No one wants to end up in the hospital. But unfortunately, it’s something that happens to the best of us. This was the case for Jackie Moss, Founder and CEO of Giftgowns, who was a senior executive at a top Canadian bank, when she experienced an unexpected cardiac arrest and landed herself in the hospital.
Jackie Turns Lemons into Lemonade
Luckily, Jackie made a full recovery. Once she was home and able to reflect on the situation, she realized three main things. First, when you’re in the hospital you need to be cheered up. Second, everyone wants to get you gifts, but the options are limited. Flowers are often not allowed in many units and there isn’t always space for them, you’re too tired for books, and you might not be allowed to eat treats that are brought in as presents. Finally, she realized that while you are actually allowed to change out of the blue utilitarian hospital gown and into your pajamas after a short period of time, pajamas are just not set up properly for hospital functions (heart rate monitor, IVs, etc.). That means patients end up needing to change back to the standardized gown.
This experience was eye-opening for Jackie. After going back to her corporate job for a couple of years, Jackie decided to take the plunge and become an entrepreneur. In 2016, she founded Giftgowns. The shift from corporate executive to entrepreneur was a large change, but Jackie’s broad set of business skills set her up for success.
What Are Giftgowns?
Giftgowns are stylish hospital gowns that are fun, while still being functional for medical professionals. They are designed specifically with patients in mind, complete with fun phrases and designs across the front. “They’re exactly what I wished for when I was in the hospital,” says Jackie, “I actually went to the gift shop of the hospital where I was being treated to find something like a Giftgown, but at the time there was nothing available.”
Giftgowns are outfitted with snaps along the shoulders for IV/breastfeeding access and along the back for coverage and epidural access. They are made of high-quality 100% cotton material and feature two large pockets–perfect for holding medical devices or even a phone.
Giftgowns are sold online, in hospital gift shops across North America, and through partnerships with charities. Giftgowns has partnered with charities such as The Canadian Cancer Society, Wellspring, St. Baldrick’s, and Gut It Out, in order to raise money and give gowns to patients in need. Giftgowns also has a donation program where they work with several of the aforementioned organizations to donate Giftgowns to patients in need.
Jackie Expands Beyond Adult Gowns
Jackie started Giftgowns as a line of adult gowns. They began selling and soon there was feedback asking for children’s gowns. Jackie took the feedback to heart and Giftgowns’ Kids line was born.
The children’s line is designed specifically to cheer up kids who are going through a difficult time in the hospital. The designs for these gowns were created with young children in mind. Parents, kids, and medical professionals have had extremely positive feedback on these gowns. Keilani, who bought a gown for her son who is in and out of the hospital says, “He loves it! The material is soft, cozy (like a warm hug) and best of all, he feels ownership over it. We checked with the hospitals to make sure they’d allow him to wear this and we got the thumbs up.”
Giftgowns Maternity Gowns Take Flight
Once both the kids and adult lines of Giftgowns were up and running, Jackie realized that maternity gowns were another line that could be successful for the company. There had previously been a few Giftgowns aimed at expecting mothers, but the number of designs was limited. Inspired to make labor a little less scary for new moms, the Giftgowns team worked with real modern moms to come up with designs that would speak to them and help them feel confident during labor.
Maternity Giftgowns have taken off and quickly become Giftgowns biggest market. Currently the company is shipping off orders daily across North America and expecting moms are loving their gowns. Michelle, who recently had her fourth baby says, “It was cozy and so comfortable. When it came down to the delivery of my daughter, I’m so happy I wore this gown as it was stylish (for all the photos), plus it was super comfortable during my whole experience giving birth.”
Giftgowns has had so much success with their maternity designs that they recently launched a new website that is specifically geared towards moms.
The World’s First Custom Hospital Gown
Around the same time that Jackie started branching out into Giftgowns Maternity, she also decided to start gown customization. With a simple online tool, customers can upload a photo, graphic, or favorite saying that gets printed onto their gown. “I want everyone to be able to wear something that they love and we’ve managed to do just that,” says Jackie, “Anything that you can put on a graphic t-shirt, you can put on a Giftgown.”
Currently Giftgowns is the only company in the world that has the ability to print hospital gowns on demand.
What’s Next for Giftgowns
As Giftgowns continues to grow, the company remains committed to making the patient experience better. “We are always looking on how we can improve our gowns and brighten patients’ days.” With new designs always in the work, the opportunities for Giftgowns are truly endless.
