They say the best innovation comes from experiencing a problem. Seeking Summer was born out of founder Emily Bowman’s frustration with lugging around large, bulky towels for family trips to the beach, swimming lessons and when travelling. To overcome this, she created a range of towels that are lightweight, compact and highly absorbent. They roll down to the size of a drink bottle, are generous in size, feel soft and look great.
Originally from Avalon on Sydney’s northern beaches, Emily volunteered as a Surf Life Saver for many years. She attended Barrenjoey High School and went on to study Economics at Macquarie University. She then commenced what would become a 20-year career in Marketing and Communications, working for several agencies in Sydney including Singleton Ogilvy & Mather and DDB Rapp Collins. She now lives in Barraba, NSW with her husband, former Wallaby Tom Bowman, where they run a cattle grazing business together.
As she explains, “As a mum of three active kids, I was constantly packing towels for various adventures, but they never seemed to fit in one bag. Not to mention if they were sandy and wet on the way home.” Emily says she found herself thinking that surely, there must be a better alternative. That’s when she came across microfibre beach towels, which appeared to tick all the boxes. “I looked around and found that whilst there were some options out there, I didn’t like any of the designs available. So, after many months of research and development, I created the Seeking Summer towel,” she says.
“Best of all, the towels are also sand free – the tightly woven fabric means sand doesn’t stick, even when wet, so families can leave the sand at the beach, where it belongs. A beach girl at heart, she has passed on her love of swimming and water sports to her children. Although we live in the country, many hours from the coast, we still manage to fit in plenty of water activities. The kids love water-skiing on the local dam, we make the 150km round trip to swimming squad each week, and the kids love to surf when we can get away to the beach.”
Seeking Summer was founded in December 2020, and Emily explains that starting her business was born out of a logistical necessity. “I was driving over 700kms each week to and from work, and the constant juggle of managing the family’s needs, along with the endless travel, was becoming too much,” she says. “I wanted to start my own business so I could work from home, on the farm.”
Emily says she would encourage other women who are thinking about starting their own business to jump in and get started. “There is so much support out there for women start-ups, particularly in rural areas. Although it can seem a bit daunting at first, starting your own business can bring immeasurable rewards and great satisfaction.”
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