Peach Beast is Wearable Weirdness

by Ben Slowey

Aug. 29, 2023

11:14 a.m.

Photo by Maeve Jackson

Elly Hazard

Elly Hazard is the artist and creator behind the brand Peach Beast, where she sells “wearable weirdness” in the form of jewelry, accessories, pins, shirts, bags and more. Hazard is inspired by childhood nostalgia of the ‘90s and 2000s as well as punk ethos, making her statement through art by channeling unapologetic and angsty spirit into colorful and rebellious designs. Peach Beast rejects ordinance and modesty in favor of flippancy and maximalism. Hazard vends the brand at popups and community events in addition to her online shop.

Growing up, Elly Hazard always gravitated towards art; her parents had a creative studio in their basement where she spent a lot of time drawing and making collages. Hazard was interested in art therapy and art education in school, recalling, “My mom was a social worker, so I was always interested in that element of combining art and therapy.”

She studied drawing, painting and illustration at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), and upon graduating, Hazard and a few friends acquired a studio space where they hosted gallery events and exhibitions. “It was a really fun time,” she said about that era. “It was nice having a space where I could work with my friends who were also artists. We ended up getting kicked out of there though because the studio got turned into condos.”

Hazard did not feel that the fine art world was her ideal fit, embracing more of a DIY ethic instead. She began making handcrafted goods out of her house in 2017, and that became the beginning of Peach Beast. “When I first started I was actually painting on clothes,” Hazard laughs. “From there I moved into jewelry and laser cutting, and now I’m here. I love trying new things so I’m always switching up the materials that I work with.”

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She officially launched Peach Beast as a brand in 2019. The name came from a dream of Hazard’s; she elaborates, “My friend was screaming ‘Peach Beast’ at me for some reason, and I remember waking up thinking that’d be a cool band name. I never got to be in a band, but when I started the brand I thought it fit well.”

Photo by Maeve Jackson

Peach Beast earrings

Peach Beast items are themed with everything from quirky creatures to childhood treats to existential dread to humorous exclamations to chaotic scenarios. Hazard typically creates jewelry and accessory designs from off-the-cuff ideas. She starts everything with a sketch before digitally illustrating the cut files.

Hazard enjoys the process of translating her drawings and ideas into 3D objects, saying, “It’s kind of sculptural in the sense that these pieces are layered on top of each other to create an image, and then I’m figuring out the colors for each part and what’s being engraved.”

After she finishes the cut files, Hazard sends them to her laser cutter. Once each individual color is cut out from sheets and the pieces are engraved, she then paints and assembles them into a wearable object. “It kind of feels like putting together LEGOs,” Hazard remarks.

Her shirt, sticker and bag designs for Peach Beast come from a wide range of illustrated concepts. “Sometimes I’m into gothic calligraphy, sometimes I’m drawing from vintage cartoons, sometimes I’m into the ‘80s advertisement style,” she notes.

Peach Beast’s angle toward creative imagery is influenced by pop culture that Hazard grew up with. She enjoyed irreverent ‘90s cartoons like Ren & Stimpy and The Simpsons, likening her approach to Peach Beast to the subtly dark tilt that many of these shows have. “They may be bright and colorful and funny but at the same time it’s kind of messed up (laughs).”

The optical excesses of media such as the I SPY and Magic Eye books serve as muses for Peach Beast as well. “There was just so much visual wonder to all these things that are permanently in my brain now,” Hazard adds.

As for adopting punk ideology, Hazard got heavily into punk music as a teenager, citing the 2006 documentary “American Hardcore” as having had a profound influence on her. “I got really into the style of DIY fashion back then, like I was painting my shoes and making my own clothes when I was in middle school,” Hazard reminisces. “I also got super into Harajuku fashion from Japan, so in my early Internet days I would look at fashion blogs where I’d be sitting there all day waiting for the page to load so I could see all the outfits people were wearing.”

Hazard may also incorporate social commentary into her designs; Peach Beast’s “Eat the Rich” tote and “If Gender Is Real Then How Come I’m So Hot?” stickers are examples. “A lot of it is stuff that’s funny but true,” she explains. “You can laugh at it but also relate to it.” The latest Peach Beast collection “Uglycore” has a loose Halloween theme to it, featuring earrings such as cursed Furbies, creepy baby dolls and eyeballs shaped like Saturn.

One of Hazard’s current goals is to start doing workshops and share her skill sets with others. “I haven’t figured out exactly what that’s going to look like but it’s definitely something that I want to do,” she said.

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Hazard recently hit her four-year mark doing Peach Beast and, as of last month, is now doing Peach Beast full-time.

On the biggest things she’s learned these last four years, Hazard shares, “There’s no wrong way to do anything. You have to be open to every opportunity and to trying different things if you want to make it work. When I first started doing Peach Beast I was making hand painted clothing and working with resin, but now I don’t make any of the same stuff I started with. I also did not go into this with the intention of making it my full-time job; it started as a hobby and grew from there. But what you do doesn’t have to be anything more than something you do for fun, and that doesn’t make it any less important. Figure out what you like, trust yourself and put in the work.”

Elly Hazard will be vending Peach Beast at Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago on Sept. 9-10. Then she is at Bayshore for Milwaukee Fashion Week on Sept. 17, and finally she will be at the Wisconsin Center for Bitchcraft Fair on Oct. 8.

“Thank you to all the people who support local small businesses and creators,” Hazard concludes. “We remember you and we love you - you’re awesome.”

Visit Peach Beast’s Linktree to shop or learn more.

by Ben Slowey

Aug. 29, 2023

11:14 a.m.