Press Release: Shower Toga - Article for Syndication and Guest Blog Posts
How Simple Products with Big Solutions Are Brought To Life - The Story of Shower Toga
Some of the best inventions have been simple products that solve big problems. But the process of birthing that product into the world is anything but simple. It requires one person to think, "Hey… I can do better than that," and then actually make it happen. That is precisely what Kressa Peterson did when she invented Shower Toga.
Changing the Game of Public Cleanliness
Shower Toga is a waterproof cover-up that allows people to change their clothes and clean up in public. Anyone who has been to a public beach for the day knows how uncomfortable it is to ride home in a wet swimsuit full of sand and seawater. Thanks to one woman's lightbulb moment and unrelenting drive, that ride home has become much more enjoyable for many people. Shower Toga, a water-resistant garment, allows people to quickly and easily disrobe, wash off, and re-dress in plain view of everyone with someone's modesty intact. But wait, there's more; it also doubles as a duffle bag to store your dirty clothes after you shower off. Now that is genius.
The Fearless Founder Behind the Invention
But simple and significant products only exist because there is a fearless, creative founder behind them who is willing to take a risk. Kressa Peterson is one of those people. Always having an entrepreneurial spirit, Kressa was a broker for the importing of sport horses. In November of 2012, however, her life as she knew it came to a screeching halt when she discovered that she had breast cancer. For Kressa, this was not an opportunity to grow, find strength, or be a superhero for others, and it certainly didn’t serve some higher purpose… or so she thought. She felt like she had just been given a death sentence. She made the courageous and radical decision to have a double mastectomy, but her view on life was forever altered.
Finding Inspiration in Unexpected Places
Post cancer recovery, Kressa found the inspiration and strength that she was not even looking for. Needing to throw herself into something, she started running Spartan races, AKA "Mud Runs," to build up her confidence and get healthy. But dirt, sweat, and many discomforts came from this new passion. While there were "clean-up stations" with hoses to shower off some of the initial grime, there were rarely places to change and shower. So Kressa set out to find a solution and, like most inventors, came up empty-handed and decided to create her own.
From Idea to Reality: The Birth of Shower Toga
The first shower toga was made out of cloth diaper material with Forrest animals on it. "Certainly, people are going to think I am nuts when I pull this out," Kressa remembers thinking… but that is not what happened. Instead, Kressa had a line of twenty people asking to borrow her new invention, and that is when she knew she was on to something big.
After six months of designing, refining, and sourcing manufacturers, Kressa decided to make Shark Tank her ultimate goal. After 16 months of keeping her eyes on that prize, she walked out of the tank, a winner with an investment from a partner who believed in her, Mark Cuban. Clearly, he saw potential in Kressa, and the Shower Toga and many others have too.
Expanding the Impact: Shower Toga for All
While originally designed to clean up after a muddy race, Shower Toga has become a solution for many different people with a variety of needs. Some of these newfound fans are hikers