How do you go from walking past a Jesmonite workshop and being interested in it, to becoming one of the worldwide distributors of the material? Not Too Virgin can tell you!
We are delighted to announce Not Too Virgin Design Lab as our first official Jesmonite distributor in Thailand. Kwanchan, known as Kae, and Sirada, known as Ice, launched the business in March 2021 after meeting when they both started studying in London two years previous.
From student to owner
They walked past a workshop held by the incredible Katie Gillies and were intrigued by it. With limited availability for the workshops and a tight budget as students, the girls decided to buy some Jesmonite themselves and try it at home instead.
They now find themselves head of a company importing the material and selling to eager customers in the creative and construction industries – as well as selling their own Jesmonite-made products.
Ice, head of Operation and Marketing, said: “We never thought we would be able to do this, I never thought I would run my own business.
“Where we are now is far from where we ever thought we would be, we are so excited to be a Jesmonite distributor and were screaming when we heard.
“We see ourselves and our business grow every day, we face many challenges but we always find a way to solve the problem and overcome obstacles.”
Environmental focus
Not Too Virgin intends to bring sustainable and greener materials to more people. The company name reflects that most materials they use are not brand new and the pair want to educate students and business owners to shift from concrete or resin as Jesmonite is safer for them, their customers and the environment.
They make bespoke products, run workshops and will create tutorial videos of how to use Jesmonite for social media, answering common questions they get from customers. Kae, Managing Director, loved Jesmonite so much when she discovered it in London, she wanted to take it back to Thailand.
She said: “I love the fact Jesmonite is washable, it can be cleaned, which was important when we were creating products in a small room at a rented apartment in London.
Safe, easy and versatile
“Also it is safe, you can use it inside and it has no smell – we love that it is not harmful to the environment.
“Jesmonite is easy to work with, you can get a hold of it very quickly and it is a versatile material, you can play a lot with colours and shapes.
“It is like nothing we had ever seen in Thailand before and we are now getting more and more enquiries.
“Our workshops get good feedback and we look forward to continuing to be Jesmonite makers ourselves as well as stepping up to become a distributor and sell large amounts to wholesale customers, it is an exciting time.”
Growing business
So, what started as two people in a small room making small things is now an established business in a dedicated office space with an assistant, taking orders for products like shop countertops and coffee tables while providing large amounts of raw Jesmonite too.
Not Too Virgin imagines the distributor side of their business will become half of their overall business in time. For more information about them visit their website, follow them on Instagram or TikTok. Kae and Ice have also already set up the Jesmonite Thailand Facebook group.
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