WORDS BY BRUCE DERKSEN
PHOTOS BY ROLLING D WORKWEAR
Tomina Jackson and Cheryl Digby strive to right the shortcomings of women’s agricultural workwear
Rolling D seizes the opportunity T
he physical and mental demands of farming are difficult to
The family unit looked forward to show ring activities each
tackle even when environmental and weather conditions
year, but with the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, shows were
are near perfect. They’re an extra challenge for women tasked
closed, and they were forced to remain near home. Their
with the same obligations equipped in ill-fitting workwear.
extended family contained numerous aunts, sisters in law and
While some manufacturers consider and create lines of women’s wear designed for their industry apparel requirements, most female laborers are outfitted with the
nieces directly involved in farming. This made for plentiful conversation, thoughts and strong opinions around the dinner table, occasionally attacking the topic of usable workwear.
identical garments as their male counterparts. Little is
During one such female dominated encounter, the seeds of an
designed intentionally for female body types.
idea began to grow.
Practicality and the Jackson Women Growing up on her family’s ‘High Bluff Stock Farm,’ Tomina Jackson of Inglis, Manitoba was all too familiar with this specific problem. For her, daily tasks and chores on the mixed farm meant finding suitable clothes for herself and 4 sisters. The family owns purebred Charolais and Simmental seedstock
“My mom, sisters, and my aunt and I were all sitting around the counter at home drinking coffee, talking about where to buy workwear. We realized we were often wearing boys and men’s clothing. It seemed like a real opportunity, so we started a brainstorm session,” said Tomina. They thought about it and wrote up a list of everything they wished for in chore and work clothes. “We wanted it fitted but
operations, runs commercial cattle, plus a registered seed
we wanted it designed so we could move comfortably. And we
grain farm.
wanted it to look professional so we could go from chores right
The 5 sisters were all involved in local 4H, participated in the
to touring visitors through the bullpens.”
Canadian Charolais Youth Association, and showed cattle
Their extensive list quickly morphed into a drawing.
across Canada. For the past 2 years, Tomina has worked full
Specifications of what Tomina wanted to see in the design of
time on the family farm along with her oldest sister Erin, and
outdoor women’s clothing, in particular, parkas, vests and
parents, Carman and Donna.
insulated pants, were outlined to fit and be figure flattering.
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SPRING 2021
