An Ohio startup is making headway in providing safe, secure and comfortable flame-resistant undergarments for workers and athletes in industrial sectors. The company has even received attention and partnership with a national brand.
While originally started to fill a gap in the sector for women, Cortland, Ohio-based Seraphina Safety Apparel offers products both men and women in fields like Petrochemical, Electrical & Utility, Paper & Pulp, Mining, Steel, Fire Safety, Military & Ballistics who rely on self-extinguishing and non-igniting products to keep them safe.
Founder and Owner Kelly Franko first started in the apparel business in 2008, holding a bra boutique for about a decade before selling it and shifting her focus to support her son’s drag racing career. A former client the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show presented a question of whether Franko could make flame resistant bras for women in the sector brought her focus back to making apparel.
In 2019, Franko researched the existing market for flame resistant undergarments for women and found herself disappointed by the selection. A lack of structure, comfortability, fit and style ignited a passion in Franko.
Franko took her initial idea a step further. She would create a non-igniting product, rivaling the self-extinguishing products already on the market. This means, while competition products would effectively put out a fire, hers would never catch fire to begin with – effectively providing a greater layer of production no matter what happens to the shirt or pants on top.
“We think ‘This is what they gave me this is what I have to wear,’” Franko said. “Once you find out that that didn't protect you, you're already burned and you're burned for life. It's not something you can go back and say let's do a retake on that. Burns are lifelong injuries that often require many, many surgeries and are often painful for forever”
By the end of 2019, armed with a fully-formed and tested product, she was ready to launch.
Seraphina is part of the Dayton-based Entrepreneurs’ Center’s ESP portfolio and was named the 2022 Launch Dayton Startup Week Pitch Competition innovation track winner. The company is currently completing a seed fundraising round and is in active conversation with angel investors.
About the product and cross-industry demand
The base layer protection exceeds the requirement for underclothing that will not ignite or melt while keeping women comfortable and cool on the job. Franko said based on her own experiments, it outperformed competition products when subjected to direct flame, extreme heat, molten metal, hot/flammable liquids or arc flash.
The lightweight, six-ounce fabric – also utilized by entities like NASA – is breathable, odor resistant and designed to wick away moisture, providing permanent protection that does not wash or wear away over time. The cross-industry protection is rated NFPA 70E Hazard Risk Category (HRC) 2 where most competitor garments of similar weight fall into HRC 1.
“It's just the most comfortable fabric and it was easy to work with in terms of creating the products that I designed because it has a four way stretch to it, so it gives in all the places you need it to give,” Franko said. “But yet, we were able to build in structure, so it didn't stretch out and lose its shape throughout the day as you're wearing it.”
Franko’s current line covers a variety of undergarments from bras and underwear to thin layers like leggings and tank tops between $45 and $165. The majority of the product line, which also includes products for men, is manufactured in Utah, but the bras are hand-made in Ohio.
Seraphina’s current products are set to appear in the 2023 Cintas, the largest uniform company in the country, online catalog. Franko said she hopes to continue to find places for her products this year and beyond.
While her products address a variety of industry demand, Franko said she found the industries most in need of her product were petrochemical and steel.
“We've had women come out and tell us, ‘I’ve been scared to death because if anything happens and clicks wrong, if I get burned, this stuff is melting on me.’ They're very aware of the situation they’re in and the risk they’re taking,” Franko said.
But Franko revealed her surprise to find a great need for her product in construction and mining as well.
“I had not been aware of the dangers on a construction site when energized equipment was present…,” Franko said. “Construction is the industry with the largest number of women in their workforce as well… Mining (also) surprised me as I hadn't expected there to be many women in mining, however, the numbers are growing in all industries as women become more and more on the scene in these occupations.”
Franko now seeks to expand the company’s reach into the military and defense sectors.
“Really, there's nothing for the women in military so we're definitely looking at getting involved on that military side,” Franko said.
The path ahead for Seraphina in 2023 and beyond
For 2023, Seraphina is forecasting revenue at $500,000. The company will focus on going to the next level, producing a line of pants and shirts with an estimated launch date of 2024.
Post-pandemic, Franko is also looking to take advantage of returning opportunities to attend events across the country. She said Seraphina is already engaged with various union events to help address the gap of what women have access to and what companies are paying for.
“We really want to focus on the education behind ‘how protected are you really?’ so that people understand the why there's such a need for the base layer,” Franko said. “Not to be in fear, but just so you're fully aware of what level of protection you have with what you're wearing.”
Company: Seraphina
Owner: Kelly Franko
Founded: 2019
Employment: 1 (plans to add 6 in 2023)
Services: Flame resistant undergarments for women and men
Website: seraphinasafety.com
