Although it’s been a few years since Jillian Harris has been on HGTV Canada’s Love it or List it Vancouver, she remains a fan favourite. At the launch of her new collaboration with Canadian brand Joe Fresh, we caught up with Jillian to talk the collection, her Jilly Box and how she plans to spend the summer!
Adding Home Goods to Her Joe Fresh Collections
Jillian’s most recent collaboration with Joe Fresh is her fifth collection with the brand however this is her first one that includes home goods as well as fashion. And although this is a first, it has always been a dream of Jillian’s. “I think maybe 10 or 15 years ago, here was a beautiful launch of homewares that they had in the store and I remember being in there with my mom. I think this is even before I was on The Bachelor and I was like, this is my dream to design stuff like this.”
Her Joe Fresh collaborations started with fashion but she never forgot the goal of creating a home goods collection. “Sometimes things take a while and you really have to pound the pavement and build that relationship,” Jillian says. “I’m known for home design and decor, but we started with fashion and it was so much fun. Every launch we’re like, okay, when can we do some home decor stuff? And recently [Joe Fresh said] okay, let’s work on a summer launch. And what do you think about doing some picnic essentials? And of course, I lost my mind. I was so excited!”
Related: 10 Anthropologie Home Goods We’re Loving
Curating the Jilly Box
Since 2019, Jillian and her team have been creating the Jilly Box, a quarterly subscription box filled with some of Jillian’s favourite products and essentials for the season. According to Jillian, the process of choosing what goes into the Jilly Box is a big but fun one. “Right now we’re starting to vet products for the winter of 2024,” Jillian tells us.
Jillian gives us some insight into creating the summer 2023 box. “We’re thinking, what makes me think of summer? We think of colours. We think of vibes. We think of summer nights and we put together a mood board! We then present that to the Jilly box procurement team. They’re in charge of finding the products. And we start brainstorming. Should there be a T-shirt in there? Should there be earrings?”
The procurement team then starts reaching out to brands and the goal is to feature as many diverse Canadian, women-owned brands as possible. This summer’s Jilly Box includes wildflower earrings from Toronto-based brand bluboho, a towel from the Tofino Towel Company, and pineapple body oil from Canadian skincare brand Glow Jar Beauty.
Related: 10 Backyard Wellness Trends Perfect for Canadian Homes
Jillian’s Summer Plans
The sun is shining and Jillian is ready to make the most of the summer. “Work-wise, my biggest projects are the Jilly Box, Joe Fresh, Jilly Academy, and the cookbook,” Jillian tells us. “I’ve started taking off two days a week in the summers.” And she wants to make the most of the summer with her kids.
“There’s so much going on. So, I’m a little bit overwhelmed. But overall, I think it’s going to be great. I just want to keep on taking care of myself so I can have energy for my kids this summer. And they’re older now. They’re going to be five and seven. This is when they start remembering these core memories. So I just really hope I can be present this summer and just work on my three days and then the other days just have fun with the kids.”
Related: 4 Picturesque Houseboats to Book on Airbnb This Summer
A Thank You to the HGTV Canada Community
It’s been a few years since Jillian has graced our HGTV Canada TV screens, but she is still grateful for the community she has gained because of it. “The biggest thing is just, thank you,” says Jillian. “Being online, sometimes you forget about your audience because it’s just you with this phone, right? So you get in your own head and you start to feel insecure and it’s hard on your self-esteem,” she confesses.
“I think people think I have all this confidence, but I beat myself up, too. But then there are certain times when I do launches or I hear this from your readers. I think, Holy crap, I am actually so lucky to have this community that loves me so much! I’ve got to be easier on myself so I can be strong for them and continue to make people laugh and design beautiful things and be spontaneous and open and transparent and whatnot. So just thank you.”
