Answer extracted from The Purpose People Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
Why did Nicky Chrascina create a colorful activewear brand for runners?
Nicky Chrascina launched Flancy because she was fed up with the majority of running kit being black. As someone who loves bright colors and brightness, she realized that wearing something cheerful and happy rather than black made a meaningful difference in her running experience, especially when struggling during a race.
The frustration was personal. When you're pushing through the physical and mental challenges of distance running, your kit matters more than you might think. For Chrascina, a colorful person by nature, the uniform drabness of the activewear market felt wrong—almost defeating. As she explains in the episode, wearing black during a difficult moment compounded the struggle, whereas bright, joyful colors lifted her spirit and helped her push through.
This insight didn't come overnight. Chrascina came to running late—she wasn't always a runner. At age 23 or 24, a casual bet with her father led her to enter the London Marathon in 1993. That unexpected decision to run a marathon while visiting her stepmother in Swaziland, who was training for the Comrades Ultra Marathon, sparked a decades-long passion. By the time she founded Flancy nine years ago, she had completed over 156 ultras, marathons, and multi-day races—plenty of time to notice that the running industry had left color behind.
"I got fed up with majority of running kit being black and I'm quite a colorful person I love color and bright and when you're struggling in a race you don't want to be wearing black you know you want to be wearing something cheerful and happy."
Nicky Chrascina — Founder and Owner of Flancy Activewear. Trained as a registered general nurse in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in 1984, worked as a midwife, then spent approximately 25 years in pharmaceutical sales focusing on oncology hospital sales before launching her activewear brand. Her running journey, which began with a bet at age 23-24, led to completing over 156 ultras, marathons, and multi-day races.
Chrascina's solution wasn't a vague idea—she built it for runners like herself. The brand launched at the National Running Show at the NEC in January 2019, bringing a visual revolution to race day. For more specifics on how she identified market gaps and designed her product range, listen to the full conversation, where she discusses her approach to inventory, design philosophy, and the unexpected bestseller that now accounts for more than half of her sales.
From nursing to ultrarunning to brand founder
Chrascina's path to founding Flancy was unconventional. She didn't start as an athlete; she started as a healthcare professional. Her background in nursing and pharmaceutical sales gave her discipline, work ethic, and a deep understanding of people and their needs—skills that translated directly into building a brand that listens to its customers. The episode explores how that career transition and her late entry into running combined to create the insight behind Flancy.
Today, Flancy operates with approximately 85 different bespoke designs in their current collection, each one bringing color, joy, and purpose to the running community. The brand resonates so strongly that Chrascina's community events—like the Flancy child running weekends—sell out almost within 24 hours, a clear signal that she identified a real gap not just in product, but in culture.
Key takeaways
- Nicky Chrascina created Flancy because black dominated the running apparel market, and she wanted colorful, joyful alternatives for runners.
- She began running at age 23-24 after a bet with her father and eventually completed over 156 ultras, marathons, and multi-day races, giving her direct insight into runners' needs.
- Flancy launched in January 2019 at the National Running Show and now features approximately 85 bespoke designs.
- Skorts account for more than 50% of Flancy's total sales, showing strong market demand for the brand's signature colorful designs.
See also
How long has Steve Mitchell been married to his wife Donna?
Mitchell and Donna have been married for 34 years. He proposed to her in an unconventional way while they were looking out over the bay of Weston-super-Mare.
What risk did Steve Mitchell take with his property investment that paid off significantly?
When Mitchell and Donna moved to their current property about seven years ago, the mortgage was five times more than the property they were leaving.
How long has Steve Mitchell been sober and how did this affect his career decisions?
Mitchell will have been 10 years free from alcohol and drugs as of New Year's Day 2027. Being sober changed his perspective on the rock and roll lifestyle.