If you’ve been into Jimnys for any length of time in the UK, chances are you’ve come across JimnyStyle. From their huge catalogue of parts to their gorgeous HIGH PEAK wheels, they’ve become one of the most trusted names in the scene, and for good reason.
I’ve known Ali and the team at JimnyStyle for a few years now. Before I even launched Out There Equipped, I worked with them on a few of my early product ideas.
Just like any other company interview you see here on the blog it isn’t one of those influencer deals or paid promos. I’m sharing them because they’re good people, doing great work in a space we all care about. I’ve been a customer myself for many years buying their gear with a wish list longer than I’d like to admit!
So in this interview, I wanted to give you a look behind the curtain. How did it all start? What keeps them going? And what’s next for one of the fastest-growing names in the Jimny world?
Let’s get into it.
How did JimnyStyle get started?
It all began with my blog ‘Street Track Life’ that I started in 2010, photographing car meets and events and posting everything online. I’ve always been a huge car and motorsport enthusiast and, over time, that passion evolved into a business. By 2019, I was working solo, importing and selling car parts from Japan for drifting and stance enthusiasts.
That January, I visited Tokyo Auto Salon and came face-to-face with the JB74 Jimny. I was instantly blown away, not just by the design, but by the level of aftermarket support from so many established brands. With the Jimny being readily available in the UK at the time, and me already having relationships with some of those Japanese brands offering aftermarket parts, I felt the potential was there.
When I got back to the UK, I managed to get my hands on our first Jimny, our much-loved white SZ5, thanks to a cancelled order at a nearby Suzuki dealership. I then set about building the website, branding and product catalogue; that’s how JimnyStyle was born!
I love the Jimny platform because it completely changed my outlook on cars. It’s also allowed me to meet so many lovely folks (such as yourself!) and I developed a renewed passion for camping and outdoor adventures that I’d enjoyed so much when I was younger.
Was there a single moment when you realised this could become something much bigger than just a niche shop?
It’s hard to pinpoint an exact point in time – we still regularly have “pinch me” moments! One memory that does stand out was sending the first batch of our LED Tail Lights to customers who had kindly pre-ordered them, back in late 2019.
I’d spent all Sunday packing boxes, preparing shipping labels and printing customs paperwork (as many of the orders were going overseas, with each of these boxes requiring ten pages of accompanying documents!). First thing on Monday morning, I rang the courier depot to warn them that we had quite a lot of boxes heading out, and that the driver would need to allow some time to work through the paperwork.
When the driver turned up, he took one look at the pile of boxes and said “is that all for me!?”. When I nodded, he swore loudly, stormed out of the building and took ten minutes to calm down before coming back and collecting everything! I’ll never forget that and, seeing the big pile of boxes sitting there waiting to be dispatched, I did begin to think that we might be onto something.
Thankfully, customs documentation is submitted digitally these days!
JimnyStyle has grown into the UK’s biggest aftermarket Jimny supplier. Did you ever imagine it would reach this scale?
Not at all! The global appeal of the Jimny is incredible and I’ve never known a car that brings together people from so many different backgrounds. We speak to customers of all ages from all over the world; that’s genuinely one of the most enjoyable parts of what we do.
It goes without saying that we’re incredibly grateful for the support from the Jimny community. We’ve sent orders to over 100 countries and, last year, we moved into a warehouse I could never have dreamed of back in 2019.
You’re known for offering an incredible range of parts, not just for Jimnys but now also Defenders and other 4x4s. How do you decide what to stock or develop next?
The Jimny is quite unique in its global popularity, but we also keep an eye on other platforms that have strong followings in different regions. A lot of our decision-making is quite intuitive; we’re enthusiasts ourselves and we’re often looking for the same things our customers want.
That said, sometimes the trends surprise us! With the new Defender, we initially thought the market would lean more towards off-roading and overlanding, so we kitted our own Defender out with smaller wheels, chunky tyres, a roof rack and a roof tent. But, as it turned out, most customers wanted bigger wheels and carbon fibre accessories instead!
Overall, we always try to work with trusted brands that have proven reputations within their niches. We’ve also developed our own in-house brands, such as HIGH PEAK and Magpie, in order to fill gaps in the market where we felt better function, value or quality was needed.
What does a typical day look like for the JimnyStyle team?
No two days are the same and, to be honest, that’s what we love about it! The best days are when we’ve got a customer’s Jimny in the workshop, the phones are ringing, our help desk is buzzing and people are dropping by to browse the showroom. There’s a real energy in the building and hearing the team having a good laugh or a friendly chat with customers always puts a smile on my face.
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Register freeCan you tell us a bit about the team behind the scenes and how you keep it all running smoothly?
There are a lot of moving parts behind the scenes but we’ve got an incredible team that works hard to keep everything on track, whether it’s deliveries arriving, orders being dispatched or cars being worked on. Like any business, we have our challenges – whether it’s a product issue, courier delays or website hiccups, but we all pull together to make sure our customers are looked after first and foremost.
Most of our customers will have spoken to Emma, who runs our help desk and is the first voice you’ll hear on the phone. Dan keeps everything running smoothly and works with our suppliers around the world to manage stock and coordinate production and delivery schedules. Cristian handles deliveries, packing and courier dispatch from our warehouse, along with a lot of the physical work like fitting tyres. Amy looks after our commercial stuff and our social media, graphics and other marketing. As for me – you’ll usually find me either under a Jimny in the workshop or knee-deep in spreadsheets, keeping the website running!
