People go crazy, pays $2 for a free JUZD bag

The JUZD team was at its first tradeshow, Green Living Show at the Toronto Exhibition place. And people there went crazy for the JUZD bag. People were dropping by ever so often saying “Here’s the booth with that bag.” They apparently saw other people carrying it around.

I was thinking, no way, everyone is giving away free eco-friendly bags, no way people will pay $2 for this.

The bags were supposed to be free with a purchase of a shirt. But some people were so fixed on getting a bag they didn’t want to hear about the shirts. I turned away many people before I realize I can make money from this. So we started charging $2 for the bags. I was thinking, no way, everyone is giving away free eco-friendly bags, no way people will pay $2 for this. But pretty much everyone that asked bought one. And we sold a lot of shirts too.

People were grabbing these shirts from left and right...

These types of tradeshows are littered with cheap clothing and big discounted shirts. I wasn’t expecting to compete and sell shirts. It was more for awareness and exposure purposes. But to my surprise people were picking up the shirts. What I found out was that people actually cared about the quality and efforts put into the shirts. People were grabbing these shirts from left and right, lots of other exhibitors were getting it, parents and aunts were getting it for their kids, and of course the fashion forward wanted to pimp it themselves. At the end we sold over 20 shirts, which was a big surprise.

“people want to pay for art, the bag is an art piece”

But the biggest surprise has to be all the people wanting to ‘buy’ a bag and buy other memorabilia. The bags were supposed to be a promotional item. People were paying to have my bag and promote the JUZD brand. But as I was told by a photographer “people want to pay for art, the bag is an art piece” she said. Then she asked if she can buy one of the signs to have it as the main entrance piece at her studio.

Getting JUZD at The Green Living Show…

This past weekend the JUZD street team joined the thousands of Enviro-friendly activists at the 2nd annual Green Living Show, Toronto’s premiere consumer show dedicated to all things green. Booths ranging from energy conservation, transportation to health and wellness and eco-fashions (just to name a few) filled the Direct Energy Center. Think shopping in a calm natural setting minus our furry friends and sunshine. We definitely saw some imaginative solutions to the global environmental crisis we are facing today. Who knew there were so many types of organic chocolate? I’m sure not complaining about all the free samples! Aside from organic nibbling, there were great green fashion initiatives too from t-shirts, to shopping bags and even enviro-friendly slippers. It was a one-stop shop for all the green enthusiasts out there.

Of course, the JUZD booth was bumping with beats and showcased this years Spring/Summer Bamboo collection which drew the interest of all- both young and old. With our big, bold and larger than life booth, it was hard not to miss the energy and excitement our team generated.

Former U.S. President Clinton took the stage on Friday to voice his concern about the challenges of globalization. He shared his unique insights, values and observations about today’s green initiatives which drew a large captive audience and media entourage.

Not to be out done by the former president, Jamie Kennedy, a legendary chef, also took the stage on Saturday. His commitment to organic agriculture and efforts to minimize damage on the environment drew a healthy audience to see what was cooking.

Whether people were there to learn about new green initiatives or to see the infamous Bill Clinton, it was great to see so many people come out to support and defend our environment. The Green Living Show estimated a 20% increase in attendees from last year’s show and it proves that being green is just not a trend but it is here for good. Our children will thank us later!

Next door to the Green Living Show, The Elle Show took place which was convenient for attendees to enjoy the entire day at the Direct Energy Center. Fashion shows and a special guest appearance from Steven Cojacaru, a fellow Canadian and West Coast Style Editor (better known for his honest but hilarious Red Carpet Analysis on Entertainment Tonight) proved to be entertaining as he gave the audience a good laugh with his Hollywood insight.



It was also exciting to see Evan Biddell and Lucian Matis (from Project Runway Canada) display their Canadian talent with their new Summer collection. It’s easy to see why Biddell won Project Runway Canada - his collection left the audience begging for more.

Despite the TTC strike, we had a great turn out as we saw numerous people carrying bike helmets and rollerblades in support of keeping the pollution at a minimum either by choice or necessity!

Three full days of Fashion shows, shopping, health and wellness and eco-friendly initiatives proved to be a success not only for our environment but for the JUZD team. We learned about new and exciting green initiatives andwere inspired to be even more eco-friendly. We are definitely looking forward to next year’s shows!