Kimini, a CHIC solution to ward off the A/C chills.
World traveler and entrepreneur Joanne Snodgrass founded her first company, Star Paper Products, in South Africa, shortly after graduating from college. When Joanne decided to make the move to the United States 13 years ago, she put her sense of style and creativity to work in her Dallas boutique, Via Pelle. The boutique flourished. During this time, Joanne also started designing her own collections that developed into her line, Nouvelle Resort Apparel and Accessories, which launched in 2012 after she moved to Florida. Its flagship store opens in Palm Beach in October 2015.
Kimini was born out of necessity; Joanne needed a chic fashion accessory for travel that could ward off indoor chills at restaurants, movie theaters, and airports. She discovered that she, like so many of her friends, had a talent for picking the coldest spot in a restaurant. Also, she’d lived and traveled in areas where the climate could suddenly drop, or the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature could be a shocking 30 degrees. Plus she knew, as a store owner, that women commonly asked for something to cover their arms. When she travels, Joanne proudly wears two Kiminis–one as a scarf and another as a poncho–for protection against airport air conditioning and more. Joanne still experiences moments of delight when Kimini lovers show her new ways to wear her own creation.