Jenny Gao

A Bit About Me

I would call myself a collector because I love collecting all kinds of things. For example, I love dolls, especially Jellycat, Disney, and Sanrio. I am a huge My Melody fan, since I love everything cute and pink. I also love scrolling through social media, so whenever a new trend comes along, I am usually one of the first to try it. For example, when slime became popular back in my lower school, I bought a whole bunch of it. Eventually, I ended up making a mess on the carpet at home. Later, stationery became popular; more and more people decorate ordinary journals with stickers.

My love for collecting stickers and other stationery eventually inspired me to start my own creative stationery brand in ninth grade. That brand is J Star, which you see now. Without a team, I independently searched online for designers and potential collaborators, eventually turning my ideas into reality. A community project I participated in during eighth grade about autism left a lasting impression on me, so I incorporated stars into many of my brand's designs as a way to reflect that meaningful experience.

Work Journal

October 2023 - November 2023

December 2023 - June 2024

July 2025 - Now

In ninth grade, I wanted to start my own business because I loved stationery. So, I founded J Star. At first, I came up with the initial versions of the characters. Then, I asked a friend to help me refine the character designs. That’s how Nini, Gigi, Kiki, and Sirius came to be.

Prepared a series of product design sketches and sent them to factories for prototyping. Selected the final manufacturer for each product and placed orders. Waiting for the first batch of products to arrive.