We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jo Ma Woo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jo below.
Jo, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I would say my purpose rooted from my years in Pelham Junior High. I loved to work with my hands, so I thought I was going to be a carpenter and had intended to take carpentry as my mandatory class. At that time, choosing a craft class was mandatory.
However, when it came time to choose, cooking and sewing were the only options and I had to make a choice. I was not keen on either option, but sewing seemed like the lesser of two evils because I couldn’t even boil an egg! What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the craft— and I fell hard.
I feel in love with it from the first moment the fabric was placed in my hands — it was just natural. It felt like I had been doing it all my life, and I just took to it. Almost as if the craft loved me as much as I loved it. As my love for sewing bloomed, so did my experience. I had even begun to make clothes for my teachers and principles, from Junior High, all the way through High School. Unfortunately, in my adolescently way of thinking, I did not think that, outside of my teachers and principles, anyone else would appreciate and pay for my work, I didn’t know I could make it my career, so I took a break.
But, as true love does, sewing found it’s way back to me… in an unconventional way. At that time, my focus was on my children, so I had taken up a job at the post office— and it paid very well. But the trade off was quality time with my children. In my mind, there was only one option, I had to give up job and find another way of living. I’m not sure why, maybe fate, but sewing came to mind and I knew that I could sell enough to take care of my kids and still spend the time I needed with them. In doing that, my purpose came back, I’d almost lost my mind. I had forgotten how much I loved sewing, and that feeling came back immediately as I was putting the clothes together. The love and passion was so strong, it didn’t even feel like work. And the rest is history.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
The most important thing that I want everyone to know about my brand is, although I am a designer, I don’t consider myself one. Why? Because, overall, I am a teacher. I want to teach the babies, the youth of my community. I know that what I do is very important and my style is unique, and I want to develop that in the youth of my community. The reality is, for my people, these alternative crafts are not taught or offered in primary school anymore— it’s inaccessible. As I started to notice this over the years, this fact hung heavy on my mind. What if there is another little Jo waiting to find their love for the craft? How could I be here if it wasn’t available for me through school? And why can’t I be that teacher for the youth of my community? I want to help those hidden designers among my people find themselves and their love for the craft. I want to teach. So I have begun making it accessible again for the babies, and became a sewing teacher at Alkebulan Village Community Center on the east side of Detroit.
As for relevant news, outside of my classes available for the Detroit youth, I do occasionally hold fashion shows. I will be participating in New York Fashion Week in September 2025 and will host my own fashion show in Detroit Sept 27th 2025 at the International Institute of Metro Detroit.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of my journey is my kids. My kids are my babies, they are my everything. And really, if it wasn’t for them, I would not have been given the motivation to find my passion for sewing again. As I previously stated, sewing gave me the freedom to indulge in my passion and take care of and teach my children the way I wanted to. This included the liberty of teaching my kids entrepreneurship. My kids saw me working, sewing for myself and selling my work. I was able to make more than just a decent living for them on my own merit. And this only motivated me more to be a role model for my babies and show that passion for a craft is a career. You can love what you do because I did. I am.
Secondly, I would say my family. Unfortunately, my family wasn’t as supportive as I needed, or wanted them to be of my passion and career choice. Maybe they just didn’t understand. But it never got me down or discouraged me. In fact, it motivated me more. I knew that I could make it, and I was going to prove that I could. More so, I was motivated to find my support within my industry— my tribe, if you will. Now, I have more support than I know what to do with, and I feel more than blessed. So, in that respect, I have to thank my family for pushing me out of my comfort to find strength and support within myself, and those who are able to understand.
Lastly, my community. I saw a need in the youth, and wanted to fill that, teach, and bring wealth back into my community. My community has so much un-tapped potential, it hurts my heart not to see it bloom. So, as I continue in my purpose, I want to grow from teaching my youth— my community— to building manufacturing within the community and re-build our wealth.
The only advice, and I think the most important advice that I have, is for you to love what you do— have a passion for it, it should be your obsession. That is the only thing that will keep you going, no matter what it is. It will always come back to you, you will always find or make a way for it to work if you have that passion and love for it, and the money and stability will naturally follow.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
The Creator.
God has been my greatest motivation in growing and overcoming all challenges. I never worry because I know the Creator has my back, and always has. That’s what brought the right people into my life at the right time. This includes only having the option to sew in Junior High and finding my love for it. I can say that there was no other way that I would have even thought to pick up sewing. The Creator led me to having the confidence to lean on my craft to provide for my kids in the way that I wanted. I just knew that it was going to work. Whenever I am faced with an obstacle, whatever overwhelming emotion that I am feeling in that moment never gets the chance to linger and cause me harm because I talk to God about it. After that conversation, I’m washed with clam and I know that I’m going to be more than alright. My head is clear and I’m able to make the decision that needs to be made and move on to the next thing… which is usually sewing a new design.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jomawooofficial/
- Other: jomawooofficial@gmail.com
Image Credits
Photographers:
Bull (bullheartedprod)
Abby O (portraitsbyabbyo)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
