Good Neighbor Podcast North Atlanta
Bringing Together Local Businesses & Neighbors of North Atlanta
Good Neighbor Podcast North Atlanta
EP #120: Incognito Wear IX with Jan Wolbrecht
Jan Wolbrecht of Incognito Wear IX shares her journey creating a specialized clothing line for women's concealed carry that keeps them armed, fashionable, and incognito. Her American-made designs emerged from personal experience when she found herself frustrated trying to dress around a firearm after deciding to carry for personal protection.
Visit incognitowearix.com or contact through social media @incognitowearix to learn more about Jan's products.
From Jan:
- My journey into self protection and learning about firearms & firearm safety lead me to create a company where fashion and function empower personal safety . It didn't take long to realize toting around a hefty purse was no way to live. So, I switched gears to on-body carry and had myself a whole new ballgame to tackle—why does it feel like fashion forgot about us ladies packing heat?
Truly having "nothing to wear" to support my concealed carry journey I decided not only would I solve my problem but the problem for many women who just want to look "normal" and not like a tactical dude. Beautiful fabrics and feminine design allowing discreet access to camouflage the hardware and encourage more women to carry is my goal. Having experienced the helplessness of victim-hood by family and friends, I never want anyone to become a victim because of style.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, north Atlanta, where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host.
Speaker 2:Stacey Risley. Hello friends and neighbors, Welcome to North Atlanta's Good Neighbor Podcast. Today we're here with Jan Walbrecht with IncognitoWare. Hi, Jan, Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:Hello, hello. Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it, Stacey.
Speaker 2:Well, I am thrilled to have you. We have had nobody from your industry, so to speak, or kind of have an exclusive type of business, and I can't wait for you to share more about that with our listeners today. So, incognito Wear and it's actually Incognito Wear IX, but tell us about your brand of clothing.
Speaker 3:So I am in a niche market of concealed carry clothing for women. It is also American made, and my whole theory on this is to keep you armed, fashionable and incognito, of course, so that you'll never be a victim because of style.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm so glad to have you on today because it is you're right. It's easier for men, I believe, to conceal that they're carrying a firearm, but for women it is difficult. You know, I have a hard enough time putting my cell phone in my pocket, much less carrying a firearm. So tell us a little bit about your journey into this.
Speaker 3:So I actually didn't start out to do a business, but this is what happened along my concealed carry journey. It's also a spiritual journey, but it kind of is a perfect storm. I had several things that kind of came together within about a six-month period. I had a family member and a neighbor become victims. I moved locations as far as my workplace, knew that coyotes were going to be in the area and I worked early hours and what happens those early hours? Coyotes are there. So we were warned and all of that kind of came together and my husband was saying you need to carry a gun, you need to be able to protect yourself.
Speaker 3:And I prayed about it and didn't know what to do. I'm like. Then I got frustrated. I well, let, well, let me back up. So I got educated.
Speaker 3:I went to my local range. I found out that they had a women's group, so I began training, learned firearm safety, learned about concealed carry, because I didn't even know about that. And that exploration led me to extreme frustration, trying to dress around my firearm. So that was really the pivotal moment of the frustration, literally not having anything to wear in my closet. And I thought, well, if I'm having that issue, everybody else must have that issue. There's a hurdle of getting to the place where you're comfortable carrying a self-protection device, and so that was kind of how my journey started and I wanted to help other women. So I have interior design background and my creativity started bubbling up to the top about making clothes that minimize the printing. Because when you carry a firearm you feel like everybody's staring at you, you feel like everybody can tell, and I thought if I can design clothes that takes that worry away, then women, hopefully, will be more likely to carry on body and not be a victim.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and because that would be just a. You said that it was a perfect storm. You know that brought you to this place and the, you know, victims of crime is one thing, but also, like you said, the coyotes or other. You know, depending on where you live, we don't have too many, right? You know, here in Atlanta, I don't believe, but crime is a real concern.
