Three years after Stone Foltz died from alcohol poisoning after pledging a fraternity at Bowling Green State University, a clothing label named in his honor is trying to broaden its base to support anti-hazing initiatives.
The 20-year-old college sophomore had aspired to become a designer and run his own company, according to his uncle D.J. Williams, who serves as president of the Iamstonefoltz Foundation. The Stone Collection has been developed by the Ohio-based company Scheuneman and is made in Italy with 10 percent of proceeds benefiting the foundation. The cofounders Julian and Collin Scheuneman are selling the tribute streetwear line direct-to-consumer and are trying to build retail distribution. The Foltz-inspired range is meant to draw attention to the nationwide problem of hazing. More than 100 people have lost their lives due to hazing since 2000, based on the U.S. Hazing Deaths Database.
The Stone Collection features $160 distressed Sashiko jeans, a $195 hoodie, $150 imprint joggers and $160 embroidered butterfly jeans among other styles. There are also subtle design accents that are signs of Foltz, such as the numbers 5 and 8, the numbers he wore on his jerseys playing basketball and lacrosse. A sweatshirt is imprinted with musical notes from his favorite Post Malone song.
Last year Foltz’s parents and BGSU settled a lawsuit for a reported $2.9 million. In a separate civil lawsuit, they have sued Daylen Dunson, who was president of Bowling Green’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter at the time of their son’s death, for $225 million. In 2022, Dunson, Jarrett Prizel, Niall Sweeney, Benjamin Boyers and Aaron Lehane were convicted on charges related to Foltz’s death. Dunson’s attorney Steven Bradley was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.
Hazing — required behavior to join or maintain membership in a group — is a common practice in social fraternities, sororities and collegiate athletic teams, and that often involves drinking games and drinking large amounts of alcohol.
The Iamstonefoltz Foundation is committed to educating students and parents about the dangers of hazing and alcohol poisoning, and working with university leaders and legislators to try to enact change. The group has connected with the 14 largest schools in Ohio including Ohio State University, BGSU, Akron University, Miami University and Dayton University to draft actionable principles that the school can adopt. The foundation has a charitable component that has led to scholarships, and donations to organizations dedicated to causes that Foltz supported like 4 Paws for Ability.
In the fall of 2021, Ohio legislators passed “Collin’s Law: The Anti-Hazing Act,” which made acts of hazing a second-degree misdemeanor, and acts of hazing that include coerced consumption of alcohol or drugs or abuse that result in serious physical harm a felony of the third degree. It was named for former Ohio University student Collin Wiant, who died during a hazing ritual in 2018. “His family had pushed forward the bill, but it had not passed by the time things happened to Stone. We were able to get in front of the Senate and really hammer it home to get it done, because we were afraid it was going to happen again,” Williams said.
Foltz initially hesitated to join a fraternity, his uncle said, but later changed his mind.
“From the time he was a little kid, he wanted to be his own boss. In high school, he realized how clothing made him feel and he wanted to dress different than everybody else — but not anything way out there, just comfortable,” Williams said.
When he was young, he had the idea with a friend to create a clothing line, Williams said.
“He had a dream book, which I found, of all the things that he dreamt about. That’s what we planned on and then this happened. What he and I talked about was focusing on the business side to get that down,” Williams said. “We hadn’t had the opportunity to explore the design aspects, due to the many business requirements he was taking. But he had some drawings.”
