MILAN — June Haynes, once an executive at Valentino, has recently been spending time in far-off places like Morocco, Egypt and Portugal elevating the work of local artisans for her new lifestyle brand. Her path is indeed a testament that there is life after fashion.
After leaving Valentino in 2013, where she served as senior vice president, retail, she started her own consulting and fashion firm and in June of 2025, she and her life partner, real estate development and mortgage expert and businessman Jerry Swartz, were inspired to start a lifestyle business after encountering artisans on their travels. On Wednesday, they will debut a luxury lifestyle boutique in their hometown, East Hampton.
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Set within a 1,200- square-foot, century-old farmhouse, Jjuin (pronounced Jeh-zhoo-ahn) will be filled with wanderlust treasures, Haynes told WWD in an interview.
Home and fashion goods span from tables and trays fashioned with mother-of-pearl from Egypt, to the Essaouira Horizon Bowl painted in bold stripes of black and white which draws inspiration from the layered coastal landscapes of Morocco’s seaside city. To complement this lineup are ready-to-wear items that reflect cultures through Haynes’ contemporary fashion lens — think luxe abayas in Saudi Arabia and pajamas made in Morocco.
Haynes and Swartz originally started Jjuin as a new luxury retail channel that until now has existed online. They began by hand-sourcing pieces from the jungles of Africa to the souks of Marrakech, solidifying partnerships with artisans and creating a global network.
The name is a fusion of its founders’ initials (June and Jerry) and Juin, the French word for June, which marks the start of long, golden days “when travelers set out on journeys that awaken new perspectives.”
East Hampton Is Changing
East Hampton was pinpointed as the perfect place to open a boutique. The area’s growing community of high-net-worth individuals has become more diverse over the years.
These newcomers not only vacation there, but they are making their home there and working out of home offices. Keen to enhance their homes with luxury collectibles, the local consumer is well-traveled and appreciates story-driven pieces. The boutique will likely inject some authenticity into the local scene, which has been dominated by large chains. According to the most recent data from real estate platform Zillow, the average home value in East Hampton, one of the wealthiest communities in the U.S., is $1,986,818 while the median list price is $2,540,000.
“It has changed for the better because more people are moving to East Hampton or the Hamptons in general and especially in the way of our lifestyle now today, a lot of people are working from home, so home has increasingly become the hub,” she reflected. Overall, consumers are driven to unique experiences.
The Future of Retail
Despite having witnessed and contributed to the zenith of high fashion retail and watched online shopping topple historic brick-and-mortar names, retail is far from dead, she contends. Those creating a one-of-a-kind experience — from the music to the fragrances — will survive.
“A lot has changed in a way of brick-and-mortar, but the reality is that the consumer still wants to touch, feel, smell, connect. At the end of the day, brick-and-mortar is here to stay,” she stated.
Going forward, the couple will continue to focus on nature-created, handcrafted objets d’art sourced from the couple’s travels across Africa, Asia, and Europe. While the storefront will remain the showcase through which their story continues to unfold, they do have their eye on planting roots in the countries that have inspired them.
“We so believe in the product, and particularly now with our artisans, how we’ve gotten them to the level of refining their skill sets. We thought it would now make the most sense, at phase two, to create a hub in the countries that we spend the most time in and work with the artisans.”