Zipporah Jarmon and Michelle Janayea have stamped themselves as two young, trailblazing entrepreneurs breaking barriers in the LGBTQ+ community.
Business partners Jarmon and Janayea have recently launched their underwear line, Pyramid Sevenwhich they say was created for periods, not gender. The underwear works by removing extra fabric from boxer briefs and adding additional fabric in the crotch area in order for wearers to place their menstrual pads securely inside their boxer briefs.
How did this product come about? Jarmon, 26who grew up in Chicago and got her bachelor's in graphic designwas experiencing severe cramps while at work last April; soon, her clothes had become ruined. She told Windy City Times she thought to herself "Wow, this sucks!" According to Jarmon, what also was bad was having to wear feminine underwear one week out of every month when she actually preferred to wear boxers and/or boxer briefs. With that in mind, Jarmon thought that other people ( such as those who identify as masculine or transgender ) might have the same problem, and decided she wanted to do something about it. Soon after, she began thinking of a name/logo and a fashion designer for what would later be called Pyramid Seven.
Janayea, 24, is from Rhode Island and had recently graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a double bachelor's in fashion design and business. She and Jarmon had traveled in the same social circles for quite some time; however, the two weren't close. One night a mutual friend told Janayea of Jarmon's business idea. "She was all for it," said Jarmon. After that Janayea began to freelance for a while and, later, became business partners with Jarmon.
Within the coming months, the two faced many obstacles getting Pyramid Seven running, mostly with finances. Jarmon said that starting out, she financed "about 97 percent" of Pyramid Seven. She explained that it was hard, adding with a laugh, "I'm not rich."
Since then, Jarmon and Janayea have gotten their funding by asking for donations from family and friends. June 18 marked the company's launch and supporters were able to donate money to Pyramid Seven as well as menstrual products. If someone donated more than $50, the company would donate a pair of Pyramid Seven underwear to the Broadway Youth Center ( BYC ), which serves as a safe haven for LGBTQ teens and young adults. Menstrual products that were donated were also given to BYC.
Janayea told WCT that the feedback has been amazing. According to her, customers have said that Pyramid Seven underwear is comfortable, secure and is "what people have been looking for." Jarmon added that Pyramid Seven is not only inclusive to gender but to race and body type: "We want to represent the real thing."
When asked what their favorite part of working on Pyramid Seven has been, both Jarmon and Janayea said that it has been working with one another. Jarmon said the reason their partnership works so well is because they "check each other and hold each other to a high standard." Similarly, Janayea said that the two "just seem to get each other." Janayea also added that often times people are scared to get into business with another person due to the fact that one person might feel more entitled to the company. However, she said that like her and Jarmon, that shouldn't be a problem as long as you "find someone who reciprocates what you put in."
Both women agreed that the best part has been their friendship, which they described as an essential part of Pyramid Seven. When asked what advice she would give to aspiring business owners, Jarmon said, "You can't do it by yourself. If it was just me or Michelle, the company might have not even launched." Janayea added that when starting a company, one should always ask, "What is it that I need that would benefit my lifestyle or my community?" She then said, "If you want it, it's a need."
Jarmon and Janayea agreed that Pyramid Seven was a "conversation starter" for them and the LGBTQ community. They saw it as having a problem in their community that they couldn't wait for people who weren't apart of the LGBTQ community to solve. As for the future of Pyramid Seven, new designs and possible products are already in the works.
To shop or learn more about Pyramid Seven, visit PyramidSeven.com .