Tom Foolery’s drop-seat jumpsuits are both practical and sustainable
by Cristina Deptula
The idea for Tom Foolery’s major product, a drop-seat jumpsuit, occurred to founder Shannon Ashford while studying marine biology in Southeast Asia.
A friend of mine picked up a pair of Thai fisherman pants and showed me how the side seam overlaps and you essentially hold the front panel to your stomach, pull the back panel through your legs, and tie the wrap belt at the front. As soon as she showed me I thought, “this is it! just slap a top on this and problem solved!
This design makes it much easier to use the bathroom without entirely removing your jumpsuit. Not too long after she returned home, Ashford took the plunge into creating her clothing company.
Tom Foolery was one giant leap. I was twenty-three, had about six months of experience working for a costume designer, a few semesters of business classes, a paltry amount of money saved up, and one sewing machine. I really had no business starting a company but I decided to jump and hope I figure out how to fly on the way down. The drop seat jumpsuit was my first product and although designs have changed, we’ve stuck with the same design concept.
One of the most common questions she gets concerns the origin of the business’ name.
I get this question a lot! I started making my own clothes in high school and one night a friend of my dad’s came over for dinner. He is one of those boisterous, always-entertaining men who talk without listening to themselves. He started to tell me what my future was going to look like, that I would start a clothing company and I would call it Tom Foolery! Of course, at sixteen I never thought I would start my own clothing company, so I just chalked the night up to a good time. When I came up with the idea for the drop seat jumpsuit I started asking friends what they thought of the name Tom Foolery and got a resounding ‘yes’. It was fittingly cheeky for a company selling easy access playsuits.
Ashford’s interest in and commitment to ecology continued long beyond her biology studies as she developed the company.
When I was starting the business, I realized fairly early that I had a huge responsibility as a designer to deliver a product that honored both planet and people.
A big part of Tom Foolery’s environmentally friendly business practice involves how they source the fabric.
Read more at https://issuu.com/rareluxuryliving/docs/raremagazinesustainablepages/220
