How Funky Pants grew from paddling prizes to pop culture.
Billy and Tracy Harker, founders of Funky Pants, never intended to make and sell sportswear. In 1997, Billy forged a career in organising paddling races around the country. In the early 2000s, the paddling scene brought Billy and Tracy together, and she took on the role of organising event garments such as T-shirts and prize apparel. Noticing a gap in the market, she became passionate about making better paddling pants. Eventually, she started producing them as event prizes bearing sponsorship branding.
Back then, paddling pants were much like the early Ford Model T – only available in black. Tracy endeavoured to change this. She found a fabric supplier with a hotchpotch of leftover scraps who was willing to make a small experimental batch of colourful paddling pants. “I ordered 20 pairs to test the market at an upcoming paddling event in Cape Town. But when we went to collect their special order in the Mother City, the supplier got carried away and made 200 pairs,” Tracy says.
Not knowing what the response would be, the couple took the pants to the paddling event registration party, attended by 500 paddlers. “The pants were an instant hit and sold out that night,” Tracy says. That was the first time they had ever sold their pants – previously they had only been given away as prizes. Fortunately, the paddling community was already familiar with the comfort and fit of the Harkers’ double-lined pants, so they had no qualms about trying the outlandish patchwork range.
Today, every pair of paddling, cycling and running pants produced by this proudly Durban small business is a conversation piece. However, the secret to the brand’s success lies in the superior structure of the pants – something Tracy perfected through persistent research and development. While the outer layer moves during exercise, the inner layer stays put, eliminating chafe and making them ideal for ultra-distance events such as the Comrades Marathon. The fabric also manages moisture while hiding unflattering lumps and bumps – even in plain colours. The trick to perfecting the double lining was pairing the right two fabrics. Today, Funky Pants produces its own lining right here in Durban. While the outer fabric is imported, the “funky” printing is done in uMhlanga.
Durban has, over the decades, produced countless kick-ass small businesses and brands, but what makes Funky Pants truly unique is its pathway to pro. For about 10 years, Funky Pants was sold exclusively at sports events and expos. With the Harkers travelling to about 35 events per year, it was a lot of hard work, jam-packed weekends and considerable event-day footwork, with a growing family tagging along. When they finally opened an online shop, people started calling from as far afield as Bloemfontein, asking if they could buy in bulk and resell the product. Today, about 70 people resell the product countrywide – some have even put their kids through school on the proceeds.
Billy explains how they empower other entrepreneurs, “We make it very easy. We provide a whole setup for pop-up shops, including a gazebo, clothing rails, stock and a mobile changing room that resellers can walk in and walk out with. We also don’t hold resellers to contracts, but they pay for stock upfront, eliminating risk to us.”
Despite everything they do – including designing club kits for local running and swimming clubs – Funky Pants still finds time to give back to charitable causes through annual special-edition designs such as the SPCA range. They also support a talented 19-year-old autistic artist by commissioning his illustrations for the fabric used in one pair of special-edition pants each year, ensuring he is fairly compensated and recognised for his creative work.
The Harkers prioritise keeping overheads low by running the business from home and staying small. Billy says what really matters to them is taking care of their four kids and sustaining their sporty, beach lifestyle. With a full-time staff complement of only six, they have managed to keep things “nice and neat.”
Instagram: funkypantssa
Words by: Jacqueline Herbst