We welcome the innovative Jarmo Pohjaniemi as our new Marketing Director/Editor to Boca Terry. We are looking forward to new energy and direction to our existing visual aspects and marketing strategies!
With 2019 upon us, it’s ripe time for a visual upgrade and welcoming new horizons with Jarmo and his 35 years of experience with major brands, including top fashion houses and commercial industry applications from Playboy to textile companies and beyond. Our first two photo productions with Jarmo and his team were a big eye-opener in more ways than one. We had found our Boca Terry golden boy who sees hospitality goods in a whole new, different style and light.
BT: Your visual background has been somewhat different and fashion model oriented until now. What was it that caught your interest to work with Boca Terry and to accept this position?
Jarmo: Your towels and robes are never late to work, they don’t bark back and they’re always willing to cooperate without questions asked (laughter). But seriously, addressing your question; I want to find the fifth element in Boca Terry and bring a new light to the brand. I see tremendous untapped potential knocking in all directions. It’s like a great sailing ship. We’re about to follow the stars and explore new territory together. The journey has just begun.
We welcome fresh new designs and ideas from Jarmo Pohjaniemi
BT: Tell us about your experience in the marketing and textile industry. How did it begin?
Jarmo: In the early 80’s someone casually poked fun that I should become a model in the fashion industry. (Must have been my hair-spray). One thing led to another and as a young man at the time, from Finland, I soon found myself in Paris fashion shows meeting all kinds of fancy people with style and hairspray to spare.
The designers and modeling agencies saw potential which catapulted me to pictorials, fashion shows and campaigns. The style-spark and flame were lit within me. My interest was not only to meet the top fashion designers; I knew that I had stumbled onto something suitable and very appealing to me.
Jarmo Pohjaniemi gets his inspiration from international trends and traveling
BT: Here at Boca Terry, we specialize in hospitality goods which are less high-end yet fashion oriented. How do you see your place with Boca Terry?
Jarmo: This was the very first question that came to my mind when Boca Terry offered the opportunity. When comparing the somewhat over-saturated marketplace in the past fashion and hospitality arena, you quickly realize what everyone’s trying to accomplish and where the market is opening new opportunities for mutual objectives. One of the calling cards was to implement not only the existing style but more of the in-your-face appeal, with discoveries and fresh market entries.
What sparked my interest was that there is a much more massive and untapped marketplace in the hospitality industry than I had first thought. Hospitality goods are a huge business and could be more fashionable and in style. Why not take it further into the market? That was my inspiration to take on Boca Terry’s offer.
BT: You wear many hats and handle multiple tasks. What are some of the driving forces that keep you going?
Jarmo: When people ask me, why do I work so hard, I question if they are entitled even to know the answer because they most likely would not comprehend it. If you have to ask about the secrets and successes, then perhaps it’s still a work in progress for those who ask. I’d like to believe that I haven’t worked a day in my life. Instead, I feel privileged to be able to create and do what I love. As the good old saying goes, “Give me 1% opportunity, and I will earn the remaining 99%.”
BT: What satisfies you?
Jarmo: When I see my child-of-creation come alive and being born, that is the highest award for the creative mind. It’s like a hit record on the radio for a musician. To stay on top on these things, one must also keep climbing the charts to be able to remain active in the industry. Accomplishment equals satisfaction. It’s a continuous process.
BT: Where do you get your motivation and what inspires you?
Jarmo: I can’t turn off my brain. It continually seems to be telling me little designs & ideas. To me, that makes sense; I quite enjoy “building the wheel” with my findings and watching them come alive. I’m a very cinematic visualist, trapped in a slightly warped world of views. Everything looks beautiful and inspirational in its way. It’s just that it often is misunderstood. The world all around is filled with inspiration from people to places and beyond.
BT: Tell us about your photography passion
Jarmo: First, I never wanted to become a photographer or called as such. I gave up correcting people who kept labeling me as a “Photographer” and accepted the ideology to convey ideas to others via my viewfinder. I would much prefer to be called image-maker or something else instead since photographers wear way fewer hats and mostly only focus on their images. However, I can’t deny that without photography I most likely would be doing something less creative, since we live in a world where visuals rule regardless of what you’re selling. A picture can speak a thousand words and in this case, seeing is believing. When you combine storytelling along with your images, that is when the true capabilities of my passion are unleashed.
BT: Thank you and welcome to the world of Boca Terry. We look forward to a successful 2019 with you and beyond.
Boca Terry’s Cabana Stripe towel collection – Model Jade Williams