Speaker 2:And for women to not feel comfortable carrying and I'm glad that you have heard that you went through the firearms training and the safety and before you're even comfortable carrying a firearm, much less do you want them to be, you know, for it to be a prohibiting factor is the fashion, a piece of it and, like you said, for everyone to know that you're carrying and it's just, it's not anyone's business and but it's there if you're, it can you can be incognito and keep that to yourself. I mean, it's not like you don't want to walk in and have everyone staring at you and asking you if you're a police officer or whatever else, because it is our right to carry, you know. And if it's not for everybody, but if it is something that you want to do, I'm so glad that you have created clothing to make that easier. So I know that this next question with your industry. I can only imagine how many, but are there any myths or misconceptions that you would like to clear up with our listeners today about your line of work?
Speaker 3:Wow, that is a loaded question. I would have to say. Probably at the top is the misconceptions that people think it's not going to happen to me. Oh, that's in such and such neighborhood, that's you know, over here they were, you know, asking for it, right? Whatever excuse you want to come up with, people just don't really think that it's going to happen to them. I'm in Roswell and unfortunately a police officer was killed in the line of duty. Well, roswell is supposed to be safe, but it can happen anywhere. The other myth, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:I was just going to say, and for the most part, roswell is safe. You know, and I live in Dunwoody, right down the road from Roswell. But just because you are I like what you had said they think, oh, that's not going to happen in my neighborhood. We live in a nice part of Atlanta. These are relatively safe. But relatively safe that doesn't mean that crime doesn't happen. It happens everywhere. So I just wanted to touch on that. It's not that you're saying Roswell's unsafe, but it can happen anywhere.
Speaker 3:And that's the myth that people think it's not going to happen to them. It's, you know. A lot of people will use the analogy of why do you have a fire extinguisher? Well, because you may have a fire.
Speaker 3:Right, get a grease, fire you may have a griddle fire, but you have it just in case, and I like to bring that up because carrying a firearm isn't that I'm looking for a fight, I don't want to have to use it. It's there as a last resort. First off, I want to avoid the situation. I want to get out of the situation. If I'm forced to, then yes, my life is valuable and I am worthy. But to move on to another myth, especially for women, because I think it's very intimidating because it is a male dominant industry is that it's really easy to get into it.
Speaker 3:It's very inexpensive. You can go to your range. You can rent a gun, you rent or buy your ammo, but there's really not any special gear. You can rent your hearing protection, you can rent eyewear, all with the range. So the ease to entry, I think, is very low for somebody and there is a great community of women, so it's a lot of fun and it's a great stress reducer. So if you have a high stressful job, it is a really good way to um curtail. Yeah, very empowering and I.
Speaker 2:I will speak to that. I agree, you know I I don't carry um. I may have to look into it, but I'm very familiar with firearms and have been to the range and I didn't know there was a community of women that are in it. Like you said earlier, like you hope to never have to use it and sometimes you know it, just the fact that if you're were to, you know, potentially be a victim of a crime, them seeing that you have a firearm is enough. You know, like if you're able to get that out, you may never have to use it. But then you know, if there was someone going around starting forest fires, if someone's standing there with a fire hose, I doubt that they would light that tree. To go back to your earlier analogy, but just seeing that you're protected is often that that would be enough to you know, to prohibit or prevent the crime from happening.
Speaker 3:So well, and you know, criminals are looking for an easy target right so somebody who's on their phone, who's not paying attention. You know, if you're carrying a firearm, whether it's on your body or in the purse, you're walking a little bit different. That empowerment, that self-confidence is going to make you less likely to be a victim, to be a target because they want something easy. You're not going to be.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would agree with that completely. Well, so we're going to shift gears a little bit now, jan, if that's okay, and Fon, that you what we talked during our pre-interview, and you, like me, are a native Atlantan, or Georgian, at least I know. You're a Georgia peach, like I am. But what do you do around here, for fun? What are you doing when you're not working?
Speaker 3:not working. Well, I have two jobs so there's a little time, but I do have some backyard chicken that I absolutely love my chickens, so I spend time with them and my husband, who is actually an Atlanta native as well.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, trying to, you know, make sure that we have our date night, and then I have three grown children that are all overseas. So with time changes that can be a little bit of a challenge.
Speaker 2:Oh, I bet yeah, they're all overseas Goodness.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I've got six hours ahead, six hours behind, five hours, so that can be challenging, but my days are busy because I do work two jobs.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so this is your. When did you start incognito wear?
