Our Story
About Uni & Umi
"Cuteness is power."
Uni & Umi is an e-commerce art business founded in Detroit, MI that sells cute heartfelt merchandise focused on themes of friendship, original characters, and nostalgia. Uni, a purple unicorn, and Umi, a lonely girl, are two of our original characters who share an unbreakable bond. They have a whole world or "Umiverse" (ooo-mee-verse) to explore. As a company, our goal is to spread joy that brings comfort to each and every one of our customers. With an abundant style of "kawaii" to dive into, we take pride in our unique and original designs. Scroll down to meet our team!
Our Team
AKA me, Jessie, an artistic woman, her loving unpaid-intern boyfriend, and an orange cat Casper who causes chaos and endless entertainment in the studio.
My Story...
When I was a young girl, I was a shy tomboy who would draw unicorns in the corner of her schoolwork all day. I had such a creative imagination that I would scribble up books about my pets, create worlds of my own using various stuffed animals and toys, and even go to win an online literary contest in middle school. I always had an escape from the real world of mundanity, violence, and societal pressures.
It wasn't until I graduated from the rigid structures of art college and lived through a Pandemic lockdown, that I needed that "escape" again. I was so unhappy. So, I comforted myself by drawing all the things I missed when I was a kid. Then, developed my tokened pastel-textured art style, a complete representation of being a care-free child. You didn't even have to worry about coloring outside the lines back then. I brainstormed and came up with various characters that are all attached to you and me by different personalities. At night, during panic attacks and insomnia, I would imagine all of them huddling around me, making sure I was okay. And so, I began to realize that I wasn't alone again. I have a whole "Umiverse" calling me. A whole world to show others. I found compassion, healing my inner child. I aim to express that cuteness is power to heal many more.
