The Idea
Tom Foolery started with the simple idea of creating rompers that allow women to use the ladies room without sitting on a drafty stall clutching their naked chest with a jumpsuit around their ankles while frantically tracking passers by in the crack next to the door. The solution was this: an open, overlapping side seam with a drop down seat.
The Effort
We believe in doing things the right way.
We believe in creating functional comfort and using recycled and responsible materials.
We believe in transparency, integrity, and taking care of both the people who make the clothes and the people who wear them.
Basically, we believe in not being a**holes.
The Designer
My name is Shannon Ashford and I sew. I was born and raised in Southern California too curious for my own good with the heart of a vagabond and a brain filled with movie quotes. My favorite color is yellow and I will make pancakes for anyone who asks. I learned to sew when I was a girl from a neighbor. I started waking up early to make myself an outfit to wear to school and even made a few prom dresses for friends in high school (my sincerest apologies for the rookie work). I make clothes for the same reason I drink whiskey and never wear shoes- it makes me happy. I started Tom Foolery to create problem-solving designs and to make people’s lives better. I chose jumpsuits because I truly believe they are the perfect manifestation of the energy and adventure of a tomboy packaged as a classy lady.
Sustainability
We use two different types of fabric to accomplish two different goals. One textile is made from recycled plastic bottles in an attempt to clean up the plastic that already exists in our landfills. An effort to correct. The other is made from responsibly sourced eucalyptus tencel with minimal impact to the environment and colored with natural dyes. An effort to sustain.
From textiles to labor, our goal is to leave our planet and our people better than we found them.
*COVID update - while we are in between fabric suppliers we are using sustainably made double gauze. Here's hoping this transition period doesn't last much longer.
After a transformational mission trip to Kenya I couldn't forget the spirit of the people there and knew that finding ways to give back to that community would forever be a part of my life. Tom Foolery has partnered with Heri Sewing College in Kenya offering girls the opportunity for independence through starting their own business. Each student spends two years studying the techniques of garment making and upon graduation is given their own machine. Many of these female students have been subjected to horrific abuse. Cultivating the skill of sewing and being able to make money gives them the opportunity to live their own lives, choose their own spouses, and create the family they want.
Where we started
It began simply- one woman, one sewing machine, a limited knowledge of pattern making, and a hankering to create clothing with integrity. For the past two years, we have partnered with Thread International and used their jersey made from 50% cotton and 50% recycled plastic bottles collected in Port Au Prince, Haiti. Thread creates thousands of jobs in developing countries with the production process and we are very proud and excited to be working with them.
Where we're going
We are currently working with Groceries Apparel in Los Angeles to manufacture our first large scale run of jumpsuits. Groceries is dedicated to transparency and human responsibility. From seed to skin they are committed to developing awareness of all life cycle stages of their fabrics and garments. They use organic cotton, eucalyptus, recycled plastic, hemp, and vegetable dyes in their process.
Outside of our Los Angeles homebase, we are working to establish recycling centers and sewing shops in developing countries all around the world. Our vision is to create completely closed loops from bottle or plant to finished garment all in the same city. It is going to take time but we are confident we will get there.
You stay ethical.
To tom foolery and shenanigans!