About
A pioneer in the outdoor clothing industry, Carroll College alumnus Tanner Sutton is making waves and riding them in the business of unique, environmentally sustainable apparel.
Sutton is an adventurer by nature and a fly fisher by choice from Billings, Montana, who graduated from Carroll with a business degree in Marketing in 2010. After his time at Carroll, Sutton moved to Charleston, South Carolina, to start an outdoor clothing company he named Free Fly with the central product being outdoor sun protection clothing made from bamboo.
His journey to founding Free Fly began the summer of his junior year at Carroll, when he worked as a fishing guide on the Missouri River in Craig, Montana. “I loved guiding. It was [where I made] some of my best memories,” he recalled.
Despite all the good times, Sutton also remembers being restricted in his activities by the ill-fitting, constraining nature of his outdoor gear. Sutton, never one to back down from a challenge, saw a problem and decided to be proactive about a solution. Having been raised in a family who owned a clothing business, Sutton was compelled to brainstorm and create a fishing shirt threaded with simplicity and comfort. His very first product was the Bamboo Lightweight Long Sleeve, the shirt he would have loved to wear during his summer as a fishing guide.
Sutton chose bamboo as the primary material for his products. Bamboo’s durability, capacity to thermoregulate, and buttery-soft texture make it an ideal option for clothing material. To Sutton though, the ultimate highlight of the material is its sustainability. He explained that most clothing industries make their products with treated polyester, a process that requires considerable amounts of chemicals and water, and that the final product is more often than not destined for landfills and bad for the environment. On the other hand, bamboo is one of the most rapidly-growing plants in the world, and the process of converting it into clothing fibers requires very little water and only one chemical.
With the help of his sister Jenna, who was a product marketer at Nike, as well as Jenna’s husband, Austin, Sutton created his first shirt using his exceptional new bamboo fabric. In 2013, Jenna and Austin joined Sutton as co-owners of Free Fly, transforming the budding company into a family business sparked by their shared love of enjoying and exploring the outdoors.
A core value that Sutton carries within his business is giving back to the planet that has given so much to him. At the heart of Free Fly is inspiring people to spend more time in nature and also to protect the invaluable resource of their water. Sutton says that that is “more important than selling T-shirts.”
The company practices what they preach, and they preach what they practice. Through their own sustainable practices, Free Fly has aided in preserving waterways and restoring natural environments. In addition, staff volunteer their free time cleaning trash from beaches and waterways. “We feel like it’s our responsibility to give back,” Sutton stated. “We’re doing it not just to make money and sell clothes. We’re doing it because we care about the planet.”
Sutton’s years at Carroll played a central role in concocting his company’s blend of team-centered business practice that has been foundational to his success. “The tight-knit, community-feel at Carroll helped me cast a vision for company culture and the importance of relationships in life and business,” Sutton recalled.
Perhaps for Sutton the investment with the biggest pay off though isn’t the growth of a thriving company but the strong relationships that have stemmed from it. “I get to work with my best friends and family all the time,” he explained. “We have a lot of fun… It’s cool to be able to do it with people you like, who see the world the same way. Some of my best friends and lifelong relationships were built in the business.”
Sutton also credits the late Carroll Professor Steve Dee for instructing him in the marketing knowledge that still guides him today. “[Professor Dee] helped us tackle real-life marketing problems and encouraged us to think ‘outside the textbook,’ which helped instill a lot of confidence to take risks on things we believed in,” he stated.
Even as the U.S fashion industry has shifted over the years, tilting more towards cheaper, faster fashion, Free Fly’s manufacturing practices have stayed grounded in sustainability and the belief that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. The company’s products highlight the value of quality over quantity when it comes to standing the test of time and any challenge the outdoors can throw at an adventure seeker. Since the original idea for a comfortable fishing shirt, the company has now expanded their product line to include swimsuits, hoodies, hats, polos, shorts, joggers, jackets and more with hundreds of items to choose from for men, women, and children. Each piece is designed for all day sun protection with ratings from UPF 20 to 50 plus.
As his business has continued to grow over its thirteen years of operation, Sutton still strives to create what he deems “timeless bestsellers…with simplicity at the core.”
Looking to the future, Sutton hopes that Free Fly will grow into a nationally recognized brand and that the business will remain in the family with his children working for it eventually.
While Sutton acknowledges that the execution of great ideas is challenging, he is also continually impressed by the creativity of rising entrepreneurs in the face of flooded markets and adversity. For him, sometimes the only way to get started is to jump and just learn how to fly along the way.
That’s the only way to fly free, or in other words, Free Fly. “I will always encourage people to chase their dream of launching a business they are passionate about.” Sutton asserted. “... It’s okay not to be everything to everyone. Define your niche, ignore the background noise, work your tail off, and don’t forget to have some fun along the way.”