Meet the Bag-all lady boss– Jennifer Wesslau

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Jennifer, who are you?

I am the mother of four, three girls - and Bag-all!

I was born in Sweden but lived in many places growing up. We lived in Tokyo, Japan, and in Paris, France. It made me into kind of a global gypsy. I have a strong feeling that the whole earth belongs to everyone and we all need to look after it equally.

 
Jennifer and her daughters in their newly built Bali home that she and her husband designed and built themselves.

Jennifer and her daughters in their newly built Bali home that she and her husband designed and built themselves.

What did you do prior to Bag-all?

I started working as a stylist for a pop magazine when I was a teenager. That work eventually evolved into becoming a creative director for magazines. Together with a Swedish editor, I created a couple of very successful magazines.

Why did you start Bag-all?

In my late 30s, I started feeling that I wanted to have my own business and be my own boss. I realized that my work as a stylist would never give me true financial freedom, and that other people were harvesting the profits of my creativity. 

At that point, I had no idea what this business would be, but I knew I wanted it to be something eco-friendly as that is truly important to me.

Jennifer in our Brooklyn Office/Printing Studio.

Jennifer in our Brooklyn Office/Printing Studio.

So how did you eventually come up with the idea for Bag-all?

Well, I started making a list of what I wanted my business to BE. I wrote it down in a book, and this actually took years. Whenever I thought of something new I wanted the business to be, I added it to the list.

One thing on that list was “Geographically independent” - meaning, I wanted to be able to work from anywhere in the world.

That lead to — Something that can be shipped easily, can not weigh too much, has to be flat, etc.

And - of course - as I had no money, the product needed to be cheap to develop and manufacture, while still being sustainable and environmentally friendly.

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You have lived in Bali, why?

We moved to Bali as my three daughters insisted on it. They had toured Greenschool.org once on a vacation to Bali and all of them really wanted to attend that school. As I now can work from anywhere (remember the first point on my list?) I thought, why not? Luckily, my husband is also a free agent and can work from anywhere.

We now live in Stockholm but we hope to go back to Bali as soon as we can.

 
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You’ve lived in quite a lot of places, which has been your favorite place to live in?

We were fortunate to live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York for many years and I absolutely LOVED it! Central Park was our backyard where we went almost every day. New York is truly something extraordinary. The vibe and the people make it so unique.

I am a big city kind of girl so the life in Bali was very different to me, but I enjoy it much more than I thought I would. The culture and the people there are so beautiful. It is kind of overwhelming how amazing it is at times.

Favorite quote to live by?

My favorite quote is part of a quote from Theodor Roosevelt. The whole quote is kind of long but the gist of it is: 

It is not the critics who count. The credit belongs to

those who are actually IN the arena.

I love this because there are so many people willing to criticize people doing something, while they themselves are actually doing nothing. I think it is always better to try to do something - even if it is not perfect. Inaction is the worst - we can all do something. This is especially true when it comes to the environment.

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Someone who inspires you

Free thinkers inspire me. Those who dare - and are capable of - thinking outside the box. Those people might be very uncomfortable for the people around them, but they can stay true to themselves despite judgement. There are not too many of those folks.

What are your three top destinations and why?

  • Our country house in Sweden is my top destination! I love our old, simple farmhouse more than any castle in the world.

  • Tokyo - or anywhere in Japan - I love everything about Japan!

  • Australia and New Zealand are pretty awesome as well. And I must say Bali as well! I believe that was five:)

Jennifer and her daughters in their country home in Sweden a few years ago.

Jennifer and her daughters in their country home in Sweden a few years ago.

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Your best packing tips?

Start packing several days in advance. You DO not have as much time as you think on the day you are traveling, no matter what time you flight is.

In Sweden, we have this great saying - “var sak har sin plats” -meaning each item has its own place. That is what Bag-all is all about. Packing your things by category in their very own bag or packing cube makes packing and unpacking so much easier and quicker!

Three best cafes in the world?

"Pom & Flora" in Stockholm I love for meetings and work - delish food too.

"Sant Ambroeus" on Lafayette Street in New York, very close to the Bag-all store on Mott Street. It's both a restaurant and cafe, and has great food and coffee. On the pricy side, but worth it for a treat.

In Bali there are too many great ones to just choose one. I like "The Common," "Front," "Milk and Madu," "Crate," and "Honey."

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Places not to miss?

Don't miss your own life. People are so busy first planning and then documenting their own experiences that they miss the moment. I have been guilty of this myself, but now i try to “stop and smell the roses” everyday.

Favorite travel companion?

  • Easy - my husband of 22 years, Micke. We have the best time together still after all these years! 

  • Secondly, my kids. I love to see the world through THEIR eyes. To see how they react to new things is such a joy. 

  • Thirdly, Julia, Bag-all’s Vice President. We have worked together for many years. We traveled the globe together and always have an awesome time, even if we have to work a lot we make sure to also always have fun.

In the first picture, Jennifer and her husband, Micke, in Sumba. Below to the left, Jennifer and Bag-all’s VP, Julia, in Kuwait on a business trip. To the right, Jennifer and her oldest daughter, Celeste, in Paris.

In the first picture, Jennifer and her husband, Micke, in Sumba. Below to the left, Jennifer and Bag-all’s VP, Julia, in Kuwait on a business trip. To the right, Jennifer and her oldest daughter, Celeste, in Paris.

We know you’re very passionate about the environment, tell us how that came to be

When I had my daughters, the environment became even more important to me as my time horizon now encompassed their lives as well. Our way of life is not sustainable and nothing we can take for granted. People really need to wake up and understand this. We can all do small changes which will have huge impacts. For instance, everyone in the western world can plant a tree. It is $1 each on plantatree.org. We plant thousands of trees yearly on our customers’ behalf.

What’s next for Jennifer Jansch? Do you have more business ideas up your sleeve?

In terms of Bag-all and our expansion of the brand, we have a couple of new things going on. For one, I am opening a new store in Le Marais in Paris as we speak. This is so exciting and something we have wanted to do for a while. In order to make this work, we moved to Paris for a couple of months. If you’re in the area, please do come to visit us at 11 Rue des Rosiers. You can also check out our new site at bag-all-france.com.

Outside of Bag-all, I feel no need to add stuff to my life at this point. It is plenty busy as it is. However, I do design more things now, such as clothes and furniture. I am also painting again, something I haven't done for years due to lack of time.

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any final words for our readers?

Gratitude is the most powerful thing in the world. If you think, or even better, write down, the things you are grateful for every day, those things will amplify.

Make sure you get the life YOU deserve! It is all in your own hands.

Xoxo,

Jennifer Jansch

Bag-all Founder, Owner & CEO

Jennifer Wesslau