She was a working mom and that was a powerful role model in a community where not a lot of moms worked at the time. She was an interior designer and instilled a love of color in me that is foundational to how I design now.
Quickfire Questions:
Passport stamp you're most proud of?
Myanmar
Sweet or savory?
Savory followed by Sweet!!!
Favorite way to unwind?
Online Mahjong
