Spotlight on one company designing PPE underwear for women
How do you set up a company that provides PPE underwear for women? Kelly Franko started her career running a dance school, has worked in healthcare and in training. This along with a being part of a ‘car racing’ family led to her establishing Seraphina.
At Seraphina they see their undergarments as the first tool women put on and the last one, they put away.
Kelly is also one of the founders of AWSAM (Alliance of Women’s Safety Apparel Manufacturers) which is growing annually. She is based in the USA.
How to build a company designing PPE underwear for women
Background
What did you want to be when you were a child? Did any of your childhood interests lead to your career choices?
I danced most of my childhood and thought I would be a Rockette. Although Juilliard accepted me, I grew up in a small town in Ohio. So, the thought of going off to New York City scared my parents into not supporting that choice. Since I couldn’t go to New York, I decided to open my own dance studio and teach instead. At eighteen, I opened Head Over Heels Dance & Gymnastics Studio in Columbiana, Ohio.
I have loved business and finding solutions to problems ever since. So, I have never been one to back down from a challenge and have done many things just to prove I could – even if it was just to myself. I think these two loves have often determined my career choices.
Healthcare experience
You have a lot of experience in healthcare. Why did working within the healthcare industry attract you?
From as long as I can recall, I was “sick” as a child. I struggled with things not commonly known about at that time and issues that I was “too young to have.” As a result, I spent a lot of time at doctor’s offices and hospitals trying to figure out what was wrong. Healthcare was a problem-solving field with the opportunity to help others find solutions. My familiarity with the facilities and desire to solve problems while helping others led to me choosing this field.
Healthcare to PPE underwear
How did your healthcare experience overlap/lead to setting up an undergarment company?
I worked in a physical rehabilitation hospital for eight years. My work was helping patients work through disabling events to get back to their best life possible. During that time, I had an opportunity to get into medical equipment and wound care sales and took it. Again, it was an opportunity to help problem solve and match solutions with patient needs.
While in the role of Sales Director with one company, they decided to expand into the post-mastectomy field. This division was my responsibility, and we launched three medical boutiques. I obtained my board certification in post-mastectomy fitting so that I had both the knowledge and fitting experience necessary to fully understand the patient needs and the products. The experience taught me a lot about the design, fit, and function of bras and surgical garments. It also exposed the need for properly fitting bras for women on the non-medical side.
I continued my education and gained further training from lingerie industry experts on design selection based on body type, elements of structure, and function in undergarments, and became a certified fitter. I opened retail boutiques to provide women with access to better-fitting bras than those available in department stores or speciality stores.
You ran a consulting and training company. How did you decide to do this? Is there any overlap with your healthcare and undergarment experience?
My consulting and training company was a result of my love for business. As well I had a desire to help others solve problems or see a different perspective. I decided to start this after having many people ask for my help with business growth strategies. There was overlap as I primarily worked with companies and leaders in healthcare.
Transferable skills
With hindsight looking back at your career, which skills have you taken with you from each role?
One of my favourite quotes is from Steve Jobs and his perspective on connecting dots.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.
Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path.”
My career path has always been one of education and training. I see a problem and have a desire to find a solution and the skills I’ve learned grow along the way preparing me for the next challenge. Those solutions often led to the creation of a business or working with a business to provide the solution.
PPE Workwear and Underwear
How has PPE and Workwear changed over the years? Have the fabrics improved? What about fit? Has the comfort level increased?
My leap from healthcare to safety took place in early 2019. From what I initially saw then to what is available today things have definitely improved.
The original “Pink & Shrink” quick fix of making men’s clothing smaller and offering it in pink is being replaced by speciality manufacturers who are stepping in to make the real deal. It is great to see more and more “women-specific” vendors at the trade shows.
More women enter the industrial workforce every day and their voices are being heard. We are working hard to change the narrative from recognising the need for appropriately fitting PPE to increasing the awareness to the products now available and improving access to them.
The efforts being made to address the need for PPE that fits appropriately is being seen not just for women’s PPE, but across the board. All employees deserve to be safe on the job. So, their PPE cannot be a potential hazard due to fit issues.
Fabric manufacturers are doing wonders to make fabrics that are protective AND comfortable. For us, we use flame-resistant knits in everything we make. Our options in 2019 were quite limited. Now we see manufacturers implementing knits into their lineup as well as adding stretch to their wovens. This is very important to us as it helps us stay true to our vision of product development.
Diversity in PPE clothing and underwear
How often do manufacturers of PPE take into account different body shapes based on gender and ethnicity, different hair types, and different preferences/desires for modesty?
