SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The founders of clothing manufacturer Tommy John were the featured guests at the inaugural Innovation Conversation at the Orpheum Theater in Sioux Falls.

The keynote was presented by Tom Patterson and Erin Fujimoto. The husband and wife entrepreneurs had no prior experience in clothing design and manufacturing, but they searched to reimagine the fabric, fit, and function of both men’s and women’s underwear for a more comfortable solution.

The pair founded Tommy John during the 2008 recession with the goal of bringing a solution to men’s unfitting undershirts to market.

“The light bulb moment for me was when I was in a Nordstrom in Dallas, Texas, and a guy tried on an undershirt and he said, ‘I love this,’ and ordered 16 black and 16 white. And it was a $1,800 order and that was almost all the inventory. That’s when people ask us a lot, ‘when did you know how big it could be?’” said Patterson.

Following the keynote presentation, a social gathering was held at Startup Sioux Falls.

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