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.
Shower toga is a waterproof cover-up that allows people to change their clothes and clean up in
public. Anyone who has ever 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 womans' lightbulb
moment and unrelenting drive, that ride home has become a whole lot more enjoyable for many
people. Shower Toga, being a water-resistant garment, allows people to quickly and easily
disrobe, wash off and re-dress in plain view of everyone with someones' 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.
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 found out 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.
Post cancer recovery Kressa found the inspiration and strength that she was not even looking
for. Needing to throw herself into something, she decided to start running Spartan races, AKA
Mud Runs to build up her confidence and get healthy. But dirt, sweat, and a lot of 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.
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 at all. 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 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 a partner who believed in her, Mark Cuban. Clearly, he saw potential in
Kressa and the Shower Toga and many others have too.
