We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric & Juliet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric & Juliet, what do you attribute your success to?
Eric: It’s gotta be our style. We’re not afraid to get weird with it. Our clothes are loud and often toe the line from being borderline obnoxious. We find that the safer the design, the worse it sells. People value individuality, and they’re not afraid of upstaging others.

Juliet: Colors! We’re colorful and we’re fun! We’re personal. We’re like real people.

Eric: Yes, we are real. Almost.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Eric: There is a certain aesthetic with Sleepy Peach that you can’t really get with other clothing stores. We have this throwback pastel style that is hard to balance without looking kitschy. As a result, I’ll go through dozens of designs before locking one in. After a few drafts, I’ll show Juliet for approval. Historically, if she likes the design, it sells really well.

Running a clothing business is actually kind of hard. Everybody needs clothes, but everybody and their mother has a clothing brand. As a result, you need to really study your niche in order to figure out how to market to them. In this day and age, people value authenticity over anything else. Being authentic and open with your fan base is the quickest way to grow.

We’re not really professional. We’re kind of just running this business by ourselves in our garage. We started this brand in 2018 with 50 pastel sweatshirts. Now, we have sold products to thousands of customers all over the world. The power of the internet cannot be understated enough. This brand could never have existed ten years ago.

We’ve learned so many lessons in the past 3 years. The biggest takeaway is to never make polka dot pants. No one will ever buy them, and you will lose so much money. Seriously, don’t do it.

Our brand is accessible and a safe place for weirdos like us. We love color and like to get weird! Thanks for supporting small businesses!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Eric: I’ve been a few minutes from Long Beach for most of my life. We moved there in 2018 and loved our time there. A perfect day in Long Beach would start at Broadway Donuts on Orange and Broadway. They have a million types of coffees and creamers there for you to experiment with. Get the blueberry coffee with white mocha. It’s heaven.

After, go to the famous Aquarium of the Pacific. You can see penguins and a billion types of fish. Go touch some jellyfish and sharks! When you’re done, grab some chicken and waffles at Roscoe’s. Parking used to be a nightmare, but they have their own lot now. The chicken is just ok, but the waffles are fantastic. If you collect vinyl records like I do, go to Dyzzy on Vinyl, which is a few miles away. It always smells like cigarettes, but they have a massive collection of rare vinyl. I’ve spent way too much money there.

It’s time for dinner! Drive a few miles to Signal Hill. Our favorite diner, Golden Eagle is located on Cherry and Willow. We get the chicken strip dinner, substitute the salad for a drink and a hamburger on the side. Nothing beats diner fries! Their onion rings are also delicious and massive. There is a spectacular view of the city at the top of Signal Hill. What a nice way to end the day!

Juliet: If I was planning Orange County, I’d start at Bagels & Brew. They have rainbow bagels that are beautiful and round and colorful. They also have cream cheese mixed with frosting and sprinkles! It’s a great way to start the day. My favorite thing to do in Orange County involves going to The Bookman. There’s so many good books there! They’re the most organized used bookstore we’ve ever been to.

I’d grab delicious carnitas tacos and rice at Avila’s El Ranchito, which is at the Orange Circle in what used to be an old church. There are a bunch of good antique stores in the area, and I’ve been collecting postcards for Post Crossing. My favorite library is also in the area. Shout out to Orange Public Main Library and their two stories full of knowledge. The Circle has a dense history full of murders. I would tell you which business has the horse haunting, and which one still has a morgue in their basement.

Haus of Pizza in Garden Grove for dinner! They have a spaghetti dinner with a soup or salad, a plate of spaghetti, and 2 pieces of garlic bread. Go on Monday, which is Spaghetti Day. Every day should be Spaghetti Day.

In the middle of the night, Eric and I will drive to Joshua Tree for stargazing. I have to drive, because Eric is terrified of mountains at night. Perfect day! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Eric: Before Sleepy Peach, I was the owner of a clothing collective called LUNAR. I ran LUNAR. with Ryan and Matt, who helped with some of the logistics and funding. Although LUNAR. was never profitable, I learned a lot about marketing and shipping with the two of them. My friend Dylan taught me the concept of screenprinting, which was very helpful in the early days. Gabe printed most of our shirts, and Joe took most of our photos. Thank you!

Website: https://www.sleepypeach.clothing

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepypeach.clothing

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sleepypeach.clothing

Image Credits
Joe Carrera: Image 1, 2, 4

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.