Fair Harbor embodies the soul of summer, but the soul of the family is always Mom. She dressed you when you were a kid and she’s still right about what looks good on you. As the saying goes, “Mother knows best!” For this collaboration, Fair Harbor founders Jake and Caroline Danehy teamed up with the person who taught them everything they know: their mom, Sheri Danehy. Designed with Sheri and timed for Mother’s Day, this exclusive swim collection is our tribute to moms everywhere.

Jake and Caroline: Hey Mom. So you and Dad always make the joke that Fair Harbor didn’t just take over the garage but the entire house. You definitely put up with a lot —from interns running around to helping with late night shipments. What is a story that sticks out from the early days?

Sheri: No question that Fair Harbor took over the entire house!! The vision that stands out in my mind is when there were literally 500 boxes in our driveway delivered from an inventory shipment. I really was not sure where they were going to go! Boxes filled every room in the house — our garage, basement, living room, Caroline’s bedroom. We’re talking floor to ceiling in some rooms.

Another vivid memory was the summer we had 8 interns working out of our house. They were all college kids and the nicest group of students BUT I remember being home one lunch time and the grill was going, hot tub was full and an afternoon siesta was being had in our den chilling in the AC. I secretly do miss all the activity and excitement.

J+C: What has been your favorite memory to date with Fair Harbor?

Sheri: My favorite FH memory is our most recent trip to LA for the photoshoot of this collaboration. Being involved in the process of choosing models, shoot location, hotel (Santa Monica Proper) and restaurants was a blast. Bryan (photographer) and Robert (videographer) are so talented. I also really enjoyed shooting at my sister’s pool, they have the most incredible view.

My highlight was watching you both in action. I am so incredibly proud of you, and love seeing you create product and content.

J+C: You grew up going out to Fire Island with your parents, what is something you remember as a little kid in Fire Island?

Sheri: Growing up in NYC my parents rented a house in Fair Harbor too. I looked forward to leaving the hot city and entering the barefoot community — that still has not changed from when I was a kid. My brother and I had so much independence that we didn’t experience in the city. We loved the beach, riding bikes, BBQ-ing and selling homemade painted shells on the sidewalks. Funny enough, the house is still there just a few blocks to where we all went.

J+C: You and Dad also had a share-house out there for a few years, right?

Sheri: After college I took a share house in Ocean Bay Park and Ocean Beach. It was such an amazing experience to do with friends to get away from the city on the weekends. Loved happy hour at Flynns, playing pool at Hausers and opening up a summer charge account at the local deli. All of these locations are still there!

J+C: What is it about Fire Island that kept pulling you back, and wanted us to experience it?

Sheri: Fire Island to me is just the perfect place to relax and get back to basics. It is wonderful to go on family vacation without the distractions of cars and fancy restaurants. It’s a place to reconnect, play games (like Rummikub), pull groceries in a red wagon, hang on the beach and enjoy family dinners. I love that it creates a sense of independence and security for kids at a young age.

J+C: Speaking of your Mom who was an interior decorator in the 60s and 70s, you drew a lot of inspiration from that time period. Can you share more about your design inspiration?

Sheri: My mom was an interior designer in the 60’s and 70’s — our NYC apartment was so colorful and every room was a different color highlighting modern artists. She wore tons of Pucci and always dressed me in mod clothes, which is where I got my love of retro patterns and fun colors. When I was thinking about my collaboration launching on Mothers Day, I wanted to pay tribute to my Mom as well. Unfortunately, she passed away many years ago but her sense of style and color lives on in my kids.

J+C: As the travel agent of the family, where are we going on our next family vacation?

Sheri: Well our next vacation is back out to Fair Harbor — but as you guys know, my favorite thing to do is spend time with you both, Paige and Dad in a beautiful place we haven’t been to yet. I love researching vacations and sometimes I get way too excited and over plan. While it might seem like I try to “jump the Grand Canyon” on trips — meaning I try to squeeze in too much — it’s only because I don’t want to miss a thing. After COVID, my travel list includes: Italy, Patagonia, Morocco and an African Safari is definitely on my list.