Successful Fashion Entrepreneurs - Just Like You: Jgame by Jackie Meretsky

What’s your passion? Sometimes it’s the interest that gets you excited that turns into the business that makes you very successful. Jackie Meretsky had a passion for tennis, fashion, and for the planet. She combined her three loves and founded, Jgame. Here’s her success story.

You never know where your various passions will lead you. Jackie Maretsky was a on-air network weather announcer with a mad-passion for tennis. She also was disturbed at how sportswear often followed the fast fashion business model. Active wear was made with little accountability for environmental protections, working conditions, and carbon footprints. At the same time, she wanted to reduce waste proliferated by the wear-it and toss-it out fast-fashion culture.

Jackie decided to abandon her weather maps and become the founder of Jgame. It’s a female founded, eco-conscious and ethically-made NYC-based tennis brand. Her goal is to deliver a product that is consciously designed and built to last. Jackie defines her mission when she says, “We aren’t adding sustainability into our corporate strategy - it is our corporate strategy.”

Jgame: The Idea

From the very start, Jgame had a purpose and a mission. The goal was to create long lasting, stylish, tennis wear that was made in a very planet friendly way. Almost instantly, Jgame found a target audience. Women not only wanted to look good in their tennis wear, they wanted to feel good about the items as well. The commitment to sustainability became one of the major benefits of the product. 

All of the garments are made from fabrics that are 75-100% recycled polyester, which is made by using recycled Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from clear plastic bottles.  Rather than load up a landfill, the plastic bottles are recycled. They are broken down into small chips, and those  chips then go through a process that turns them into yarn. The process of turning PET into recycled polyester has several environmental advantages. It decreases the greenhouse gas emissions that are created by processing virgin polyester. It diverts waste by preventing the plastic bottles from going into a landfill.  It decreases water usage compared to the process of making virgin polyester. It reduces our dependency on petroleum (the raw material used to make virgin polyester).

To defeat the fast fashion disposability issue, each Jgame piece goes through a rigorous process of wearing/washing/drying several times to test its longevity. Jgame customers do not have to choose between style, durability, and sustainability.

The same concern and care went into the choice of a manufacturer. Jgame cultivates meaningful relationships in the New York City apparel manufacturing community. All goods are designed, cut, and sewn in New York. By doing so, the Jgame designers are able to immerse themselves into the actual work environment from design to production. Since New York hosts such an incredible garment district, they can source the highest quality elastics and linings and cultivate relationships with New York City’s best manufacturers right in their own backyard.

This reduces the overall amount of CO2 emissions. If they need to make a new sample or check on the sewing of a garment, they are not adding significant greenhouse gas emissions caused by overseas manufacturing, cargo ships and sea freight traffic. 

Sustainability isn’t just about the environment for Jgame - it’s also about ethics.  Manufacturing locally ensures transparency in the process. They are able to confirm proper working conditions and verify how everything is being made. They visit the factory frequently and are proud to support the local NYC economy. 

Even in packaging, there is a specific intention to reduce waste. They partnered with a sustainable packaging company that delivers high quality packaging. It is either compostable, reusable, or recyclable. They are also extremely judicious with the amount of packaging used. If you are purchasing a  Jgame item at a pop-up, your packaging will be as simple as a recycled paper bag accompanied by recycled tissue paper. If you’re buying online, you’ll receive your goods in a minimalist, recycled mailer.  

Business model:

From the very start, founder Jackie Meretsky made the decision to keep the planet a priority over profits. Using local manufacturers and sustainable recycled fabrics is not necessarily the most cost conscious strategy. The higher cost-of-goods reduces the profit margin.

Currently, the line is marketed using pop-ups and the ecommerce website: jgamenyc.com.  Jgame also maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.  A lot of Jgame’s popularity has been generated by positive media coverage in magazines and news reports that range widely from magazines and local news including: “Readers Digest”, “Tennis”, NBC, “Glossy”, and “Hamptons”. This year, Jgame was even represented by a player at Wimbledon. 

The website offers 4 types of items in various colors: Tops, skirts, dresses, and compression shorts. Even though the cost of goods is higher than off-shore manufactured clothing, the prices are very reasonable. Tops are about $65, skirts $85, dresses $125, and compressions shorts about $55.  Manufacturing locally also allows them to place smaller orders and keep inventory under control.

A great feature on the website is the capture page. New viewers are greeted with a pop-up capture page requesting an email for a 15% discount. This is a great way to build an email list, announce sales and new products, and build brand loyalty with an authentic customer connection.

Growing and evolving:

After a successful launch in 2022, the future looks bright for Jgame’s continued growth and evolution. The styles look fabulous on the court and also very cute if you need to go someplace nice after your match.

There is a definite consumer trend toward buying sustainable and planet-friendly products, and this will help drive Jgame sales and popularity in the coming years. It’s important that they stay committed to their mission, story, and purpose. Women are now able to have excellent style, lasting durability, and a clear conscience when they dress for the court.

Jackie Meretsky had several passions that she brought together and made one, unique tennis fashion company. The combination of her passions for tennis, fashion, and sustainability actually created an entirely new niche that she was able to fill. She found her target audience of other women with similar passions, and now she has a great success story to tell. Shop the collection:  www.jgamenyc.com/

What’s your idea? What is your dream? Maybe you’ve identified an underserved niche, or have a fantastic concept for a fashion item that solves a common problem. No matter how many roadblocks you have in your way, if you have a dream, you can find the time to succeed. We can help. Sometimes, the hardest decision is giving yourself the green-light to succeed. 

You owe it to yourself to schedule a call with us to discuss your strategy and find out what your options are. Your potential is unlimited. You just need the right team on your side, and your new successful fashion line is within your reach. 

Stuck on product Production? At V.Mora we can help you through the entire production process from designing, to sourcing and so on through our Production Development services. If you are in need of the following Development and Production services: 

• Sourcing 

• Technical sketches   

• Pattern Making

• Prototype making 

• Sample Making

• Fittings 

• Digitizing and Grading

• Marker Making

• Manufacturing

Please contact us at: vmorainquiry@vmora.com