I started my first business at fifteen after seeing a longboard on my way home from school and deciding to make one myself. What began as curiosity became JH BOARDS, a brand focused on creating handmade longboards and skateboard art pieces. Over the course of seven years, I grew the brand from my parents’ garage into a fully local production, with every board crafted in Slovenia.

From the very beginning, I was especially drawn to creating custom boards and projects. And it became my signature. I had the opportunity to work with well-known personalities such as Luka Dončić, Goran Dragić, Marko Grilc, and Cillian Murphy, designing pieces that were deeply personal, featuring custom storytelling elements, unique constructions, and details like 24-karat gold, stone, leather and more. Each project was entirely its own.

Through these experiences, I realized something essential: the way a product is presented is often the first and can be the most powerful connection someone has with it. Before the product is touched, used, or understood, the packaging sets the tone, shapes expectations, and defines how the moment will be remembered.

Working with people who receive countless gifts made this even clearer. Most packages are forgotten within minutes. I wanted my work to stand out,  not only through craftsmanship, but through emotion. I began treating the unboxing as part of the product itself: intentional, personal, and designed to create a lasting impression.

When Goran Dragić (Slovenian NBA player) received his custom board hidden inside a metal crate, he told me he had never experienced anything like it. Not because of the product alone, but because of the moment it created. That experience made something clear to me.

I wasn’t just building products. I was creating experiences.

Over time, I began to see a clear pattern. I was applying the same level of care to the unboxing as I was to the product itself, and it made all the difference. While many brands focus entirely on what they make, the way it is revealed is often overlooked. I saw an opportunity to bring this approach to others, helping brands create stronger emotional connections from the very first moment.

And that is how Unique Unboxing was born.

Unique Unboxing exists to turn products into moments — moments that leave a lasting impression long after the unboxing is over.

— Jakob Hočevar