Listen to the full conversation between Kinn Founder & CEO Jennie Yoon and Fashionista Editor-in-Chief Dhani Mau on The Fashionista Network on Spotify.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6fDE0LokyiTdYJaznqhjqV?si=3mXuNeOZQLO_iaPfLzj2Sw
After losing many family heirlooms in a home burglary, Jennie Yoon had the idea to start a brand that would generate new heirlooms: fine jewelry pieces that could be worn every day and passed down through generations, but wouldn’t break the bank. It was 2017 when Yoon left her career in tech (she was a founding employee of Casetify), headed to the Downtown Los Angeles jewelry district, started knocking on doors, secured a manufacturer, set up a Shopify account, and launched Kinn as a direct-to-consumer fine jewelry brand rooted in transparent pricing, quality and storytelling.
Working alone out of her garage with no PR, Yoon would cold-email or DM editors, one of whom — fun fact — was me. We met for coffee shortly after I’d moved to L.A., and I was completely sold on her vision. (I still wear these earrings every day.)
Jennie YoonPhoto: Courtesy of Kinn
Cut to 2026, when Kinn’s PR agency reached out about interviewing Yoon as she was celebrating her brand’s nine-year anniversary. So, in a full-circle moment, I headed to Kinn’s stunning Downtown L.A. studio for an on-the-record catch-up in Yoon’s light-filled corner office, from which she now oversees a 20-person staff.
Looking back, Yoon says she’s most proud of her own personal growth, as well as the achievements of her growing (but close-knit) team. Her biggest lesson almost a decade — and two flagship store openings — later? “Know yourself, know your blind spots, know what you’re really good at and really own that, but also allow yourself to say, ‘This is not what I’m great at.’ And try to hire those people,” she advised. “And ask a lot of questions. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to say yes and support you along the way.”
Kinn’s Los Angeles storePhoto: Courtesy of Kinn
In the full interview, Yoon goes back to the early days, sharing how she bootstrapped the brand by keeping overhead low, met customers at Starbucks so they could try on her jewelry, built a dedicated community through social media and two — soon to be three — brick-and-mortar stores, and grew the business without outside funding. Plus, she explains why and how, from the very beginning, she set up the brand to ensure its longevity beyond her own involvement. Watch it below.
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