Andrea Updike

As head clothing designer for DownEast Basics, Andrea’s aim is to create trendy, stylish pieces at a great price. She lives in sunny Santa Cruz, Calif., where the style is carefree and casual – definitely an influence on her designs! As a busy working mom (her son, Sam, is eight), she understands the need for clothes that make you look good, are comfortable to wear, easy to care for and won’t break your budget. Andrea has been with DownEast for twelve years. She has a degree in fashion merchandising and textiles. 

Jonathan Freedman  

Jonathan founded DownEast Basics with the goals of value, quality and style. With a degree in clothing and textiles (and married to a former top model), he is involved in DownEast’s design choices – and nearly every other aspect of the business. Jonathan is also active in the art communities in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he resides with his family. He was named among Utah Business Magazine’s 40 Under 40 in 2007. 

Candy Friedli

As manager of apparel for DownEast Basics, Candy is involved in a range of activities, from overseeing photo shoots and working with the graphic design team on catalog production, to branding, store marketing and managing media appearances. Candy can truly say that she “worked her way up” at DownEast, having started in 1996 as a temporary holiday hire! Her career grew from there, as did her commitment to promoting DownEast’s fashionable and affordable clothing lines.

She has a degree in Political Science and is mom to two boys – Jackson, age two, and Peter, age one.