Combining Luxury and Leisure: How Emerging Miami Based Swimwear Line CJ Club Reinvents Timeless Classics
For Carlee Snyder, founder of swimwear line CJ Club, the idea for starting her own business came about after weeks of isolation during quarantine, following the postponement of her post-graduation plans.
“I just graduated from the University of Michigan, and I had all of these plans to move to New York. I wanted to work in fashion and live every 20-year-old’s dream of being in New York City” said Snyder. However, when the pandemic hit the United States at the beginning of March, her plans were placed on hold and, instead, the Miami-native returned home to live with her parents.
Living in unprecedented times, many people have experienced the disappointment or other emotions caused by canceled plans. “After coming home from college, and leaving all of my friends, I felt like I was getting depressed,” explained Snyder. During this time, Snyder discovered that relaxing by the pool and swimming had become therapeutic for her.
“I was born and raised in Miami, and I grew up in swimwear,” said Snyder, who draws much of her inspiration for CJ Club from her childhood.
Snyder’s childhood memories laid the groundwork for the aesthetics behind CJ Club’s website and social media. In conceptualizing the visual aesthetic of CJ Club, Snyder drew heavily from her Miami-based childhood that was filled with sailing trips and playing tennis at her grandparents’ country club.
After drawing her initial inspiration from childhood memories, Snyder began creating a mood board filled with pictures of Snyder’s upbringing, old family photos, 90s fashion, and icons like Princess Diana and Kate Moss, Snyder found herself drawn to photos of Princess Diana, time and again, in a specific shade of cherry red.
This shade of red offered Snyder’s inspiration to create her top-selling bathing suit “Lady in Red.”
For her other swimsuits, Snyder turned to her cousin Shelby Pogue who has a background in textiles and recently graduated from SCAD to design the various prints. “Shelby designed both of the prints on the Cherry Cola and Tropical Muse bikinis. They’re all hand-painted and then imported into the photoshop” explained Snyder.
“Our patterns are what really make us unique. Just having something more organic, like a pattern that people feel nostalgia for was really important for me.”
At CJ Club, not only do the designs and patterns of her swimsuits embody a 90s-inspired vibe, but Snyder also took extreme care when photographing her line to help convey her vision. “I knew they had to be shot in film, to convey the whole vintage vibe. They need to have that special touch so the product shots look like they came from an old magazine.”
The images of sailboats and tennis courts helped Snyder convey her vision for CJ Club through combining luxury and leisure while maintaining her vintage-inspired aesthetics through shooting the images using film.
There was also an environmental component in Sydner’s vision for CJ Club. Snyder recognized the importance of choosing a manufacturer who would help her develop her swimsuits in an eco-friendly way.
“Our bikinis are made with less water and less energy, which makes them so much better for the environment,” said Snyder. The company also uses 100% recycled materials for the packaging and mailers, to reduce CJ Club’s environmental impact.
Following extensive research, Snyder found a Colombian-based manufacturer that helped her realize her dreams for CJ Club. “I really tried to work with a company that was keeping me in the loop,” said Snyder who was unable to visit the manufacturing company in person due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.
“I’m hoping that I’ll be able to go and visit soon, and form a more personal relationship with the women that make the suits because I think that’s the most important connection.”
Weeks before Snyder’s initial launch date, the swimsuits were stuck in customs upon entry into the United States, pushing her launch date further into colder, winter months. “We didn't actually get them until mid-November, so I was upset because I was launching a swimsuit brand in the middle of winter,” said Snyder. Nevertheless, Snyder persisted and did not let any obstacles stop her from building a successful business.
Like many young entrepreneurs, Snyder has overcome a number of hurdles that face many small business owners. However, Snyder welcomed the various challenges that came her way in the process of building CJ Club, “ I had a vision and I’m just proud that I was able to see it through.”
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