We were lucky to catch up with Alex Crawley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alex, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

Standard practice in the fashion industry is to copy trendy runway outfits quickly at a much lower cost and quality. Also known as “fast fashion.”

In my opinion, the missing components of fast fashion are quality and available clothing tailored to a child’s individuality. I select soft, high-quality, and eco-friendly fabrics. I tailor each piece to every child by including size, fit, and style variations.

Fast fashion loads landfills with unused clothing, aiding in the destruction of ecosystems and the economies in smaller communities. My small business uses fewer materials. Furthermore, any leftover materials are reused for other valuable items such as blanket binding, scrunchies, or undergarments.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

After ten years in the United States Air Force, I decided it was time to focus on myself and my family, so I became a stay-at-home parent. One day, my kiddo’s stuffy bunny popped at the seam, fuzzy innards everywhere. If you’re familiar with children, you can understand how devastating this is in a household. I was not willing to let bunny parish. I summoned my very tiny seventh-grade home economic skills. Bunny still lives on!

Later, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a nurse friend asked if I could make masks for him and his team. Most can remember the scarcity of the item. I went to work. Word spread quickly, and I converted my neglected hobby-based Etsy shop into a non-medical cotton mask emporium to help as many people as possible. I probably sewed thousands.

Once the demand slowed, I searched the internet to see what else I could sew. I became interested in making clothing for my daughter. Leotards, tutus, pajamas, and shorts. I kept practicing and made clothing for kids of friends and family. They fell in love with the comfort, quality, and unique prints. Thus, PB & Jammies was born!

My goal at PB & Jammies is to create the coziest pajamas and children’s clothing that match each child’s unique personality and style.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was only twenty when I joined the military, and everything was meticulously planned until I was thirty. My Master’s degree was complete; My husband and I would try for children; I would retire from the military at forty and continue hard-charging directly into Psychology as a highly respected mental health and development expert.

In 2017, I gave birth to a 7LB and 13OZ wonder of a human being. “PIVOT!” screamed Ross Gellar in my head as I looked into my baby’s perfect squishy face.

The birth of my daughter changed everything. I didn’t know how much her tiny soul would wrap so closely with mine. I desperately wanted my newest adventure to be her mother without barriers. I did not renew my military contract for retirement and decided with my husband to become a stay-at-home parent. Later, I created PB & Jammies to earn skills and earn income while staying home with my daughter.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn behaviors that caused burnout, high-functioning anxiety, and physical exhaustion.

Ten years in the military conditioned me more than I realized to proceed with everything quickly without error and with zero regards for my mental health. Forgiveness was a foreign concept to myself and my peers. Understandably so because my missions only provide one chance to get it right. I managed a large military funerals operation coordinating arrangements with families of over 3,000 service members.

Once I transitioned to the civilian world, my learned intensity to proceed in life with perfect accuracy smacked me HARD in the face. In my newest journey as a civilian, there was extra time to process the beauty in the day-to-day details, and I thoroughly struggled with the concept.

Overall, I had to learn to relax. Let me tell you, not easy, and I am a work in progress.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pbnjammies.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/pbandjammies1/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/PBnJammies
• Other: Etsy: www.pbnjammies.etsy.com Tik Tok: @pb_n_jammies