Tom’s Trunks: comfortable lounge wear that looks after the planet.

Tom’s Trunks was established in 2014, after the founder, Tom Holmes, went to Kenya and had the idea to turn the Kenyan Kikoy he came across into shorts that he could sell when he came back home. So what do Tom’s Trunks do so well, specifically in their Instagram marketing, that has seen them grow to the successful registered B corp company that they are today?

Firstly, they deliver a clear message to their consumer - that their trousers are made to be lived in. Pretty much all of Tom’s Trunks Instagram posts display their trousers being used in all walks of life, from hiking and camping in the British countryside to having a lazy morning at home with your significant other. Whilst the trousers are made of linen, cotton and hemp, which one would normally associate with the Summer seasons, these trunks are definitely marketed for multipurpose wear all throughout the year.

Tom’s Trunks is clear with its targeting of potential consumers; they know very well who it is they are speaking to when they create their marketing campaigns. They’re content often includes images and videos of people engaging in fun, adventurous hobbies, showing the consumer that they could too, wear these garments and have the same experiences. Camping, hiking and sailing are among some of the activities that the brand displays the trousers being worn in, appealing to a slightly more niche group of people who like to venture into the countryside, and wouldn’t typically buy into the louder, more ‘in your face’ brands that would be common in a city like London or Manchester.

The marketing reels also have a charming chaos to them, making the brand seem more relatable. The media they use on their Instagram is something consumers can resonate and connect with, even using the phrase ‘turning chaos into comfort’ in numerous captions on their Instagram.

Furthermore, Tom’s Trunks use the same faces throughout a lot of their marketing campaigns. Consumers like to connect with real people through social media, rather than a faceless business, as a sense of connection is vital for a customer to want to purchase a product they have seen online. People want to connect with people and the faces used in the campaigns come up consistently within their Instagram organic marketing. Not only this, but the people they have chosen to model in their marketing campaigns often have their own social media presence already, which means that followers are going to resonate with the brand further when they see someone they interact with online advocating for this brand. Other examples of this are Aimee Smale as the founder of Odd Muse, who has built a huge community of girls who support her business because they feel they have connected with the person running the company behind the scenes.

Sustainability in today’s society is arguably one of the most important factors to consider when marketing to a Gen Z audience, and Tom’s Trunks have addressed this by promoting the fact that all their products are made from natural fibres. Furthermore, they consistently use the hashtag #sustainableloungewear on their posts and are have not become a trend-led company as so many other organisations have fallen into. They have also recently become a B Corp corporation which means that they have met a high standard of social and environmental manufacturing procedures.

Another reason for the brands success could be their use of ‘British charm’ that is embedded subtly to their social media; traditional English scenery for their photoshoots, such as Cornwall or the Cotswolds, some of their content being photographed in the back of an old LandRover Defender, or the inclusion of Labrador retrievers in some of their reels. A strong content pillar such as this makes the brand recognisable and easier for those who view the Instagram profile regularly to resonate with.

Another tactic that this company implements well into their social media is ‘couple marketing’, where couples are repeatedly photographed together throughout the campaigns, which could be for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it gives the comforting ‘staying in aesthetic’, that customers can feel aspired to replicate when they buy these trousers. Secondly, it is a way of showing that the trousers are unisex, as men and women are photographed wearing their products.

Tom’s Trunks have created a community that many want to be apart of. They are very desirable, especially within the Gen Z market, and their pieces even resell for more than RRP on platforms such as Depop or Vinted, making them an ever-growing, sustainable brand that have proven to be very popular within younger audiences.