Sunday 16 February 2014 10:46 pm

Brothers who built brand with purpose

Annabel Palmer talks travelling, Topman, and the English weather with Rob Forkan – the tsunami orphan who co-founded new flip flop brand Gandys

INNOCENT may have pioneered a whole new approach to marketing (the company has even published a book about its “story,” and “what they’ve learned”), but no business tale will ever be as compelling as that of Rob and Paul Forkan.

Tragically orphaned in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami as teenagers, the brothers, now 25 and 23, set up Gandys – a flip flop brand which gives 10 per cent of the profits from each pair sold to orphans around the world. By 2014, a decade after one of the worst tsunamis in recorded history, the brothers want to have set up their own children’s home as a memorial to their parents. Rob Forkan tells me their story.

THE SCHOOL OF LIFE
The brothers were 13 and 11 when their parents took them out of school in England to work on humanitarian projects in India and parts of the sub-continent. Christmas 2004 was spent in a small fishing town in Sri Lanka. On Boxing Day morning, the tsunami hit the coastline. The brothers, younger sister in tow and with no passports or money, had to find their way back to the national airport, 200km away. Eventually, they arrived back in London, and spent their teenage years studying, working, travelling, and searching for a positive end to the 2004 tragedy.

It was 2011 when the idea struck Rob. He was working at startup CV Library; Paul was in Australia. “We had both been going back to India to volunteer and travel. I just thought, why not create something sustainable, rather than just teaching kids to play cricket for a couple of weeks? And flip flops suited our lifestyle.” It was the craziest of Rob’s many ideas – the English weather is unpredictable at best – but it was something the brothers knew they would be passionate about. Starting out in a small flat in Brixton, it took six months of working full days at their regular jobs and late into the night on Gandys, before they decided to take the plunge.

STROKE OF LUCK
Initially, they found a supplier who could manufacture their product via online wholesale search engine Alibaba. They learnt to clock telltale signs that a manufacturer would be unreliable, and started doing a rigorous vetting process into a supplier who could produce at the larger volumes they needed. Fortunately, last summer the then-modest business was featured in a global Alibaba TV advert. After, the manufacturers came to them. “We had suppliers across the world approaching us, thinking we were a massive brand. It meant we could negotiate manufacturing smaller runs and try out new products.”

It was an extraordinary stroke of fortune: many new designers struggle to get samples made. “When you’re starting out, you cannot make the 5,000 or 10,000 orders the manufacturers demand. It makes it incredibly difficult to compete with larger retailers.”

Their next battle was in finding willing buyers. “At the beginning, we were literally handing out postcards on Clapham Common, then sprinting back to our flat to see if anyone had made an order. We would go out on club nights wearing our flip flops and leafleting. People thought we were crazy.”

PROOF OF CONCEPT
They took a similar approach towards retailers. “After all the situations we had been through in our lives, speaking to retailers about a pair of flip flops was pretty straightforward,” Forkan says. Their fearless attitude took them to Sir Philip Green’s London offices. They arrived with no appointment and modelling their product, and refused to leave until the retail billionaire met with them. “He didn’t come down,” Rob laughs, “but we did get our product up to him. Gandys sold out in Topman last summer. So being bold and persistent doesn’t hurt.”

While they had proven demand, the costs in visual merchandising were high. To scale up, they needed investment. In a reversal of the norm, the pair invited investors to pitch to them. “We had small independents and core boutiques across the country stocking our flip flops, as well as online sales. We had been working around the clock on this company; we didn’t want just anyone investing.” So they invited a group of hand-picked millionaires to a treehouse beer garden in Brixton that reminded them of their travels. Each candidate told the brothers why they wanted to get involved. In the end, IT entrepreneur Dominic List became the sole investor, investing £250,000.

LOOKING FORWARD
Today, Gandys are available from stores across the world, from House of Fraser in London to Nordstrom in New York. In November, the Forkans signed a deal with Monsoon, and the flip flops will be stocked in Accessorize stores in Britain and 17 other countries from the spring. Last year, they came close to their turnover target of £1.2m. And Sir Richard Branson recently described the brothers as “inspirational young entrepreneurs”.

But they’re still learning. “As things grow, it doesn’t necessarily get easier. The challenges change, but they’re always there. Now, our biggest obstacle is directing our resources in the best way possible to scale up.” What they will not do, however, is branch into clothing or other products. Despite being regularly approached to put the Gandys name to everything from rum to clothing, the pair are concentrating on their existing product, forming partnerships with more retailers, and expanding to new markets. It could be a wise strategy. Brazilian flip flop brand Havaianas celebrated its 50th anniversary recently, and now sells over 200m pairs a year, turning over $1.4bn (£837m).

Unsurprisingly, the brothers are often asked what advice they would offer to other entrepreneurs. “But we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in right now if we had listened to everyone else. While you have to take advice and criticism on board, you also have to go with your gut. And surround yourself with good, positive people.” What does he enjoy most about running his own company? “I can wear flip flops to work every day.” Brr.

CV PAUL FORKAN
Company name: Gandys

Founded: January 2012

Job title: Co-founder and creative director

Age: 24

Lives: Southfields

Drinking: Jimmy’s Iced Coffee

Reading: Where’s Wally

Heroes: Our parents. They instilled a sense of adventure and our ongoing belief that anything is possible

First ambition: To be an explorer

Most likely to say: A “no” today is not a “no” tomorrow!

Least likely to say: Don’t ask questions

CV ROB FORKAN
Job title: Co-founder and creative director