| 6934 NORTH GLENWOOD #B1, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60626 jason@zolajonesdesigns.com // 773 848 3257 |
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| Born and raised in the rural Midwest, designer Jason Loper grew up crafting fabulous little things from found objects and dreaming of an urban life. In 1997, after studying English literature at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, Loper moved to Chicago to realize that childhood dream. Following a career in sales and management, Loper left the corporate world in 2001 for a position as a live-in household manager and personal assistant in a posh suburb of Chicago. That year, Loper and his partner, Michael, packed up their house and their cat, Zola Jones, and moved thirty miles north of the city. During those two years of bucolic suburban life, Loper’s creative spark was ignited once again and during the quiet evenings he began handcrafting messenger bags. The siren call of urban life beckoned once more and in 2003, Loper, partner and kitty returned to Chicago. Facing the opportunity for a career change, and re-energized by a return to urban life, Loper began focusing solely on his bag designs. Later that year, when he started selling bags at street festivals and craft fairs, Loper was faced with naming his burgeoning business. It seemed only fitting that he name his line of bags after his constant companion during the long, arduous process of starting a business – his cat, Zola Jones. |
