Answer extracted from The Purpose People Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
Why did skorts become Flancy's instant best-seller when industry experts said no one would buy them?
When Flancy Activewear launched at the National Running Show in January 2019, skorts—widely dismissed by industry designers as unmarketable—became the number-one seller from day one, accounting for more than 50% of all sales. The market wanted what the experts said was impossible.
The skepticism had been real. A sportswear designer had explicitly told Nicky Chrascina that there was a good reason people did not wear skorts: people simply would not buy them. The logic seemed sound—established brands had largely abandoned the category, and conventional wisdom suggested minimal demand.
Yet the moment skorts hit the market at the National Running Show's NEC venue, they resonated immediately. Runners adopted them for training, racing, and multiple disciplines—not just road running, but walking, canyoning, cross-country, dog dancing, and even pickleball. As Nicky explains in the episode, there had been an unmet need hiding in plain sight. The market was simply waiting for someone to take the risk.
"People can't wear them because they can't get them, so I am launching this company with skorts."
Nicky Chrascina — Founder and Owner, Flancy Activewear. Nicky trained as a registered general nurse in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and worked as a midwife before spending approximately 25 years in pharmaceutical sales, primarily in oncology hospital work. She began running at age 23-24 after a casual bet with her father and has since completed over 156 ultras, marathons, and multi-day races. She founded Flancy Activewear nine years ago after becoming frustrated with the lack of colorful running apparel available to runners.
This outcome illustrates a fundamental principle in product development: market demand is not always visible through existing supply. Designers and industry veterans were anchored to historical sales patterns, but those patterns simply reflected what had been available—not what customers actually wanted. Discussed at length in this podcast, Nicky's decision to trust customer research and personal conviction over expert consensus proved that the market for skorts was far larger than anyone in the industry had assumed.
Interestingly, the full episode reveals additional details about how Flancy's broader design philosophy—centered on color and variety across all activewear—resonated so strongly that skorts became just the visible proof of a larger principle: runners wanted options that felt personal and joyful, not just functional.
Key takeaways
- Skorts accounted for more than 50% of Flancy's sales immediately upon launch, contradicting industry predictions that they would not sell.
- The product succeeded across multiple use cases—running, walking, canyoning, cross-country, dog dancing, and pickleball—revealing a far broader market than traditional running alone.
- Market absence does not equal market rejection; skorts had simply not been available, so historical sales data could not predict genuine demand.
- Founder conviction and customer research can outweigh established industry consensus when identifying unmet needs.
See also
What are the key differences between Flancy Activewear and major competitors like Nike?
Flancy's primary differentiation is color and design diversity. While Nike primarily focuses on black and very plain colors, Flancy features an in-house design team creating approximately 85 different bespoke designs tailored to runner preferences.
How did someone transition from being a non-runner to completing over 150 ultramarathons?
At age 23-24, Nicky made an offhand remark that she could run a marathon after watching her stepmother train for the Comrades Ultra Marathon in Swaziland. She entered the London Marathon in 1993 and completed it, then progressively took on increasingly challenging races.
What inspired the creation of a colorful activewear brand for runners?
Nicky created Flancy because she was fed up with the majority of running kit being black. As a colorful person who loves bright colors, she felt that when struggling in a race, runners should wear something cheerful and happy rather than black.