Speaker 3:It's been six years. It has not been my full-time job. Some of the other obstacles or challenges I guess with going into a business, especially fashion and manufacturing, is boy is there a lot to learn, and my clothes are made in America, so that that's another challenge finding places for small independent designers or manufacturing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I imagine that is a challenge. Well, so, as far as a challenge not related to work, you know we all go through difficulties in life or challenges, and have to go through those and come out the other side. Is there one that you have faced that you can say, for having been through that experience, that you are better and stronger for that today?
Speaker 3:I would say the top is actually taking that first step to learn about firearms, to get trained, to go to the ring and be my own first responder, to get over that hurdle, that fear. I think fear stops a lot of us. Yeah, and because of this industry. The other challenge has been dealing with the culture around firearms, with social media and just trying to get my word, my voice, out. There is a challenge, but it teaches you to be persistent.
Speaker 2:That's right, that's right, and it's not that it's controversial per se of an issue. But people are judgy, you know. They're just judgmental If you do carry, if you don't carry, if you, you know, I think that, in with with any industry, but yours in particular, I could just see that that there being more of a judgment piece to it than than most they are, and I and I think to uh, to to use an automobile.
Speaker 3:When you're 16, 15, you're learning how to drive. It's intimidating to get in a car and to learn how to drive and when you start out, all you're doing is two hands on the wheels. You know, as you learn more about it, where you're going, your neighborhood, the roads, experience, of course, and knowledge. Then the next thing you're doing eating while you're driving. But a vehicle is a deadly weapon.
Speaker 2:We just don't think of it as a deadly weapon.
Speaker 3:We just don't think of it as a deadly weapon. It doesn't have that taboo, that stigma attached to it. I think many people grow up knowing about firearms. I did not have firearms in the family, but I understood the healthy perspective of firearms. My husband's a hunter, so there's just that stigma, like you said.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I'm glad that you have stuck with it and overcame that. The full name of your business is Incognito Ware IX for the Roman numeral nine. Tell us about the origin of where nine came from.
Speaker 3:So I am almost a senior and got the idea the frustration of designing clothes to make it easy for women to carry and protect themselves and came up with a name, and my animal totem is the owl. And so I'm like, ok, what, what am I going to do? God answered my prayer about whether or not I was to start this business by filling me in the owl, and so I I do have a Christian business. I subscribe to Christian principles and when I was naming my company, I wanted to honor that so many women carry a nine millimeter, and IX happens to be Greek for Jesus Christ. So I thought it was very fitting to marry a spiritual journey with my personal safety journey. So it's incognitawareixcom is how you find me.
Speaker 2:I have a question. You said that you have a clothing line. Do you have handbags and other like accessories as well, or is it just you know actually clothing on your body?
Speaker 3:So I designed some pieces specifically for concealed carry. So it's going to minimize the printing by the design, the drape, what have you, and give you a discreet access so that you can draw your firearm if you need to. I also have some wholesale items that I test and find that also minimizes printing at different price points because manufacturing is expensive. To answer your question, yes, I do have purses, I do have some jewelry, I have pepper spray, so anything that is kind of fashion related and yet safety minded. I have RFID wallets because credit card skimming is real. I'm going to go see my daughter in Germany, and so you know more European countries are known for pig pocketing and more skimming. It doesn't happen quite as much here in the States, but it's something that you need to do to keep yourself safe. So anything to you know fashion related and accessories so that we can feel fashionable and feminine even though we're period, not tactical.
Speaker 2:Wonderful, I love it.
Speaker 3:Well.
Speaker 2:Jan, thank you so much for being here. If our listeners do want to reach out I think you just said the best way for them to get into in touch with you is through your website. And would you repeat that one more time for the for them?
Speaker 3:of course, thank you. It's incognito wear like a garment, ixcom, and if you go to the contact us there's a form you can fill out or dm me on social media incognito wear wonderful.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, jan. It has been a pleasure having you on today thank you it it's been a lot of fun.
Speaker 3:Stacey, Appreciate what you do for our neighborhood.
Speaker 2:Wonderful Thanks so much. Well, that's all for today's episode, Atlanta. I'm Stacey Risley with the Good Neighbor Podcast. Thanks for listening and supporting the local businesses and nonprofits of our great community.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast North Atlanta. To nominate your favorite local businesses, visit gnpnorthatlantacom. That's gnpnorthatlantacom.