What’s been one of the most surprising challenges you’ve had to overcome since starting JimnyStyle?
Probably the number of global factors that are totally out of our control; customs regulations, political tensions, exchange rates… the kind of stuff you see on the news but don’t always realise how much it affects smaller businesses behind the scenes.
Brexit was a massive hurdle, especially since we have a large EU customer base thanks to the Jimny’s popularity in places like France and Germany. We eventually set up an EU warehouse, but the ongoing admin and accounting to keep it all compliant is pretty intense.
From the outside, it might look like we just play with Jimnys all day but there’s a lot of unglamorous admin and late nights going on too!
You work with lots of top brands. What do you look for in those partnerships?
Above all, we want to work with brands that stand behind their products and support their customers. We’ve had situations where companies are quick to pitch their latest release but go quiet when support is needed. That’s a red flag for us.
We prioritise customer experience, so we need partners who share that mindset. We’ve removed a few brands from our store over the years for not meeting that standard. It’s not worth the risk to our reputation and ultimately we never want to let our customers down.
We’re also incredibly proud of being able to work with legendary companies such as Bilstein, H&R and Pipercross to develop bespoke Jimny products from scratch. All of these brands share our values and are able to react to our requirements incredibly quickly.
What’s a product or project you’re especially proud of and why?
The HIGH PEAK J-01 16” wheel for the Jimny is probably up there as one of our proudest achievements. We came up with the idea in late 2019 – a retro-styled, TÜV-approved, direct-fit wheel – and we worked with a friend in Japan who’s responsible for some legendary JDM wheel designs to develop our mockups.
Even with COVID going on, we pressed ahead throughout 2020. At one point, the UK-based factory we planned to use disappeared entirely! But we kept going and teamed up with Fondmetal in Italy, a legendary name and former Formula 1 constructor, to bring the wheel to life.
The first shipment arrived in late 2020. Seeing that lorry trailer open to reveal hundreds of boxes with our logo on them was surreal, especially after such a crazy year. We are so glad that we persevered with the project and the J-01 is still one of our best sellers today.
The Jimny community is a big part of what makes this scene so special. How have you seen that community evolve over the years?
What surprised me was how diverse it was from the beginning, but it’s only grown stronger and more global since then. The Jimny seems to be a gateway into off-roading, camping and the outdoors in general for a lot of people, which is fantastic to see.
I often scroll through our Instagram and get serious FOMO seeing the adventures that our customers are on with their Jimnys (yourself included!).
Edit from me… here’s a clip of a camping Trip Ali and I did near Northumberland in the beautiful Low Trewhitt Valley
What’s on the horizon for JimnyStyle?
We’d love to do more full builds in our workshop but also offer smaller jobs and servicing too. Our experience with Suzuki main dealer servicing hasn’t exactly been stellar (we’ve got a few stories there…) and, with so many passionate owners wanting to take care of their Jimnys, we think this could be a natural next step.
Time will tell!
With your expansion into Land Cruisers and more, do you see JimnyStyle becoming a broader 4×4 hub or will the Jimny always be at the heart of it all?
The Jimny will absolutely be our key focus for the foreseeable future, without a shadow of a doubt.
We never take being part of this amazing community for granted and we are so grateful for the support we have received from the many Jimny enthusiasts and customers around the world. We have some great plans in store and hope that everyone will continue following us on this journey!
What’s your favourite place to camp in the UK and what makes it so special?
North Wales is always our preferred destination as it’s relatively straightforward to get to – our new warehouse being a few minutes from the motorway certainly helps! If you’re travelling solo or as a couple, Aberafon is brilliant as it has an amazing private beach where you can light a fire and watch the most incredible sunsets. Shell Island is always a great laugh if you go with a big group of friends and set up camp far away from others. If the sun’s out, Porth Iago is a stunning campsite to visit with the most amazing cove to swim in.
I believe you guys paddleboard… any memorable mishaps you’d care to admit to?
Without going into details, all I can say is don’t underestimate the strength of the sea’s tide at sunset…!
You’re packing up the Jimny for a weekend adventure. What’s the one bit of kit you never leave behind?
That’s easy! I got given a Sony pocket DAB radio as a present a few years ago (it looks just like one my Dad had when I was growing up) and I can’t imagine going camping without it, especially when you’re on a campsite with no phone signal and no Spotify as a result!
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Register freeFinally, describe your perfect weekend in three words.
I don’t think I can compress it into just three words but, camping by the beach in the summer, preferably with a BBQ, some paddle boarding and a bit of cycling is certainly my recipe for a perfect weekend!
I hope you enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at JimnyStyle
Massive thanks to Ali and the team for taking time out to share their story. It’s easy to forget, when you’re scrolling through product listings or getting that next parcel through the door, that there’s a passionate, hard-working group of people behind it all. Juggling their efforts between workshops, warehouses, customer service, and the pressures of international logistics (not to mention a few surprise courier meltdowns 😅).
What I really admire about JimnyStyle is that they’re not just selling gear they’re helping shape the scene. They take risks, their own products when the market falls short, and continue to support creators and customers in ways that go far beyond the checkout cart.
If you’re a Jimny owner or even Jimny-curious, give them a visit https://jimnystyle.com. You might end up with more than you planned… but you definitely won’t regret it.
See you out there.
Follow @jimny_style
