Loading
Kim Tuttle spent more than a decade helping political candidates win elections, for U.S. Senate and governor, among other positions, as a fundraiser and lobbyist.
Now, with a focus partially in Naples, Tuttle wants to help women win the fashion day on the golf course.
Tuttle, along with her sister-in-law and stepdaughter, have launched Motherputter — a company that makes and sells edgy women's golf fashion. The company debuted its line at a launch party at the Naples Grande Golf Course earlier this month.
While plenty of women's clothing lines are suitable for golf, Tuttle says most of it is tired and stodgy. There's no Lululemon for women's golf clothes, she adds. “We felt like there wasn't a lot in the way of fashion,” says Tuttle whose title with the company is Chief Chick of Fashion. “Nothing we would wear while playing golf.”
Tuttle plays golf, as do her partners in the business. The trio — Tuttle, Kari Schindehette and Jacque Bardgett — talked about the lack of a bold women's fashion line for golf for several years. In 2016, says Tuttle, they began to source materials and come up with lines and a marketing plan. The company is based in St. Louis, though Tuttle lives part-time in Naples, and given the demographics in Southwest Florida, this market is a big target for the business.
Tuttle has a degree in fashion merchandising from Texas Tech, and worked in the fashion industry in Dallas and New York City. She later moved to Missouri, where she worked for a variety of Republican candidates for election and re-election, including the U.S. Senate campaigns of Christopher “Kit” Bond and John Ashcroft.
But fashion has always been her passion. The Motherputter line includes a signature polo shirt, a mesh back sleeveless top, a Sweetwater dress and a Kress dress. A manufacturer in Chicago makes the clothes. The line is available in For the Love of Golf, a store in Naples, and the company seeks to sell the line in pro shops inside golf clubs across the region.
And like the Lululemon model, the company also wants to create a community-oriented brand, around women who play golf. “I think there's a real need for that,” Tuttle tells Coffee Talk, “and the clothes will play a big part of it.”
Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.
Join thousands of executives who rely on us for insights spanning Tampa Bay to Naples.
