COLUMBUS, Ohio — A little more than a year ago, Colin and Julian Scheuneman, clothing designers and brothers, were recruited by DJ Williams to create a clothing line they soon became passionate about.
"I met with them at dinner, I had a list of words that I believed described Stone, and I gave it to Julian and Julian took that and started designing,” Williams said.
Stone Foltz, a Delaware County native, was a Bowling Green State University student who died during a hazing incident in 2021. Since his death, his family created the “iamstonefoltz” FOUNDATION, a nonprofit that aims to eradicate hazing through education.
Now, this new venture to keep Stone’s memory alive has become tangible through the help of his aunt, DJ Williams.
"We are trying to keep his ideas alive and to keep his legacy moving and it can be a positive thing,” Williams said.
In the wake of loss and heartache, Sunday was a day for joy, to celebrate Stone’s legacy.
"I know all of us are really anxious right now, I mean this is something my brother designed when he was in high school just in a notebook, and it's all coming to reality right now and we're about to see it for the first time,” AJ Foltz, Stone’s brother, said.
AJ took part in helping to bring his brother’s artwork to life, along with several of Stone’s closest friends, who also saw the clothes for the first time on Sunday.
"I think this was a way for AJ to feel closer to Stone,” Williams said.
"I can't think of anything that's felt better,” Julian Scheuneman, one of the designers, said.
Scheuneman said it was important for him to create clothes that Stone would’ve liked and wanted to wear. He added the reveal meant as much to him as it did to Stone’s loved ones.
"Not only are we helping spread awareness to a cause that's very important to me and the family, but also I get to see people like, really enjoy it,” Scheuneman said.
"It's hard to describe the feeling, I mean it's just, I'm so ecstatic,” AJ said.
AJ said helping to create these designs filled with butterflies and peace signs was a way to find healing through his grief.
"It's just a lot of little detail work that means a lot to all of us,” AJ said.
Shari Foltz, Stone’s mother, said she’s not only thinking of her son but his close friend, Jake Richardson, who died in a car crash in 2018. She said the two shared a dream of creating a clothing brand together.
"I know they're both up there just smiling down and that gives me a warm feeling and I know they're happy to see this come alive,” Shari said.
This project, helps them to find comfort in a part of the stone that now lives on to be shared with others.
"I feel like we're living his dream so, it means a lot,” Shari said.
Visit the Stone Collection for more information for more information.
Visit iamstonefoltzfoundation Foundation for more information.