The Jingo tribe are a sequin-wearing, smile-spreading team of artists and beauty experts that specialise in creating the most sensational sparkly looks through an ethical array of glitter, feathers, and henna.

I had the great fortune of a chance encounter with Jingo founder Emily Chadwick in Croatia this summer when Emily got me all glittered up for The Yacht Week Tropical Retro Party.

To my delight, Emily told me that I could continue to jump in and out of the sea for the next three days and my glitter would stay intact – a tried and tested fact that I later confirmed to be true as my face continued to sparkle and feather in the depths of the Adriatic sea. Was this magical glitter?

It turns out it was eco-friendly, biodegradable, guilt-free glitter – and truly magical for the more ocean-loving, eco-conscious yacht weekers amongst us, who still wanted to glitter all week long. Intrigued by her dedication to sustainability and captivated by her shiny personality, I was eager to learn more about Emily’s story and what sparked the idea for Jingo.

“The idea for Jingo came about in my second year of university thanks to the mind focusing, creativity-inducing magic of an empty bank balance! I daydreamed of a summer spent frolicking in fields at festivals, but with only £100 it was not looking probable – cue: lightbulb moment (these flowed much more readily where glitter was concerned than in the library, I should add). I was running charity disco nights donning flares and covering myself and others in glitter – all in the name of sharing love and supporting charitable causes, which has always been important to me.” 

“I realised the dance floor of love was going mad for glitter and my hair braids, so I fired off hundreds of emails to every producer of every festival I could get my hands on – laughably naive with hindsight as it is an arduous ( and competitive) process to trade at festivals. Unsurprisingly, I received an underwhelming total of three replies. Two computer-generated rejections and ONE magic human response where I was given a shot at a tiny festival… my £100 spent on thread, beads, an old ladder, a rainbow parasol and some old deck chairs – and the rest was history!”

Emily struck me as the kind of person who must be born with glitter in her veins. Everything about her sparkles, most particularly her dedication to sustainability and ethically sourced materials. Social responsibility appears to be at the core of everything Jingo does and stands for.

“We believe in feeling good and doing good! Being an ethical business is of fundamental importance to everyone involved with Jingo. Our glitter is all biodegradable and manufactured in the UK, the production of our hair feathers economically empowers mothers in South East Asia and we love to support charity events with pro-bono booths to help a wide reach of causes.”

“The damage caused by single-use plastics and micro-plastics has been in the press a lot recently as these pollutants disrupt aquatic eco-systems and take centuries to degrade. Normal glitter falls in this category however our bio-glitter is made from eucalyptus cellulose and biodegrades causing no damage. Of course, there is a bigger picture to consider – packaging, employment policy, distribution, profit donations, advocacy – and as we grow and release our line of products we will be striving for ethical, sustainable and ecologically sound options every step of the way.”

The Jingo team don’t just bring their stunning artistry to festivals, Emily shares that her bio-glitter glam is becoming more and more popular at corporate events and brand activations too.

“We bring glittery and feathery fabulousness to all sorts of events – music festivals, private parties, corporate events, brand activations, wider event productions like The Yacht Week, and we will soon be bringing it to the shelves and online store with our new products.”

One of the most inspiring aspects of Jingo is Emily’s dedication to making a positive impact through her work. Emily shares that she has a particular fondness for spreading her glittery goodness at purpose-driven events – events that aim to incite change and drive awareness of great causes.

Emily recently shared her sparkly magic to support Festifeel – an annual boutique music and comedy festival organised by Coppafeel. Coppafeel is an inspiring breast cancer awareness charity founded by Kristin Hallenga, who was tragically diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of just 23. Shocked by the lack of information out there for young people, Kristin made the decision to use her illness as a force for good. She launched Coppafeel to spread awareness through her story and encourage young people to be proactive about their health to give everyone the best chance of survival.

“Coppafeel was an amazing event. Everyone at Jingo HQ is seriously inspired by the work done at Boob Towers. We think it is so important to support change-making organisations, individuals and causes.”

Emily also uses her brand, as I experienced first hand at The Yacht Week, to spread the word about her own sustainable values and practices and the importance of conscious consumption.

“We want to have a positive impact on the world in whatever way we can – whether that is through manufacturing with women’s collectives that create economically empowering employment, or donating our services to charitable events, or by waving the sustainability flag and talking to all those who pass through our sparkly mitts about lifestyle changes they can implement to help make a difference.”

When it comes to advice for event organisers, Emily shares that it’s all about the experience and making events as immersive and engaging as possible.

“The more experiential the better, whether that is in terms of immersive decor, performers, interactive features or an engaging theme. I think it’s fair to say the current generation of party people are getting more and more spoilt by exposure to top quality productions and parties – and in a world where screen time and two dimensional entertainment is ever-growing, I would say an experiential, physically engaging edge to an event is expected by some and appreciated by all.”

The incredible work that Emily and her team at Jingo are doing is a testament to the fact that a powerful force for change can often be found where you least expect it. As I lined up to get my face decorated for a tropical retro party on Vis Island, the last thing I expected was to learn that the glitter that adorned my cheeks was carefully selected to protect our beautiful ocean and the bird like-feathers under my eyes were mindfully sourced to support women in South-East Asia.

Beautiful people with big hearts and dreams are all around us doing incredible things for our planet. As event organisers, you are in a powerful position to shine a spotlight on these people and the causes they support to provide a platform for positive change.

As for the future of Jingo, we are excited to see where the glitter extraordinaire and her sequin sporting-crew will pop up next!

“The future is looking sparkly for Jingo with lots of exciting collaborations in the pipeline and a line of products on the horizon that will make it much easier to roll with the Jingo vibes whenever, wherever! Follow us on Instagram to keep up to date with our news, frolics and adventures!”

For more tips on running sustainable events, check out our Guide to a Greener Festival.