Women carry handbags for style and utility. Moms add a diaper bag that doesn’t leave much freedom when toting along the kids. That’s how it started for Sonja Pettingill, inventor of a multi-pocketed vest for moms and a kuvvy for kids. “I call it the Adventure Travel Vest, I think that sums it up. It used to be the ‘Mom’s Utility Vest’ but the idea has evolved. Every active woman will appreciate having hands free just like men,” she said.
That said Sonja began emptying her pockets, back, front and the secure inside. A scarf, book, wipes (“You always need these”), toothpicks, pen and notebook, wallet, phone, lipstick, a compass and other items came out of the 16 pockets. There are two insulated pockets to keep bottles of water (or sippy cup/baby bottle) cool or warm. “This zipper pocket is designed for a passport. You can put a camera here. I’m in the middle of producing version 2.0 of the vest; it’s sleeker, higher tech and less pocket-y looking. It holds anything,” she said.
Born just outside Toronto, her father is English and her mother German. Sonja’s parents met in Johannesburg after the war. Her father, an engineer, had left the Royal Navy and her mother was then in nursing college. The couple moved to England then emigrated to Canada.
“We were an unusual family…” Sonja accounts for her inventiveness and enterprise by the fact that “most of us rode unicycles, my Dad still figure skates at nearly 90. There was a phase in our home when we had to learn Morse code to communicate.” She went to the University of Toronto then Michigan for graduate studies in geochemistry. After a stint in the oil industry she married and the couple was posted to Saudi Arabia where they learned to scuba dive in the Red Sea.
“We moved to London, driving overland with a desert modified Land Rover via Syria, Jordan, Turkey and Europe,” says Sonja who worked for the British Geological Survey, then did qualitative market research. Later, posted in Munich, Sonja started her own fudge and brownie company and tutored geology and chemistry for the British Open University. The next move brought them back to North America and they settled in Philadelphia.
Flash forward to 2008, “I had pocketed vests as a field geologist. The ‘Mom’s Utility Vest’ idea was originally conceived of when I had a child and needed pockets to hold all the baby gear; that’s really when you need pockets. It evolved into the Travel Adventure Vest because it’s ideal for just that. Hiking, no backpack needed, water and camera are much easier to reach. Biking, travel, dog walking…It’s a movement for women allowing them to stay active and take the gear they need. Now it’s more than just a travel vest.”
“In the fashion industry being an entrepreneur has been an exciting adventure and I’ve been very blessed to have found great mentors. My feeling is that the vest will emancipate women from carrying bags in so many instances when it’s better to have hands free. I went to Disney and Universal theme parks in Orlando with my daughter. When we got off the roller coaster women literally ran after me and asked where I got the vest. Nothing fell out. Everyone else had to line up to get a locker to empty their pockets and leave their purses and bags. Later in the afternoon we went to the water theme park; our bathing suits in the large back pocket. We were back to Universal for the evening; never a need for a trip back to the hotel or locker.”
Various designs in the works include a fleece lining for cooler weather and mesh panels for summer. The kuvvy is a miniature vest designed for kids. The 7-pocketed reversible kid’s vest has a special pocket on the back for a stuffed toy. While Sonja tries to use only natural fabrics and avoids coatings that can contain toxic materials she recognizes the fact that pockets have to be strong enough to hold weight. Nylon blends are used where durability is required for pockets. “I look for the most natural fabric that can hold weight and be functional,” she said.
The vest is not for every event Sonja admits, “You wouldn’t go out in evening dress with it for instance.” She is, however, designing a lighter and dressier line of pocketed vests.
While travel vests are not new, Sonja is very optimistic about her vest’s flexibility and functional design. “I think our Adventure Vest is far more practical with the pocket utility. It is adaptable to lots of uses. Ours are contemporary and fashion forward with colors and fabrics women love. I worked with chiropractors and orthopedic doctors to make the vest ergonomic. It’s much healthier for your back, neck and shoulders than carrying bags over a shoulder. For travel it is like having an extra carry-on when you fly. You can put a lot of stuff in there.”
If enthusiasm is any measure, Sonja Pettingill and her company will succeed admirably. It is handy to have hands free with pockets to stow your stuff.
For more information visit Sonja’s website at www.vestopiaclothes.com.
