Mother Stories
Meet Jess Green, North American Sales Director Of Ganni & Mama Of One
Written by James Kicinski-McCoy
Photography by Photographed By Heather Moore
May 9, 2018
A woman’s style is an evolutionary affair. Specifically, it develops with age and often takes decades to fine-tune, with many individuals never quite landing on one specific “look” or direction. It is expressive, telling, and often deeply personal. So, when we’re able to sit and talk all-things-industry with smart women in fashion, we ravish the opportunity with unapologetic greed. Today’s profile spotlights Jess Green, North American Sales Director for Copenhagen-based fashion label Ganni. In addition to working closely with the playful brand that aims to exist outside of standard design dogmas, Jess also owns and operates her personal brand consulting agency, amidst balancing many other duties and roles: partner, mother, and Netflix aficionado just to name a few. Today, the can-do mother of one (son Kit, 13 months) invites us into her light-filled Brooklyn abode to give us the inside scoop on what working in fashion, becoming a mama, and the constant juggling act between the two is really like.
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- “We previously lived in the building behind this apartment and had no plans of moving. Last summer, I was having a drink on my birthday at the café below us and saw the available apartment. We found out it was owned by our same landlord and moved a week later! It was the best luck I’ve had with any home here.”
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- “Simple and cozy with lots of chairs.”
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“Not at all! We do regret getting a light-colored couch though.”
Jess wears a Ganni turtleneck and Dries Van Noten jeans. Kit wears head-to-toe Bobo Choses.
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- “My husband does most of the decorating. He’s a furniture and chair fanatic. For him, it has to be special to bring it into our home, since we are limited on space.”
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- “Every room is 100% a play room! Is it possible to keep it corralled?”
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- “Our bedroom. I love the windows that wrap around the front walls and all of the original crown molding. It’s also usually the cleanest room in the house!”
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- “I love our Ruud-Jan Kokke slat chair, Tito Agnoli Rattan Chaise, and an original Keith Haring that Chris won at an estate sale in New Jersey.”
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- “Kit’s room is the biggest and most quiet room in the house. We used all of our existing furniture—with the exception of a crib—for his bedroom. His room acts as more of a play room, which I really love. He goes in there a lot to sit by himself and look at books or play around, while we cook. It’s also the most baby-proofed room in the house.”
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- “My favorite piece is a photo that our friend, Eric Greene, took of Kit in I in a ray of sunshine and snow over Christmas at our home upstate.”
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- “The living-dining room. We eat together and watch loads of Netflix to wind down on the couch almost every night after Kit falls asleep.”
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- “It’s been over a year since I’ve become a mother, and I’m only now coming out of the fog and having some of my previous life back. It sounds so cheesy, but becoming a mother is discovering a love you truly never knew existed! You can be so exhausted and desperate for some alone time that when you get it, you find yourself scrolling through photos of your babe and missing them. It’s crazy, takes a lot of patience, and is hands down the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
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- “All of it. Every day there is a new discovery for Kit, or a new word he babbles. The smallest things make me so happy.”
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- “Absolutely everything, but this month, it’s mostly him putting too much food in his mouth and biting other kids. We really need to work on that second one!”
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- “The toll that labor has taken on my body; things like postpartum hair loss and how deflated your breasts can be after breastfeeding.”
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- “I’d like to hope I’m a pretty easygoing mom. I give him his space to discover and find things on his own, make messes, and play freely. But, I am also a huge pushover when he’s upset and go to him every night when he cries. We are on our twentieth attempt to cry it out!”
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- “My upbringing was amazing! I grew up in a small town in south Texas with two brothers. Our parents are the hardest working people I know, and their whole world revolved around their kids—providing for us and pushing for a great education.”
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- “Take naps!”
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- “Dogs and waving at people. ‘Dog’ was Kit’s first word, and he gets so giddy with excitement when he sees one.”
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- “We didn’t find out the gender, while I was pregnant. And, we wanted a name that could work for either a boy or girl. I had heard the name Kit years ago, and we both loved it. Then, I read your Mother interview with Cynthia Rowley and she mentioned it could stand for ‘keep it together’. That really made me love it.”
