July 25, 2024 – From small-town leotards for a two-year-old to an internationally-known Olympic clothing designer, Snowflake Designs has become a big name out of Clovis, California.
It all started in 1985, when LaDonna Snow began making leotards for her 2-year-old gymnast daughter Kindra. Other moms who saw the little girl asked where Snow got the leotards from, and Snow began a business out of creating leotards for the rest of the little ones.
Years later, it has grown into an international business, with Kindra Snow-Walker becoming the President of the company alongside her mother, the CEO. Combined, the two have made their way into the designs for two of the Egyptian athletes competing in the Olympics this summer.
These two athletes are Jana Mahmoud, who is part of the Egyptian Artistic National Team, and Malak Hamza, member of the Egyptian Trampoline National Team.
This is the first time the company is experiencing their works featured in the Olympics, but not the first time they are on the international stage.
They have created the outfits for the gymnastics program at the University of Kentucky and worked with teams in Singapore and New Zealand, according to an article on the company in The Business Journal.
The leotards for the Egyptian gymnasts wearing Snowflake’s designs were created through a “collaborative process” between the individuals involved – Snow-Walker received inspirations from the athletes, sent back their designs, and kept a steady line of communication until a design was finalized.
This resulted in a black foil body leotard with gold and teal mixed into the colors, and 7,000 crystals adorning the leotard with various sizes and designs. A special request from the athletes was also included – a bedazzled snake twisting around the right arm of the leotard, which can be found on all the pieces made for the Egyptian team.
Snow-Walker stated, “There was a lot of back-and-forth in the design process and the result is something uniquely Egyptian that both women [on the team] can wear with pride while competing for their country.”
Having expanded since the formation of the business in 1985, Snowflake Designs does not only sell gymnastics leotards – they also hold warm-up suits, accessories, and other materials. It remains to be seen how much more the company will expand and grow over the years to come.