No Change Room? No Problem.

Long-time Team Atomica athlete Marni Hamilton saw a need among her training partners and quite literally, ran with it. In fact, she ran and biked and swam with it—probing, testing, teasing out the many angles of the ever-elusive privacy accompanying an athlete’s need for gear change. Finessing her product for perfection Marni developed the GoFor Cover— the only wearable change room we know of. We had the chance to ask the founder, developer and CEO of the company about the process.

Team Atomica athlete Petrina Dolby rocking a GoFor Cover

 

Team Atomica: How did the idea come about to start GoFor Cover?

Marni Hamilton: Struggling to discreetly change clothes in public has been a challenge for us all. Whether after a swim, running race, triathlon or camping, you see people doing the one-legged hop, the towel shuffle, trying to hide behind a tree, park bench or car changing out of one set of clothing into another. There were even times that the chills, exhaustion and frustration with huge line-ups for washrooms won over privacy. Clothes just got stripped off in an effort to get warm and dry as quickly as possible. We would all just pretend that no one was looking at us.

But times have changed with the prevalence of cameras everywhere. You really have no idea who may be taking a photo or video and where it may be used or posted. My sister said to me you are going to end up trending on social media in the nude one of these days. That was definitely NOT appealing.

So with lots of input from my Team Atomica friends and family, GoFor Cover® clothing was created – your own private change area. You can now do all the activities you love outdoors and indoors and simply put on your favourite GoFor Cover® and discreetly change. No more risk of being caught on camera, waiting for your turn in a change room or touching public surfaces (which is so important with Covid -19).

TA: Tell us a bit about the design of the GoFor Covers.

MH: I wanted to create a product designed so that you discreetly change and yet comfortable to wear for the rest of the day. The GoFor Cover design includes the following features:

• short sleeves and extra width so that you can pull your arms inside and maneuver to change without any surprise flashes
• long enough for coverage when bending over but not too long to risk stepping on it and falling
• a crossover hoodie so that there is no gaping at the neckline when bending over
• fabrics that are not transparent and do not hug the body
• nothing that will scratch or itch – the inside label is made of satin and customization is done by printing instead of embroidery
• a kangaroo pouch big enough to use to warm the hands and carry your essentials such as goggles and cap, nutrition, keys….

TA: Have you designed other garments?

MH: As a co-founder of the Bike for Tykes (an outdoor charity spinning event held in the TD Courtyard raising money for children’s charities) the design, colour, style and fabric of our event shirts was my mandate over 18 years. Our event shirts were a much sought-after trademark.

 

TA: There are two design options including the Cozy and Quick products. How do customers choose?

MH: As a new entrepreneur, my goal was to create a quality product perfect for the Canadian climate. After much research and input from my ambassadors I launched with two Canadian made products:

• The Cozy is made from Bamboo stretch cotton fleece that is warm, soft and absorbent with the spandex adding just the right amount of stretch for changing underneath. The fact that Bamboo Trees are fully sustainable is a real plus. For someone who is always cold or gets chilled quickly after exercising – the Cozy is your choice.

 

• The Quick is made from a lightweight fast drying wicking technical fabric with UPF50 protection making it perfect to pack away with your gear or carry with you. If you are always on the go or want to have the sun protection – the Quick will soon become part of your ‘must have’ gear.

 

 TA: With change room facilities and bathrooms closed during the pandemic, the GoFor Cover offers an excellent solution well beyond the more serious athlete—it’s great for kids and casual beach goers alike. Have recent sales reflected this? 

MH: I have had lots of fun and success in cottage country with the beach goers (especially the Quick with the sun protection) and orders for the summer camps were looking really positive for 2020. Hoping 2021 sees summer camps and events back in full swing.. As an entrepreneur without a large marketing budget I am lucky to have a very supportive customer base. By using their GoFor Covers in their daily lives they are my best promoters during this time.

 

TA: Have you been surprised by any use of the GoFor Covers that you had not envisaged?

MH: The group that has been the biggest surprise is the dog walkers who are wearing their GoFor Covers as their ‘go to outfit’ for walking the dog either as an additional or the only layer.

 

TA: What part of creating the GoFor Covers has given you the most satisfaction?

MH: Definitely, the feedback from customers about how much they love and use their GoFor Cover together with return customers buying additional GoFor Covers for their loved ones. I love receiving photos from customers using their GoFor Covers on family camping trips, hiking, sailing, cruising, to and from the gym and yoga studio and at the cottage,

 

TA: Are they in stores? Where can we get one?

MH: I have an online store at goforcover.com. I am happy to take direct orders by emailing me at info@goforcover.com. Team Atomica was my first group order. If any Team Atomicans would like a Team Atomica custom GoFor Cover or a custom print design, please let me know.

Train happy. Change happy!