I can only speak about Seraphina on this one. Although I feel the other speciality manufacturers are probably looking at this in a similar way. From the onset, we started with what we knew, then set out to discover what we didn’t know. Our annual Fit Focus groups provide us with insight into what is wrong and what is missing in PPE as it relates to our segment. We have an advantage on our team as my husband, Mark, is educated in ergonomics which provides us the additional design element using anthropometric data. For our garments, this enhances our ability to deliver products that fit all the shapes of women.
PPE and HSE
How key is PPE for HSE?
My understanding of the Hierarchy of Hazard Controls used to prioritise possible interventions to minimise or eliminate exposure to hazards, PPE is on the bottom and referred to as “least effective.” PPE is often the easiest one to provide though and for us, our garments really do provide the last line of defence. This is because they create a second skin that affords the wearer superior layered protection and additional time to escape a hazard. Our garments are made from fabric with a CAT 2 rating with an ATPV of 17 which is far greater than other base layers. This is what draws companies toward our products as their interest in implementing layered protection into their apparel programmes grows.
An example of PPE Underwear and HSE
Can you give an example (or examples) of a situation which is less safe because of poorly fitting PPE? (or an accident)
A specific situation shared with me at the iP Utility Safety Conference in Orlando this year involved a woman wearing an everyday, wired bra while being exposed to an arc flash. The arc flash burned through her outer layer garments and melted not only the fabric of the bra, but it also melted the underwire which burned through her breast tissue into the implants she had. This released the fluid from the implants which caused additional burns to her anterior torso. Using the Rule of Nines which quickly assesses the estimated percentage of burned body surface area, this area represents 18% without accounting for any additional burn areas that may have occurred such as hands, limbs, or head.
Quality of work life and PPE underwear
How do appropriate undergarments particularly PPE underwear improve a woman’s work life?
Undergarments in general can impact the way we work. A great-fitting bra can improve productivity and confidence when everything is comfortably where it should be. If we are continually fussing with a bra that doesn’t fit right or support us appropriately, it not only becomes a nuisance, but it also creates unnecessary pain. Trying to access a bra to pull the band down, pull the straps up, or realign can be challenging when wearing layers of protective clothing that limit access. Additionally, most women are aware that their everyday bras contribute to their risk of burn injury and worry about the “what if” scenarios.
Our undergarments are made to protect women from extreme heat, fire, and molten metal while providing lightweight, breathable comfort that keeps women cool and dry all day. While they are not your “Friday night push-up bra,” they are intentionally designed to provide comfortable, wire-free support and protection while on the job. We have two options in style with one able to accommodate any size needed with its custom band/cup sizing options ranging from 32-48 in the band A-J in the cup. As with any bra, choosing the right style and the right size is what will make the difference in getting the best fit. And, as women know, all bras can fit differently, so it may take trying a couple of sizes to get it right, which is where I can help out as a fit expert.
Types of fabrics
The recommended “options” for women are “natural fibres” which include cotton, silk, and wool. In my 15+ years of being in the undergarment business, wool is a tough sell no matter how nice it may be. The difficulty with any of these fibres is that 100% is not readily available. They all contain flammable fibres in amounts greater than the acceptable percentages to be comfortable.
A 100% cotton bra, if found, holds sweat and allows moisture to build which can lead to rashes and infection. Cotton will sag and allow the weight of the breasts to pull on the back, neck, and shoulders making for a very long, painful day on the job.
Silk stains easily, especially from sweat, which if worn in any industrial workplace, is going to be a common issue. While silk may naturally have a “moisture-wicking” component, sweat ruins its appearance. Like cotton, finding a 100% silk garment is challenging. These garments are typically lingerie in nature and not designed for daily wear to work in hot conditions making them an unqualified contender.
Establishing Seraphina to provide PPE underwear
Your son was the indirect catalyst for establishing Seraphina. Can you explain how this happened?
Yes, our oldest son, Andrew, was the indirect catalyst because his career aspiration of becoming a professional race car driver put us at the PRI (Performance Racing Industry) trade show. As a racing family, we often go to the track with our “crew” of fellow drivers. It’s like an extended family and PRI is the big family reunion.
In conversation at the Lincoln Electric booth, my background in undergarments came up, and someone asked if I could create a flame-resistant bra. My husband answered:
“Yes, she can.”
before I was able to. It was at that moment, that the entire concept started. Our son has gone on to become a very skilled driver, by the way, and enjoys performance racing of any kind.
Gaining knowledge and researching for Seraphina
You haven’t worked in a hazardous industry so how did you gain your knowledge of what was needed?
I have not. However, I have been around manufacturing for the 28 years I have been with my husband though and have been exposed to “second-hand knowledge” from his years in ergonomics, and health and safety.
