Jason, 35, has designed a range of kids’ T-shirts based on his own artwork, which he says he loves to make in his spare time.

“I’ve always enjoyed art and making art – I would rather be doing that than watching TV,” he says.

“I get ideas a lot and I like to get them out, and whether or not someone sees the result doesn’t matter.”

The idea to start a business came from Jason’s sister Lauren, who he says was “always hassling” him to put his designs on kids’ T-shirts.

“I started looking into it and the ethical side of manufacturing came into play – I knew wouldn’t feel happy doing it any other way,” he says.

“There’s a dirtiness in getting cheap garments, and not knowing how they were made. I was keen to do this in a socially responsible way.”

As such, all Foxtrot tees are ethically manufactured and made with organic cotton. Having funded the business with a Kickstarter campaign in May, Jason says he wanted to create the kind of clothes that kids would love to wear.

“Certain pieces of clothing stay with you throughout your life, and can form the narrative of your childhood,” he says.

“I can still picture myself wearing my favourite ‘Here Comes Trouble’ T-shirt from my grandparents, and I’d love it if a Foxtrot Threads tee would mean the same thing to the kids who are wearing them now.”

Jason, who teaches psychology at Canberra College, says it was also important to him that his three “unique, playful” designs – “Foxbot and Robowolf”, “Manebow” and “Squid Ink” – were gender neutral.

“I’ve used unisex colours and I like to stay away from gender stereotypes,” he says.

“It’s hard with two daughters, aged four and two, who love Elsa, princesses and ballerinas, but I just try to talk to them about elements of these characters that are worth paying attention to, like Elsa has a good bond with her sister, and ballerinas are strong.”

Sydney-born Jason says it can be hard to balance spending time on the business with small children and a day job, but he says he’s happy with how it is at the moment.

“I can manage it in the evenings and it’s a nice little hobby,” he says.

“I really like that people like my art and I love the idea that there are kids around Australia who are wearing my T-shirts; kids in a Manebow,” he says.  

“Once these designs are sold out, my plan is to release another three designs – I have mountains of artwork and new ideas.”

Visit foxtrotthreads.com for more infomation, or contact Jason via facebook.com/foxthreads