OUR STORY

Where did ya' come from?

OUR HISTORY

It all began a long time ago…
1983, when Sarah Calhoun was just four years old…

On a farm where Sarah was raised,
Playing outside she spent her days.

One time she fell and started to cry.
She saw a hole in her pants, right at the thigh.

“What a bummer,” she thought, “these should have lasted longer.”
“If only these pants were a little bit stronger!”

On summer breaks from college, she helped her Dad with the hay.
She wore his old pants; they didn’t fit the right way.

Instructing for Outward Bound, she led kids in the woods.
When shopping for work pants, she found nothing good.

Next she led trail crews for the SCA.
With pulaskis and cross cuts her pants grew weaker each day.

When her back wore out she settled in Montana,
And patched up her pants with an extra bandana.

She peeled logs and groomed ski trails to bring in some money.
“There really are no work pants for women. This is no longer funny!”

At a coffee shop one day, she read her “How to Start a Business” book.
A man happened by and gave an interested look.

He asked her what she was doing, so she told him her thought;
“We need workwear for women. We need it a lot!”

This wasn’t just any man – as it turned out.
He knew exactly what she was talking about.

For twenty years, production and design had been his career.
For a small company called Patagonia…. She was all ears.

With contacts and advice, Sarah was well on her way.
And Red Ants Pants was born, that very same day.

WHY THE NAME?

Red Ants Pants is the first company dedicated to manufacturing workwear for women, so the moniker “Red Ants Pants” is an appropriate one. Red Ants Pants are designed for active and outdoorsy women to fit, function, and flatter, and Calhoun came up with the idea after thinking about red ant colonies, where the red female ants do most of the work.

TOUR DE PANTS

In the early days of the Red Ants Pants journey, it was our mission to reach as many pantsless women as possible to spread the good word that help had arrived. So we thought… why not convert an old airstream and hit the road doing house parties!?!

Over the course of several years we toured most of the US and parts of Canada doing pants parties in your homes, barns, and the occasional winery. While we don’t currently have any upcoming tours planned, our previous tours served as a great way for us to connect with you, our customers, face to face, to hear your stories, and to get inspired. Thanks for inviting us into your homes, businesses, and lives!