In 2016, supermodels Josephine Skriver and Jasmine Tookes co-created an Instagram account, named with an amalgamation of the first two letters of each of their own names, Joja. Through the account, which has accumulated over 600,000 followers, the two women have shared their fitness regimens, offering an inside look at how the former Victoria’s Secret Angels train and sharing tips they’d learned from years of access to celebrity trainers.
Early last year, Skriver and Tookes followed that up with the debut of the Joja the clothing brand, which centers on fitness apparel. Now, the duo is taking their next step in building a bonafide fitness empire by launching a workout platform, which is hosted on Playbook, a platform hosting content by fitness creators. The app, which offers a seven-day free trial, charges users $99 per year or $14.99 for a month.
Having dedicated the past few years to building their apparel business, Skriver and Tookes said they’re excited to get back to Joja’s roots by refocusing on the workouts themselves.
“This is a passion that turned into real work. For me Jasmine, the love of wellness and fitness was something we bonded over, and we wanted to share that with the world and share how important it is to have a friend with you to [provide] constant support. It’s sometimes hard to finding motivation,” Skriver said.
Of the origins of Joja, she said, “We started sharing our workouts and sharing how we got ready for life as a model. We shared not just how we did it in the gym — which was kind of a taboo topic back in 2016 — but also how we did it on the road. And it quickly got a pretty good following.”
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Those followers started to ask Skriver and Tookes about the clothing they wore in their posts and, eventually, the duo decided to take their knowledge from a decade of working in fashion and apply it to creating their own, self-funded line. Skriver said she and Tookes had often discussed apparel in a technical way, asking questions like, “Why would they put the line there?” and “Why would they put the stitching there?”
Describing their hands-on approach to the apparel brand, she added, “Most celebrities slap their name on something. But we’ve been the face of so many things. While that’s fun, we want to know how everything works. We want to build it from the ground up.” Joja now has two employees other than Skriver and Tookes, who wear “every single hat possible,” Skriver said.
According to Skriver and Tookes, Playbook is unique in that it offers options for home workouts, as well as workouts for the gym. “If you don’t know what to do when you walk in and there are 17,000 machines and you’re overwhelmed, we have a full program for you to follow,” Skriver said. She noted that she and Tookes often work out at home due to their busy schedules.
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Skriver and Tookes started recording workouts for the app six months ago. “When Playbook approached us and we saw the platform, we loved the way everything was laid out and the fact that we could be very hands-on and, sort of, create our own Joja world within the app,” Tookes said. For example, Playbook has allowed the duo to stick to the style of filming they’re used to and are passionate about.
During their Playbook workouts, Skriver and Tookes wear Joja, which serves as a new way to market the brand, Tookes said. Later this year, they’ll introduce workout challenges on the app. Completing them will grant access to various deals, like a discount on a pair of Joja leggings.
“We’re brainstorming a lot of fun ideas to merge the two [businesses] together, so that they [fuel one] strong community,” Tookes said. “We keep community at the forefront.”
On that note, the pair said that workouts focus on toning, but also having fun. “It’s not these perfect workouts,” Skiriver said. “You’re gonna see us struggle, because some days, you’re just tired. Some days, it’s just hard. But w want it to be relatable; that’s extremely important to us.”
“If you’re gonna come train with us, it’s not going to be a boring 30 minutes,” Tookes said. “You’re gonna laugh with us and you’re gonna have a great time, and then you’ll leave with a great butt.”
