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Tommy Flaim
Founder at Fox & Robin
Tommy Flaim is the founder of Fox & Robin, an activewear brand focused on sustainability and ethical practices.13 He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2016 with a BBA in Finance.13 Flaim's entrepreneurial journey began during his college years when he founded a social entrepreneurship and impact investing club called Unleashed.1
After graduation, Flaim worked in finance, holding positions at Citi, Jet.com, and Viacom before founding Fox & Robin in August 2020.3 His vision for the company was to create a fashion brand that prioritizes social and environmental impact alongside profitability.1 Fox & Robin is registered as a Certified B Corp, legally obligating it to optimize for a triple bottom line of social, financial, and environmental impact.1
Key aspects of Flaim's approach with Fox & Robin include:
- Transparency: The company discloses wages paid to its factory workers.1
- Ethical manufacturing: Flaim established partnerships with ethical manufacturers in China and Jordan.1
- Sustainability: The brand focuses on sustainable practices in the fashion industry.1
Flaim initially bootstrapped the company using savings from his Wall Street career and later raised funds through Kickstarter, friends and family, and angel investors.1 As of 2023, Fox & Robin continues to grow, with Flaim exploring new growth channels, launching new products, and expanding the team.12
Highlights
After nearly 6 years of building Fox & Robin, we have made the impossibly difficult decision to close our doors. The overwhelming support you all have shown to us over the years was what made this decision so difficult. Though we have a sad ending, we had an amazing journey thanks to you all. While there were plenty of lows, the highs are what I hope to remember in the years to come. I remember picking out fabrics in my NYC apartment the summer of 2018 for initial samples. I remember sprinting to the lobby of my day job’s office when the samples arrived (not sure why I didn’t send them to my apartment). My coworker / good friend Mar and I took the package and sprinted up to the 7th floor (away from our boss). Many of the initial samples were honestly terrible but I remember feeling giddy because it was starting to all feel real and tangible. While the samples weren’t great, I remember John Henry seeing them and being one of the earliest believers, trusting I’d work out the kinks eventually. I remember seeing the first stranger wearing Fox & Robin products (head to toe) walking along Lake Michigan. As much as I love when my mom sends me pictures of her sporting her Fox & Robin leggings at the gym, her (and all of my family’s / friends’) unwavering support felt biased. I remember posting our most viral TikTok (~18 million views) about Gen Z email signoffs right before my adult rec soccer game. At the time, we had maybe 100 followers and averaged 200 views per video. Honestly, I thought TikTok was a waste of time and only did it because investors were on us to post more (thank you Connor Saeli – you were right). When I got home from soccer, we were up to 70k views (beating our prior record by ~69k). The next morning, we had 500k views and numerous friends were texting me about how it was being circulated amongst their coworkers. Once it reached 15 million views, a reporter from BuzzFeed reached out to ask about our company culture. Funny enough, I’m writing this from the coffee shop I worked at when I first quit my corporate America job and turned Fox & Robin from a side hustle to a full-time gig. I remember being equal parts excited and anxious about taking the leap of faith and quitting a job that provided a steady paycheck. While things didn’t turn out exactly how I envisioned, I don’t regret anything and am proud of what we built. To our investors, partners, employees, customers, friends and family – words cannot express how grateful we are for the role you played in making our dream a reality. As we unwind things, we are offering a 30% discount sitewide (www.foxandrobin.com) for the next month.
With Love, Tommy & the Fox & Robin team
P.S. John Henry Neuberger and I are looking for jobs if anyone is hiring 😊
Please consider Fox & Robin this holiday season! We offer premium activewear (our designer is from Lululemon) at more reasonable price points than competitors. We are also one of the most responsible options in our category. As a Certified B Corp, we meet the highest standard of third-party verified social and environmental impact.
B Lab John Henry Neuberger June Lee Melissa Lord
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