Today we’d like to introduce you to Shatoyia Bradley.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Shatoyia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My foundation for fashion actually began in my childhood. I have always had a fascination with color. As a little girl, I would collect flowers and look up everything I could about each type of flower, the scientific name, information on how and where each type of flower is grown, etc. I loved walking through a yard and seeing the contrast between the green grass and a beautiful bright colored flower, it was always so eye catching and mesmerizing to me. It was then that I realized that colors had an effect on me. I began to express myself through wearing bright colors, so much so, that some of the kids from my high school would jokingly call me, “Skittles”. As I grew older, I began to notice that the options for vibrant colors and unique patterns were very limited. Most clothing in department stores were relegated to soft pastel colors, grey, brown, black, with an occasional pop of color here and there. The lack of variety lead me to tone down my style and to internalize the feeling that bold colors and unique patterns weren’t accepted within the larger society. Creativity and color were only for childhood, so it seemed. Adulthood seemed grey and dull, and I believe mainstream fashion reflected that. In corporate America, it’s actually frowned upon to come to work dressed in anything other than dark safe colors. I believe that fashion should be used to express our personality. My aim is to design fashion that is eye-catching, in the same way that flowers catch your eyes sprinkled in among blades of grass.
From there, I began taking online classes learning how to use various programs to create designs. So by day, I continued to homeschool my kids, and would work late into the night, and often early mornings, learning all that I could about creating designs. Over the years, I’d spent a lot of time praying and trying to find something that I was passionate about that I could have as an outlet for myself. When you’re a stay-at-home parent, and specifically a homeschool parent, much of your time and attention goes towards your family, and it was important for me to find something that I enjoyed doing and that I would be able to do as a business from home. So, what started out as a t-shirt business, quickly evolved into a clothing brand, and that’s how “Prime & Peachy” came to be what it is today.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road by any means. One of the struggles that I’ve encountered along the way is running a business as a homeschool family. It’s very difficult to run a business that takes a lot of dedicated time while homeschooling six kids. My kids are ages 15, 11, 7, 4, 2, & 1. My two oldest are also aspiring actors in the movie industry, and so whenever they get booked for films or TV series, I’m usually the one going with them. In addition to that, they are involved in many extracurricular activities that keep us busy. As you can imagine, my day-to-day schedule often leaves me exhausted. I often have to find creative ways to balance spending time with my husband, one-on-one time with my kids, time with my mother, all while managing a household. It’s a struggle, so I am thankful that I don’t have to do it alone. My husband, as well as my mother, who lives with us, helps out tremendously and we are able to have each others’ backs. Another struggle along the way has been in not finding ways to outsource some of the more time-consuming workloads. We knew to start out that we wanted to have a unique website, however, we had a hard time finding someone that could create what we wanted.
We wanted to give our customers a one-of-a-kind online shopping experience, and so it was very important to us that if we were going to do a lot of the operations work ourselves, it had to be quality work. My husband began reading books and taking online classes to learn how to build a website, how to create professional-looking graphics for websites, and how to edit code for websites. He would come home from his full-time job, and then spend hours after our kids were in bed taking classes so that he could help with building the website. At the same time, I started learning how to do logos, custom t-shirt designs for customers, designing different types of apparel and shoes for customers, all as a way to sharpen my skills as a designer, as well as do all of the graphic work needed for the business.
My mom is an amazing mother and grandmother. She joyfully helps us with managing all of what we do and is such a blessing to our family. The amount of time that we’ve had to dedicate to the business fluctuates, and so my mother will watch our kids and help in any way that she can. Also, our older two boys will watch their siblings from time to time, as we take business calls, manage orders, or work on other business-related projects. We include our children in every aspect of the business so that they will be able to learn from our successes and failures. The saying that “It takes a village” is definitely true. I also have to give a major shout-out to family for helping us to launch our first shoe into full production. My Mom, Dad, cousins Earlie & Natisha Givens, my aunt and uncle, Mahoganee & Andre Amiger, my cousins; Travis Givens, Leroy Givens, and Michelle Green, really exemplified what it means for a family to support one another. I’ve also had a host of family and friends that have also been very supportive and encouraging to us along our journey. I’m sure we will continue to have struggles along the way, however, the support and encouragement from my family has made a difference in our ability to overcome challenges.
