No Ordinary Plunge

Rugged Bear is making a splash with our new bathing suit line. We’ve taken the plunge, and this is no stick your toe in, check the temperature, slowly ease in inch by agonizing inch type of plunge. This is a full on cannonball with 16 prints for boys and 16 prints for girls. Every print is bursting with color and ready to get wet and sandy.

Ask any kid, and they’ll tell you serious fun takes serious planning, hours of dreaming, designing and sometimes even scheming. Fun is serious work and commitment, and designing our new line of bathing suits was no different. Fun is no fun if it’s not comfortable, and yes, fun is more fun when it looks good. So function and style were our top priorities. The things Lindy and our team considered in the design process were: quick drying, movability, coverage, fit, comfort, durability and of course color. The boys trunks have an easy, boxy fit that hits a few inches above the knee. The girls suits come in three varieties: racer back one pieces, tankinis and bikinis. Each design has been made to keep up with fast pace adventures as well as long, lazy, sandy days.

We know childhood memories are made around great sandcastles, huge, gigantic, sandy holes where you were certain you dug to China, day long games of marco polo, and underwater tea parties that never lasted long enough to enjoy the tea. We want our bathing suits to be a part of all of this, and when you see them, we think you will too. Summer memories are made from laughter, friends and sunny days. We know it’s not the clothes or what’s on the outside that counts, but it’s nice when the clothes match the fun loving spirit of the kids wearing them - blues and greens, pinks and oranges, starfish, sea horses, and even geckos - Lindy’s goal when designing this line? To inspire fun and endless hours of whimsy. Some claim that the simple sight of these suits make them crave pink lemonade, extra drippy popsicles and soft wet sand between their toes. Summer please, please hurry. I know what I am going to wear....

The Original Rugged Bear Kid

It’s not everyday you get to meet an original, and that’s exactly what our designer, Lindy McDonough is: an original Rugged Bear Kid.  Her father, Alan McDonough, started Rugged Bear before Lindy was born over 30 years ago. From a very early age, Lindy was taught that clothes should first and foremost be made for play and should be made to last.  Lindy and her siblings put the “rugged” in Rugged Bear and showed just how hard kids could work at play.  As a result, her father was committed to making kids clothes from adult quality fabrics so they could withstand limitless hours of play.  Now as the Rugged Bear designer, Lindy understands that Rugged Bear Kids get dirty, play hard, think big, follow their dreams, sometimes fall but always get back up and play some more.  Thanks to Lindy, our clothes can do all of this and then, after a quick round in the wash, can do it all again tomorrow.  Lindy knows Rugged Bear clothes cannot be high maintenance. Rugged Bear kids are throw ‘em on and go, go, go type of kids. Our goal, Lindy’s goal is: All play, All the time.

As a kid, one of her favorite Rugged Bear outfits was a legging and sweatshirt set with a matching bow.  According to Lindy, it was not just ANY legging and sweatshirt set. There was 2 pairs of leggings: one with polka dots and one with stripes. Both pairs could be worn with the sweatshirt.  It seemed almost magical to her: 2 outfits, one sweatshirt. Anything seemed possible to her in this outfit.  Inspired by this, Lindy has designed great jersey pieces for girls this Summer with mix ‘n match shirts, leggings, tunics and shorts.  For the boys, Lindy is mad for the madras.  Bring on Summer,  our designs are ready and waiting to play.

According to Lindy, once a Rugged Bear Kid, always a Rugged Bear Kid.  She still loves to draw and paint, and she finds ways to infuse color into everything she does.  Her playful and upbeat personality shines through in our bright and colorful prints. Yes, its true Lindy, the party doesn’t start until the ric rac arrives. Our adorable, colorful, easy summer dresses prove this.  Go on, play, play and then play some more. Our clothes will keep up thanks to Lindy. Live Life Rugged.

Why Blog?

Because we really have so much to say. We are not just a company that churns out great polos, memorable outerwear and puddle ready boots day in and day out. There’s personality here; there’s purpose and there is a real and constant concern for kids and their serious commitment to play. We want, above all else, to make the clothes that are a part of the Rugged Bear kids’ best and most lasting memories. We realize to do this we need to put more than pieces of fabric together. We need to put pieces of ourselves into every product we sell. We want you to know who we are and what we care about, and we want to know you too. We believe this blog will help with this effort. Through this blog, you’ll meet our very colorful designer Lindy, our tough as nails quality controller Buff, our beloved and veteran salesperson Janice and many, many other Rugged Bear tribe members. You’ll find out why our polos are the first article of clothing chosen from the drawer and why our colorful girls dresses are the talk of the party. Yes, it’s true, the party does not start until the ric rac arrives according to Lindy. You’ll also learn about Rugged Bear’s community involvement. Childhood should be about play, whimsy and unbridled adventure. There will be plenty of time to worry about more serious problems. We want all kids to play and have a safe, imaginative place to have the time of their lives. This is what drives us. Our mission is play, and through this blog you’ll read how and why. Hopefully, you will end up having as much fun as we do. So please log on. There will be no growling from the Rugged Bear just plain old fun. We Live Life Rugged and we want you to do the same.