Jena Counts On Her Life Philosophy And That Marc Jacobs Show!

Photo Courtesy Of Marc Jacobs

“My story begins with my love of wool and the beautiful colors that could be created with it.

I started staying home to keep my grand baby and wanted something to do in my spare time. We live in the very small town of Palatka, Florida. I started out needle felting. One day I saw a beautiful dread set on Etsy and thought, 'Wow, I would love to do that'. We wanted our own style, nothing copied. So I made a set and within minutes it sold. With a lot of encouragement from my daughter I continued to make more. My favorite ones are the really decorated sets with beads and sari silk elements. The sari is where I get most of my color inspirations from.

The dreadlocks are made of wool. You can have them permanently installed for up to two months or clip them in for a fun weekend look. Getting them rolled correctly is the most challenging aspect. A lot depends on what the customer wants. We have light rolled naturals or tight rolled giving a very uniform look to them. The ones for Marc Jacob's show were light roll. I was contacted by Guido's team. They were able to take what Marc envisioned and translate it to me. They are amazing and so nice.

Our stay (in New York) has been great. We are currently staying a few more days to site see and shop. We love it here. Not to say we are not ready to go home and see our family. I have lot of faith and because of that I always treat everyone with respect and honesty. I think it translates through my entire life. I believe you get back what you give. I have amazing support my husband, Bill Counts,of over 25 years, and my kids. Family is extremely important to me.”

- As told to MBF,
September 16, 2016.