My advice to young women just starting their journey would be to first, really understand that their journey is theirs. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Your journey will be filled with ups and downs, embrace that. As you are learning, you are growing. If you are consistent at working hard every day to accomplish your goals and dreams, you will get to where you want to be. Also, surround yourself with people that will encourage you, as well as, challenge you. Those that love you enough to correct you when you need it, but do so in a way that ultimately builds you up.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Prime & Peachy – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am a fashion designer. I specialize in designing apparel and accessories for women and men. We offer dresses, skirts, kimonos, leggings, t-shirts, fashion joggers, tracksuits, men’s polos, scarves and hats, handbags and totes, as well as limited edition shoes. All of our apparel and accessories are exclusively designed and made to order. We are known for our unique patterns and vibrant colors. As a creative designer, I also do custom designs for clients. I love to work with artists and clients that are looking for statement worthy apparel suited to their personality. We believe in creating apparel that stands out in a bold, yet tasteful way. I love to pair colors and patterns together that you wouldn’t see traditionally paired together. I truly believe that what one person sees as chaos, another sees as organized creativity. I’m always willing to push the envelope when it comes to fashion. Creative risks are often rewarding.
We are proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish as a clothing brand in such a short amount of time. With less than 1% of fashion designers in major department stores being African American, we are proud to be one of the brands looking to increase that percentage and infuse more diversity into the fashion and shoe industry. What we are most proud of as of recent are our two shoes that are in full production with a shoe manufacturer based in Italy.
One is a unisex retro basketball sneaker made from 100% Italian leather with a gold shoe sole and features a picture of the Atlanta skyline in the tongue of the shoe. My husband, an Atlanta native, is the inspiration behind the concept of the shoe. There’s a poem by Tupac Shakur called, “The Rose That Grew From Concrete”, my husband is a reflection of that poem. He had a rough upbringing, yet, by God’s grace, he has been able to blossom and flourish despite the environment in which he grew up. Atlanta is full of beautiful and amazing people that have overcome many obstacles to become people that give the city hope. My unisex basketball shoe, the “Cityscapes” is a celebration of the beauty and complexity of the people and the city of Atlanta.
We also have a men’s loafer, the “Escapades”. These loafers are made of 100% Italian leather and suede. They feature pony jaguar and a beautiful combination of navy and rust-colored Italian leather. The concept behind this loafer is one of adventure. I wanted to create a men’s loafer that embodied men with ambition, adventurers. Our motto for this loafer is, “Adventure awaits those bold enough to take risks, those willing to escape the ordinary”.
What sets us apart is the fact that all of our apparel and accessories are made to order. We’ve outsourced the cutting and sewing aspect of our brand and have partnered with eco-friendly and sweatshop-free manufacturers all over the world. It was important for us to build a clothing brand that took seriously the responsibility to reduce waste. We are proud that we are able to offer quality clothing and shoes, while at the same time, paying the makers of our clothing a great wage. We wanted to be able to stand behind how our clothing is made and also the quality of products that we offer.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well-positioned for?
I believe that there are a variety of different opportunities that women are well-positioned for, eCommerce based businesses are at the top of the list for me. eCommerce has opened up many options for women, especially women with families, to pursue industries all over the world. Online-based businesses have opened doors for many women who would otherwise be unable to pursue a career that gives them a certain level of flexibility needed as wives and mothers. There are women all over the world that are balancing careers, businesses, as well as, family life because they have much more flexibility with the internet. I am a working mother, so I am speaking from that perspective. I love that there are so many opportunities for women to work from home or any location that they choose. When women have more options and flexibility, we thrive and the world is made better because of what we offer.
Pricing:
- Custom made in London, our Bomber Jackets are designed to make a statement. Pair with our fashion joggers to wear as a one of a kind tracksuit. All of our bomber jackets and tracksuits are custom designed for the fashionable trendsetter. Tracksuits $250, Jacket sizes XXS-4XL, Joggers XXS-2XL
- Handmade in London, this beautifully designed dress/kimono, “Orabelle”, truly gives you a premium look and is a pleasure to wear. $86 Sizes XXS-2XL
- Introducing the, “Cityscapes”, by S. Bradley. This is an old school unisex basketball design inspired by the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Built with embossed details, breathing holes and a back pulling stripe for an easy fitting. $224 Sizes Female 6- Mens 13.5
- The “Valona” Quarter Sleeve Body-con Midi Dress, was made for the classy lady who isn’t afraid to stand out in a tasteful way. $50 Sizes XS-3XL
- Handcrafted in Italy, an awesome combination of traditional moccasin structure, the “Escapades”, featuring boat shoe leather laces and a contemporary light box sole design. This shoe is a must-have, perfect for any season. A dandy look toned down by the sneaker style provide a unique versatility for this loafer. $184 Mens sizes 7-13.5
Contact Info:
- Address: Business Mailing Address
245 Highland Ave, STE 230 #165
Atlanta, Georgia 30307 - Website: www.primeandpeachy.com
- Phone: 770-625-1258
- Email: shatoyia.bradley@primeandpeachy.com
- Instagram: @primeandpeachyco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/primeandpeachy/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/primeandpeachy
Image Credit:
Jarvis Releford, Photographer, Mia Glass, MUA
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