About the Brand & Designer

The lake effect. The precipitation produced when cold air passes over warmer water. But in my world, the lake effect includes crisp breezes swirling off the lake on sweltering days and incubator-type temps on cold days. But really, a lake’s effects extend far beyond the weather. When you’re on lake time, you know it. It’s a slower pace. It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s connecting with nature. It’s forgetting you’ve ever been anywhere else. When you’re on lake time, it’s never wanting to leave.

Lake Effect Co. is a venue to share magnetic lake stories and perfect lake moments, to embrace a unique lifestyle, and to let the ever-changing water inspire us. It’s about being balanced in adventure, health, beauty, and self, all through the lens of life by the lake.

And while we may not all have the chance to reside lakeside, or even near a body of water, we can still find common ground in those prized, even if brief, moments when we catch a glimpse of the closest body of water. My favorite travels, and homes, have always been close to rivers, lakes, oceans, streams, or bays. Sometimes you just know what feels good to your soul, and for many like me, that is the Lake Effect.

And remember friends, never skinny dip alone. Speaking of skinny dipping...

ABOUT KATHERINE

So nice to to meet you! I’m Katherine. I reside a few blocks from Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, WI. Growing up in the Lake Country area, just 30 miles west of Milwaukee, kept me constantly around lake people, ya know, the ones that just got it? I was either tagging along on someone’s boat for the day, helping keep an eye on friend’s younger siblings playing by the shore (lifeguard status, right here), or begging my parents to let us launch our boat after work for an evening cool down. Living lakeside, I consider myself truly lucky to get a glimpse of the water every day.

Lake Michigan and the Lake Country are lovely, but “my lake” is Medicine Lake in Three Lakes, WI. Medicine Lake is a place I’ve called true home since age three. The days always seemed to go on forever, giving me extra hours of pier time. I tossed and turned all night before we hit the road to the lake, butterflies of excitement in my belly that felt almost as aggressive as the fish flopping on the pier after I’d reeled them in. I flew off the end of the pier without a care in the world. None of that has changed, because despite growing older, we never truly grow up at the lake. Even today, daylight seems to linger unending, and cocktail hours flow right through dinner. We’re all truly at our happiest when we’re lakeside.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Lake Effect Co. was born after many years dreaming of products, phrasing, and branding that embodied how I felt about my beloved time at the lake. Every shared conversation with a fellow lake-lover ending in “How would anyone ever find out about that hidden gem,” or “We need a shirt that says that” brought me that much closer to bringing the idea to life..

I want Lake Effect Co. to be more than just a place to buy items that show your lake life love. I want it to be a place to connect with others who feel similarly. I hope it can grow to be a community of summertime swimmers, boaters, wet dogs, sunset-chasers, eagle-spotters, and pier-loungers, all sharing a love of their version of lake life. I want it to be a place not just for the summertime lake lovers, but to be a four-seasons adventure. At Lake Effect Co., we embrace spring blossoms, fall hikes, windburned cheeks, cozy, bundled, fireside nights, and snowshoeing, skiing, and Irish-coffee-heavy-ice-fishing mornings, too. The lake effect does include lake snow, after all. So let’s celebrate how lucky we are to live and love on and in these beautiful bodies of water . . .

Let’s jump in!

*Shop the full collection online HERE and use code "KSSTYLE" for 25% off orders $60 and up!

Stay Stylish Chicago,

Katie