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- “Ideally, we’d both sleep in until 6 a.m. Then, we’d have a lazy morning around the house and pick up a coffee and our favorite pastry on the way to the park. We’d take a midday nap together for a few hours, then meet friends for an early dinner and drinks. We’d make it home by six for a bath, books, and bedtime at 7:30 p.m. A slow day with lots of food, naps, and play is the best day for us.”
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“My favorite thing about Kit is that he makes so many people happy, even total strangers. He’s such a friendly baby. I love that he pretends any item is a telephone, has a conversation with himself, then does a huge fake laugh as if he’s heard something funny. Our nanny taught him how to smell flowers, which he now does to every plant. That’s pretty cute, too.”
Jess wears a Ganni dress. Kit wears an Our Legacy Workshop top and Millk jumpsuit.
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- “I admire, bow down, and look up to all mothers I know. And, to mothers with more than one child, you’re my hero!”
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- “My sister in-law, who is a mother of two, told me in the beginning months that everything you are experiencing at that moment is a phase; it won’t last forever. That really stuck with me and is something I tell myself when getting through the tougher days.”
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- “Oof! I don’t know. We have our hands pretty full with just one.”
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- “I’m halfway through my first parenting book, Gentle Discipline, and absolutely love it! It’s a really amazing and kind way of thinking about your child and how their brain develops.”
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- “I don’t. 'Me time' is so hard to find. We both have demanding work hours, and if I have any free moments, I crave time with my family.”
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- “Sadly, I know little to nothing about beauty, but I recently received a facial from Rescue Spa that was life-changing! I now use the Biologique Recherche Lait U Cleanser morning and night to wash my face, then lather on moisturizer and a smoothing serum for wrinkles. My make-up consists of a clear brow gel, and I drink lots of water.”
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- “Does a glass of wine every night count?”
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- “Simple and utilitarian. I prefer jeans and t-shirt.”
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- “It hasn’t changed much at all. Although, comfortable shoes to chase after the babe are a must, as well as tops that are easily pulled up or down for nursing access.”
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- “A pair of Levi’s, a black turtleneck, and Ganni cowboy boots.”
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- “Acne, Dries Van Noten, Ganni, Celine, and Jess Hannah.”
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- “Sneakers!”
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- “Online only.”
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- “I own a sales and brand consulting agency.”
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- “For ten years now, I have worked in the wholesale industry with emerging designers. Four years ago, I took the leap and opened my own agency that focuses on sales and brand strategy with both established and emerging designers. I’ve never been happier and more fulfilled in my career!”
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- “I love that I have the choice of who to work with. Having this choice has allowed me to surround myself with an amazing team and talent. Every day I look forward to going into the office.”
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- “Motherhood hasn’t affected my career path at all. If anything, it’s pushed me to work harder in a smaller time frame. That, and I’m not answering emails 24-7, which is probably for the best.”
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“Work saved my life in the first few months of motherhood! It was the only sense of normalcy and place of success I felt I had. I returned to work two weeks postpartum, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made for myself. For the first six months, I brought Kit to the agency with me and it was a great balance. We’ve made it work since then with a great nanny.”
Jess wears Levi's jeans and a Ganni top, jacket, and shoes. Kit wears a Patagonia jacket, vintage sweatshirt, Tiny Cottons pants, Vans, and a Carhartt beanie.
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- “We have amazing friends in our area that adore Kit. Unfortunately, all of our family is out of state, and nothing compares to having grandparents in the same city.”
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- “I have a really exciting career move happening—TBA.”
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- “Yes!”
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- “It has everything you could ever want for a child, and it’s all in a short walking distance.”
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- “I would love to live in Europe some time in my life.”
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- “We love Kiki’s, Lucali, Lavender Lake, and Wilma Jean. All have an amazing space, food, and a kid-friendly staff! Oh, and Lucali’s provides pizza dough for the kids to play with!”
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- “Uncle Boons, Glady’s, and Frankie’s 457 have the best food and drinks, but are more intimate and loud. Each would be a true disaster with a child.”
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