Joe Cirincione of J.Ciro Designs
June 5, 2018
The D10 Logo Cuff Links are available for purchase exclusively through J. Ciro.
What’s the history of the name “J. Ciro”?
Ciro is a very meaningful name in my family. My grandparents owned a hair salon for forty years on Staten Island, while raising their four children. My Grandfather, also named Joseph, originated “Ciro” as a short form of “Cirincione.” When I set up J.Ciro in 2014, it was an easy decision to leverage this name and keep the business tied to my family's history.
What’s the history of the name “J. Ciro”?
Ciro is a very meaningful name in my family. My grandparents owned a hair salon for forty years on Staten Island, while raising their four children. My Grandfather, also named Joseph, originated “Ciro” as a short form of “Cirincione.” When I set up J.Ciro in 2014, it was an easy decision to leverage this name and keep the business tied to my family's history.
Was starting a watch and cuff link company like J.Ciro Designs always a dream of yours?
I’ve always been a watch guy. My father (and fellow D10 competitor), Guy, instilled that style sense in our family early on. I have always had a lot of creative energy. Organizing a street hockey league when I was 12, running a landscaping business in high school and college, even before I went to school for marketing...considering my passion for watches and my drive to be creative, it seemed like a natural next step to tie the two together. Managing J.Ciro has been a lot of fun. It's a process - building a customer base, establishing a following, creating a brand.
What drew you to making cuff links?
On my wedding day in 2012, my grandfather pulled me aside during our reception and gifted me a pair of signature cuff links. The cuff links were of our shared initials in diamonds, a pair he had custom-made for himself years before. He was now sharing them with me. It was an extremely meaningful moment. While I had been playing around designing cuff links for my groomsmen, that was the moment I knew I wanted to stick with it. Designs continued to come naturally through inspiration in my daily life. Having had such a positive experience with The D10 these past three years, designing the official D10 Logo Cuff Links was an exceptionally special project.
This Saturday marks your third consecutive D10, and the second for your team, Team Undrafted; how’s the team looking?
Competing in The D10 alongside my brother Steve is great, because we motivate one another to push more than we would individually. We’ve always been teammates as opposed to rivals, playing on the same roller hockey team, playing tennis doubles together. We grew up with the Poulson brothers, so having Andrew on the team this year keeps it a tight-knit group. Andrew’s got such a knowledge base we call him “Coach.” He’s going to be key in the football throw, the jumps and the 40. Steve and Matt have also been good friends for years. Matt’s a track stud who also happened to win the Pull-Ups event last year. He’s a great person with great energy. He’s been a machine. This year, with the support of our incredible donors, we are looking to solidify the "Team Undrafted" name in The D10 history books.