As well, I am a lover of knowledge and lifelong learner, so I did what I always do when approaching something new, I hit the books and the road. I travelled to trade shows to find people who could teach me about the industry standards and the fabrics. I was blessed that every person I met led me to someone else who could help me learn more and get to the next level. My husband’s connections also provided me with knowledge along the way.
My years of experience in healthcare gave me my understanding of the “health” side of safety, and I already knew design and fit. I just worked hard to bring it all together and create a solution for women in the industrial workplace as well as those in fire service, and on the racetrack – where it all began.
What do women want from PPE underwear
What are the main things that women ask you for?
The main thing is that all things fit comfortably.
We all love our lifestyle brands in our everyday life and want them at work. The undergarment category was a relatively “new” one. There were a couple of options, but many women didn’t know about them.
The Fit Focus groups gave insight into what was missing and what women didn’t like about available options when we started. As we continue to learn from women on the job, we find that they want the options they have in daily life to be available in workwear. Women come in many shapes and sizes and a one-size fits all approach won’t work.
As more women enter these fields, the demand is only going to grow. If we want the talent and skills that women bring to the industries, we need to clothe them appropriately. Just like any other tool, we need to have the right one to get the job done. And for us, we see our undergarments as the first tool they put on and the last one they put away.
Industries and PPE underwear
Which industries do your customers come from? Are there any that are surprising?
The beauty of the fabric we use is that it protects from many hazards making our garments a cross-industry option. We work with customers in steel and manufacturing, to oil and gas, electrical and utility, mining, motorsports, and stunt acting. We were super excited when the costume designer for the TV Series, Chicago Fire, reached out. They wanted to buy PPE underwear products to wear on the set. That was a surprise, but not surprising, as the fabric is well known for its use in the entertainment industry. We have recently partnered with a distributor in the agricultural industry which is one we hadn’t explored.
AWSAM
You are the cofounder of AWSAM (Alliance of Women’s Safety Apparel Manufacturers). What is the story of AWSAM?
The story of AWSAM is the belief that anything is possible and the spirit of co-opetition. In my healthcare life, we belonged to an organisation that served to bring the manufacturers of post-mastectomy garments together with the companies that provided for the women who needed them. All the manufacturers were competitors. However, they came together to increase awareness and access for those who were patient-facing, the providers, who were also often competitors. The organisation existed in service of the patient through bringing all players to the same table.
In June of 2023 during the ASSP Safety conference, I was having lunch with Dave Rosenbluth (Utility ProWear and other co-founder). I mentioned this to him as an idea for what we, as manufacturers of women’s PPE could do.
The issue I was having at the time was gaining access to the market as a small, startup company. My voice alone could not be heard as loudly as if we all came together to sing on the same platform. It would increase our visibility. As well it would bring the individual strength of all into one so that we could be seen and heard. Dave and I chatted about the concept throughout lunch. We then decided that since there were other women’s small manufacturers attending or exhibiting at the show, we needed to move on the idea while we were all together. The next day we pulled Emily Soboly, Juno Jones, Melanie Adams, Embher, and Ana Kraft, Xena Workwear into the idea. The group of us met in a hotel lobby to map out the basics.
The future of AWSAM
How is it developing and growing? How do you think it will change in the next five years?
AWSAM was formally established and registered as a non-profit organization in the months that followed our initial meeting at ASSP. We have twelve Founding Members who came together investing their own funds to bring it from paper to reality. We now have four corporate members, multiple affiliates and ally members that continue to grow as companies and individuals show up in support of protecting women in the workforce.
At ASSP Safety 2023, Dave, Ana, and myself hosted a larger version of the “Girls Night Out” I had held in my hotel room at ASSP in 2022. We coined it “Whiskey & Women’s PPE” and held it at a favourite local distillery. It was such a successful event, we decided it should be “the” event to launch AWSAM. The launch was during ASSP Safety 2024 to give homage to our grassroots beginning. The launch was a huge success with more sponsors who came on board to show support at multiple levels.
In addition to the products AWSAM brings to market, many of our members speak at conferences internationally. They do this to move the mission forward and change the conversations from knowing we need PPE that fits women, to conversations of what is available and how do we get it.
AWSAM vision for education
AWSAM has a big vision for the future which includes hosting educational events, both virtually, and in-person, partnering with other agencies and organisations to advocate and increase visibility for all, increasing our corporate memberships to highlight companies that support our mission and those who are working to provide equal protection for women in their workforce, continuing to extend our reach to other countries to bring more women’s manufacturers into our alliance and in front of consumers. We look forward to building scholarship opportunities that will help women afford the career path they want to take and provide them with a great income. There is so much that can happen when we come together to collaborate on what is possible. What has been accomplished in one year is AWSAM. Then to think of where we can go in the next 5 years, will be wherever we believe we can.
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