Healthcare has not changed its patient attire in over a century. That is not an exaggeration. While medicine, technology, and clinical standards have advanced at a remarkable pace, the patient gown has remained largely untouched, often becoming a quiet barrier to care rather than a support for it.

Shawn Gibbs knows this firsthand.

After 15 years in clinical practice, he repeatedly heard the same story from patients. People delayed or avoided care because they felt exposed, embarrassed, or powerless the moment they were handed a standard medical gown.

Over time, that pattern became impossible to ignore. What started as individual patient conversations turned into a clear systemic failure.

GIV Gowns was born from a simple but uncomfortable truth. Dignity matters in healthcare. Confidence matters. What a patient wears can influence whether they show up, how open they are during an exam, and how effectively a provider can do their job.

GIV is building what Shawn calls a new gold standard for patient attire, designed with real human experience in mind, not institutional convenience.

Below, Shawn shares the full story behind GIV, how the company is creating impact inside and outside the exam room, and why staying bootstrapped has been essential to protecting the mission.

What was the lightbulb moment or origin story behind GIV?

Over the course of my 15 years seeing patients, I interacted with hundreds of people who told me that either they, a loved one, or someone they knew personally delayed or avoided necessary medical care specifically because of what they were told to wear.

They were deeply embarrassed by traditional medical attire during exams, procedures, and screenings.

Hearing that same story over and over made it clear something was broken.

I came to a few realizations that I wanted to directly address.

First, patients do care about what they wear when they visit their providers. I know this because they told me directly.

Second, providers care deeply about the quality of care they provide and are open to solutions that help them do their jobs better. I know this because I am one, and I have spoken with many colleagues who feel the same way.

Third, healthcare organizations are actively looking for ways to differentiate themselves, improve care, and positively impact everyone they touch, from patients to providers to staff. I know this firsthand because I have founded and operated healthcare organizations myself.

With medical expertise, business experience, and a real desire to improve lives at scale, GIV was born.

What is GIV’s mission and long term vision?

GIV was founded on the belief that improving the healthcare experience for everyone involved in those critical exchanges can change lives.

When patients, providers, and staff feel confident, empowered, and genuinely cared for, outcomes improve.

When everyone involved feels those emotions, everyone thrives and deeper human connection becomes possible.

At GIV, we are starting by rethinking patient attire through our GIV Gowns Collection, which is currently available through our website and healthcare partners.

Over time, we plan to expand and touch the lives of everyone involved in healthcare interactions.

We also believe impact should extend beyond modern healthcare systems.

Through our GIV Back Initiative, we set aside a percentage of every gown purchase to support underserved communities worldwide.

This is not marketing fluff.

It is core to who we are.

Our goal is to create a new gold standard for healthcare attire while creating meaningful, lasting impact along the way.

How does GIV create positive impact in the world?

GIV addresses something that has not been meaningfully improved in over 100 years, patient gowns.

When people no longer avoid care because they feel exposed, that creates impact.

When patients show up empowered and confident, that creates impact.

When providers can perform exams more effectively without compromising technique due to patient discomfort, that creates impact.

Beyond the exam room, the GIV Back Initiative allows us to support underserved communities by meeting basic needs and, where possible, exceeding them.

Every human interaction within the GIV ecosystem is an opportunity to give something back. GIV exists to create impact.

That is its purpose and its reason for being.

What is the business model behind GIV?

We generate revenue by designing and producing innovative, premium healthcare attire and intellectual property. Our products are sold directly to providers, clinics, and hospital systems of all sizes.

Today, we are primarily B2B.

Over time, we plan to offer our products directly to consumers as well, especially for patients whose providers are not yet willing to invest in upgraded patient attire.

The goal is access, dignity, and choice.

How have you funded the company so far?

We have bootstrapped GIV entirely to this point.

We are open to outside capital in the future if the right opportunity arises, but control matters. The more money you take on, the more direction you give up.

Our mission is sacred to us, and we want to ensure that what we set out to build is done the right way, without compromise.

What tools do you rely on to run the company?

We keep our stack practical and proven.

We use Shopify to run our website and commerce.
We use QuickBooks for accounting.
We use Slack for team communication.
We use HubSpot for customer relationship management.

These tools have helped us get GIV off the ground and execute our initial go to market strategy effectively.