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Photos courtesy Amma Jo
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Photos courtesy Amma Jo
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Photos courtesy Amma Jo
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Photos courtesy Amma Jo
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Photos courtesy Amma Jo
Amma Johnson had always dreamt of being a fashion designer. “If I don’t give myself a chance, I’ll never do it,” she says of her “aha!” moment. “I don’t want this to be a far off, distant dream.” From there, Johnson quit her corporate career of 15 years to do what she truly loves.
Amma Jo launched in 2014 with a vision to help empower women to launch their own dreams. When Johnson started, she had only $100 and one sample handbag. She spent a lot of time going through different manufacturers and always had a group of samples ready to show them. Johnson made 100 bags and made a goal to sell them to family and friends in order to move forward with making more.
A year and a half later, she started selling in 10 stores. Johnson started attending buyer shows to present her designs to new stores. She also holds focus groups with people similar to fashion forecasters to get a better idea of want consumers want, so she knows what to make next. Johnson says, “As long as you have someone willing to buy your design, you can grow.”
Now, along with their showroom in Strawberry Square in Harrisburg, Amma Jo sells products in more than 60 retail stores. These include boutiques, casinos, resorts, hospital shops, hotels, and fashion driven retailers. The collection of merchandise has since expanded to apparel, accessories, jewelry, and cosmetics, with handbags still acting as their core product.
With a passion to enjoy all of life’s ups and downs, the Amma Jo brand portrays its philosophy, “love life in style,” through colorful handbags with fun patterns and bold designs. Johnson gets her inspiration from fashion in general, but a lot of her designs are inspired by West African designs. “I just love culture and I love color,” she says, mentioning that her parents are from Ghana in West Africa. Johnson explains that the artisans there can make magnificent things with small machines or even just their hands. She tries to blend these West African styles with styles for the everyday woman in any culture.
Not only do Ammo Jo’s bags have eclectic and contrasting prints, but Johnson applies her own digital art on many of the bags to make them uniquely her own. This is really helping to tell her story and convey Amma Jo’s message. Johnson says, “I want to make a difference in the lives of women.” In September, the brand hosted the Amma Jo Summit, a free business conference for women to learn how to launch their career and, ultimately, their own dream.
When asked where Amma Jo will be in 10 years, Johnson says she hopes to have at least 10 showrooms in major metropolitan areas, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Amma Jo wants to stay fashion focused and involved in the community by creating women’s programs to launch other dreams and change the world one handbag at a time.
Amma Jo
320 Market St., Harrisburg, PA / 717-745-8391 / shopammajo.com
