Friendly Feature | Perpetual Shade
You guys may have seen our teaser post on Instagram last week with our sweet pup Willow rocking her Perpetual Shade mask, but just incase you missed it, here are a few more of Willow and some babes from our team testing them out.
We are so excited to have found Perpetual Shade, such a cool brand, and worthy of two thimble-thumbs-up! Their prints are amazing and the fabric and fit is spot on, and is if that weren't enough, all of these masks are handmade in New York! We chatted recently with Owner and Creative Director Sasha Hlavinka about her brand and her mission, read on below for what she had to say...
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Q & A with Sasha:
How and when did your brand come to be?
I always had trouble sleeping and could not find a comfortable, functional AND fashionable sleep mask. I finally decided to create my own version of a sleep mask and continued to use it throughout high school and college. Friends and family pushed me to start my own line for years, however, I never felt the timing was right. Finally, after almost 15 years, I developed Perpetual Shade. I launched in May 2014 and the brand has continued to grow! What was your inspiration to take the small business leap? I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My parents immigrated to the US from Czechoslovakia with very little money and made a very nice life for themselves. They taught me not to have fear and to listen to my gut. I always knew that I wanted to have my own business, but was not sure when or how I would make that happen. As I mentioned before, timing is everything. I distinctly remember the moment I knew I was ready to take the leap. I had zero fear of doubt and made the decision. I believe that ANYONE can do ANYTHING. As long as you honestly believe in what you want to do! What does a typical day look like for you? Each day is very different, however, on most days, you can find me running around the garment district in NYC sourcing fabric, meeting with vendors and checking in on my factory to make sure production is running smoothly. 
Where do you see your brand in 5 years? World domination! Just kidding... I foresee Perpetual Shade emerging into a lifestyle brand that encompasses my view of travel, beauty, and style. Our sleep masks are the launch pad for more products to come. We know your products are made in NY and we LOVE that! Why is it important for you that your products be made in America? As I mentioned, my parents immigrated to the United States, (NYC in particular) with nothing and made a great life for themselves. There is so much opportunity in New York and I feel that it is important to keep production here to fuel the economy. I also love that my vendors and factories are easily accessible which allows me to have more control over the production process.
I always had trouble sleeping and could not find a comfortable, functional AND fashionable sleep mask. I finally decided to create my own version of a sleep mask and continued to use it throughout high school and college. Friends and family pushed me to start my own line for years, however, I never felt the timing was right. Finally, after almost 15 years, I developed Perpetual Shade. I launched in May 2014 and the brand has continued to grow! What was your inspiration to take the small business leap? I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My parents immigrated to the US from Czechoslovakia with very little money and made a very nice life for themselves. They taught me not to have fear and to listen to my gut. I always knew that I wanted to have my own business, but was not sure when or how I would make that happen. As I mentioned before, timing is everything. I distinctly remember the moment I knew I was ready to take the leap. I had zero fear of doubt and made the decision. I believe that ANYONE can do ANYTHING. As long as you honestly believe in what you want to do! What does a typical day look like for you? Each day is very different, however, on most days, you can find me running around the garment district in NYC sourcing fabric, meeting with vendors and checking in on my factory to make sure production is running smoothly. 
Where do you see your brand in 5 years? World domination! Just kidding... I foresee Perpetual Shade emerging into a lifestyle brand that encompasses my view of travel, beauty, and style. Our sleep masks are the launch pad for more products to come. We know your products are made in NY and we LOVE that! Why is it important for you that your products be made in America? As I mentioned, my parents immigrated to the United States, (NYC in particular) with nothing and made a great life for themselves. There is so much opportunity in New York and I feel that it is important to keep production here to fuel the economy. I also love that my vendors and factories are easily accessible which allows me to have more control over the production process.
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