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Lake Pajamas has become a staple for a certain kind of polished, millennial influencer. The 8-year-old brand was founded in Savannah, Georgia by friends-turned-co-founders Anne Read Lattimore and Cassandra Cannon. It has 117,000 Instagram followers and two brick-and-mortar stores, based in Charleston and Atlanta.
“We had no industry experience, just the wild and, luckily, great idea to create pajama sets for women,” Lattimore said.
“What was on the market was either your menswear, button-down poplin set or more of a lingerie-inspired pajama,” Cannon said. “Something in the middle was what we were craving — something classic, simple and super soft.”
The pima cotton pajamas, many versions of which are striped, have become the brand’s flagship product. They’re worn by influencers and celebrities including Jennifer Garner, Molly Sims, Grace Atwood, Dani Austin. The brand gifted products to many of them.
“While we recognize the value of gifting, we often do so without the expectation of posting. We also then see that these types of people place their own orders directly with Lake,” said Stephanie Sweeney, Lake’s head of brand. For example, “Things I Bought And Liked,” an anonymous Instagrammer known for her strong influence on her 552,000 followers, and who does not accept brand gifts, is also a fan.
The pajamas “have recognizability,” Cannon said. “Our piping and our stripes caught attention, which helped us [gain traction] in the beginning.”
In 2020, the brand did its first co-designed collaboration, with influencer Julia Berolzheimer (1.3 million Instagram followers). Prior, Berolzheimer had been organically posting about the brand for years. “Part of what drove the success [of this partnership] was the alignment of our shared audience being aware of and engaged with both brands prior to the launch,” said Sweeney. The collection included 22 pieces of sleepwear and loungewear for women and children. The hero products sold out in less than three hours, Sweeney said.
In December 2022, Lake Pajamas introduced a two-piece collection of two of its signature styles, which were offered in special-edition colors chosen by influencer Jacey Duprie (528,000 Instagram followers). The collection launched in step with Duprie’s fashion brand, Wyeth, as part of the debut collection.
On Wednesday, Lake introduced its latest influencer partnership, which incorporates more input from an outside creator than any collection prior. The 16-piece collection was designed with influencer Blair Eadie, known for her 13-year-old blog Atlantic Pacific. Eadie also has 1.9 million Instagram followers.
For the first in the brand’s collab history, all of the included styles feature all-new silhouettes, rather than simply a new colorway or new patterns. “Blair is very detail-oriented about everything — embroideries, buttons. The new silhouettes resemble our classic styles, but they were made all new with special details,” Cannon said. The collection also marks the first time the brand has introduced terry cloth. There’s the Clara Terry Shorts Set ($138), which comes in navy and pink, and the Darcy Terry Dress ($138). Both can be worn as loungewear or a beach cover-up. Also included in the collab are wider-leg styles, poplin sets with heart-shaped buttons and bathrobes with scalloped trims.
The brand and Eadie announced and started previewing the collection about a week ago across Instagram, TikTok, Eadie’s blog and email marketing. Early access for shoppers who receive text messages from Lake began on Tuesday. “This enables our most loyal shoppers to shop first and ensure they’re able to get what they want,” Sweeney said.
When considering a new collaboration, Lattimore said, “We start with everyone aligning on what the goal is. It’s important for us that it is mutually beneficial for the partner and for us. Sometimes the ‘why’ is customer acquisition. But sometimes the ‘why’ is just creating an interesting product together.”
Eadie is known for her unabashedly bright, bold style. “With Blair, we wanted this to feel like her. We know pajamas, while she knows bright, colorful, outside-the-box style,” Lattimore said.
“She pushed us out of our comfort zone and gave us permission to use bold color combinations we don’t typically use,” Cannon added.
Eadie has lent her signature aesthetic to a number of brands in the past, dating back to a nail polish collaboration with Sephora in 2016. From 2018-2020, she had a collection with the in-house Nordstrom brand, Halogen. She’s also created collections with accessories brands Lele Sadoughi and Pamela Munson.
Her discussions with Lake began at the end of 2021, she said. “I’ve always loved Lake. They make such quality, consistent, amazing product. And they have a wonderful core customer who loves and comes back to them again and again,” Eadie said of her decision to work with the brand. “I was [also] excited that they were interested in infusing a lot more color and whimsy and quirk into what they do.”
Eadie’s fans have had an “incredibly kind” reception to the preview imagery, she said. Her announcement post also features a $500 giveaway to shop the collection. The post has nearly 15,000 likes and over 200 comments.
Eadie noted that she does not do more than two collaborations a year and has no desire or intention to start an influencer-founded brand of her own.
