“Summer loving had me a blast / Summer loving happened so fast” – Grease
My beach-loving, Florida boys live in bathing suits, so I am always on the lookout for colorful prints and stylish pieces that also shield them from the sweltering sun. Enter Peace.Love.Snugs. “I try and create fun and unique swimwear that no one else has,” said designer Jaclyn Blake. “But, you may not know that a lot of my designs are created last minute. My ‘Swim of the Week’ designs that release every Sunday are usually created Saturday night. I am a terrible planner and believe that in fashion, we need to be free and let things flow with how we feel that week.”
As a mom of two boys (like me!), Blake understands how swim trunks should fit active little people. My youngest has a blue and yellow banana swim set from Peace.Love.Snugs and it is the cutest. “I am lacking in the frilly girly department at home, but boy, do I have loads of it myself to make up for it,” she laughed. “I scroll through fabric suppliers and find pieces that I love and just design in my head as I go. I try to stick to a theme for every drop, but I am a little crazy and tend to go over the top with creating.” Beyond the weekly releases of swim leotards, two-piece bikinis, rash guards and Euro-style shorts, Peace.Love.Snugs also offers small shoppers printed skater skirts, skirted bummies, cardigans, bellbottom pants, crop tops and jogger shorts for kiddos. “I strive to make clothing kids love to wear due to the comfortable nature, but still stylish and fun that the parents love to put on their child instead of just a boring t-shirt and shorts,” explained Blake. Fabric prints move quickly through the shop, so if you see something you love, claim it quickly. “I change things up often in my shop. Prints tend to sell out faster than I would like. My favorite themes are animal print, unicorns and rainbows.” For Blake, her favorite part of the creation process is “turning a plain fabric into something unique and interesting. Creating something from the same exact fabrics other people have but mine being completely different. Really putting my creative juices to work.”
Blake launched Peace.Love.Snugs in August 2015. “I borrowed my mom’s sewing machine and took a trip to Joann’s and started creating! I created my own patterns for bibdanas and boho bibs and listed them on Etsy,” she recalled. “I originally intended to be a tie-dye swaddle shop. I feel like peace, love and snuggles totally embody tie-dye and blankets.” Turns out, Blake was not destined for baby blankets. “After doing my first run of blankets, I realized I didn’t like it all that much, but I had already fallen in love with the shop name so I decided to keep it as is.” Over the last four years, Blake has expanded beyond bibs and found success with her custom apparel designs. “Peace.Love.Snugs has become something I never imagined it would. Not only was I able to quit my full time management job to stay home with my boys, but I have also been able to support our family financially,” she shared. “I have also gained lifelong friendships with women I’ve never ‘met’ in real life. This community has taught me so many things and this brand has evolved me into a stronger, more confident woman.”
“Tell me more, tell me more.” Order your custom apparel through the Peace.Love.Snugs website this Labor Day weekend and join the shop’s VIP Facebook group here for sneak peaks of upcoming releases.
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