Audrey Tirrell, GSB ’23, gained the inspiration to create Freestyle Swimwear after her experience as a Division I swimmer for Fordham University’s women’s swim team. Since then, the suits have been worn by Olympic athletes, such as silver medalist Anna Peplowski, and will be the training uniforms for the Fordham women’s swim team.
Tirrell is also an active member of the Fordham Foundry, Fordham’s central resource for innovation and entrepreneurship, where “students, alumni, faculty, and community members learn to use creative problem-solving techniques, critical thinking, and analytical skills to solve business and social issues of the 21st Century.”
Tirrell shared that developing Freestyle Swimwear was difficult, but she remained dedicated to the business nonetheless. “[I created] this brand while balancing life as a student-athlete and team captain of the women’s swim team,” said Tirrell. “A typical day looked like getting up at 5 a.m. for training session number one, followed by a morning class, where I would then travel to Brooklyn to meet with pattern makers.”
Since Freestyle Swimwear was in the textile industry, finding the right fabric for her swimsuits was an important part of the construction process. “I would take my swimsuit samples and train in them daily at my practices,” said Tirrell. “I used my own training sessions as a tool to further develop my swimsuit designs.” While developing Freestyle Swimwear while swimming as a Division I athlete was challenging at times for Tirrell, she looked forward to the growth of the business.
The idea for Freestyle Swimwear came about during her time at Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business amid her sophomore year. “It took three years to develop and launch, just in time before graduating in 2023,” said Tirrell. “I launched the brand out of my Conley [Hall] dorm closet spring 2023, where I had hundreds of swimsuits around the apartment, with my roommates thinking I was insane.”
Tirrell designed her education around Freestyle Swimwear, with a major in business administration and a concentration in entrepreneurship. Additionally, she minored in fashion studies to learn more about her intended industry. “[Professor] Allison Pfingst from the fashion department was an incredible help to me,” Tirell noted. “She was able to initially help connect with pattern makers and was very supportive through my journey.”
Tirrell cited the importance of the Fordham Foundry to her brand’s success, and notably joined the Foundry following graduation to assist other Fordham entrepreneurs. “They guided my process, and even helped me gain class credit for working on my brand,” said Tirrell.
One of the more important ways Tirrell furthered her interest in Freestyle Swimwear was by being able to research it as part of her cumulative coursework. “Even in some marketing classes I took, professors let me study my own brand for final projects which I was so grateful for at the time,” she said. “Fordham really supported me and gave me the tools to be able to maintain the balance of academics and my own brand development through college.”
Additionally, Tirrell has made other developments to Freestyle Swimwear since leaving Fordham, and sees new developments for the brand in the future. Freestyle Swimwear was recently the official sponsor of Olympic silver medalist Anna Peplowski of Germantown Hills, Illinois, who is a customer of the brand. Furthermore, Tirrell has provided several Division I college teams in the United States with their official training uniforms.
“We aim to grow and evolve Freestyle into the top women’s competitive training swimwear brand globally, inspiring women to achieve remarkable things,” said Tirrell when prompted on her hopes for the future of her brand. “As a swimmer who has experienced the journey firsthand, I’m passionate about empowering others to reach their greatest potential.”
