Sakpants: "Coziest Pants in the World"
Looking for the perfect gift for someone with everything? How about the "coziest pants in the world?"
A pair of U students has launched a line of uniquely designed pants — dubbed Sakpants — through a university-sponsored entrepreneurship program and a crowdsource funding campaign to raise money.
Students Brayden Iwasaki, a graphic design graduate, and Garred Lentz, an MBA student, came up with the idea for Sakpants, a cross between "Thai fisherman pants" and children's footie pajamas, in 2013. They developed an initial prototype and received a $3,000 seed grant from a U program affiliated with the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. The students used the seed money to refine their product and then raised nearly $25,000 from 47 supporters on Kickstarter.com to continue moving their idea to production.
The product's features include a secret slot that allows people to access feet for "emergency toenail-clipping," as well as a design with mass appeal to consumers.
Lentz noted his Utah roots helped generate the idea.
"Growing up in the land of ski resorts and freezing-cold winters, I was constantly trying to wrap my feet in my sweatpants to stay warm when I was hanging around the house," Lentz said.
More at sakpants.com.