Dragons Are Flabbergasted By Company's Fat Shaming Business Strategy | Dragons' Den

first into the den a Yorkshire couple Richard and Lynn bye they believe that the growing number of middle-aged men swapping four wheels for two presents the lucrative commercial opportunity what do I let you talk me into will the dragons buy into their plans to peddle a range of cycle we're designed to flatter the fuller figure hello dragons my name's Lynn and I'm Richard and we're from fat lad at the back and we're here to ask for 80,000 pounds investment for 10% of our company fell out at the back is a new sportswear brand aimed at providing the larger framed sportsman with kit that actually fits them as opposed to making them look like a shrink wrap chicken I've always struggled to find sports clothing to to fit me being a mammal otherwise known as a middle-aged men in lycra and I've I've never really been able to find anything that didn't make me look terrible okay what is it called a ladder the back nice where do we get to yeah so we launched on the 4th of October last year and since then we've really had a fantastic ride we've must just short of 3,000 followers on Facebook we've turned over 48,000 pounds in that time we've had a gross profit of about 24 24,000 we knew that the brand was strong but even we've been kind of overwhelmed at how passionately people have adopted it and how how much how how inspirational it's been to people we think we're in a great position at the moment cuz we've clearly found a gap in the market we just need some help from maybe some dragons to help us fill the gap in the market with flap-flap being the acronym and fell out at the back [Music] a pitch where the healthy dose of irony from Richard and Lynn by who are seeking 80,000 pounds in return for a 10% stake in their sportswear range for the plus-sized cyclist but before the Dragons can interrogate the business Duncan Bannatyne has a few thoughts about their brand to get off his chest when you name your product fat light at the back that's one customer you're gonna get you're not gonna guess not it's actually not that's not necessarily true you don't have to be fat to be a fat lad at the back you know what I mean it's more of her cycling as always there's always somebody that is at the back but once you call I'm a fat well know what and always finds me at the back I just happen to be the oldest person there and hang up the phone if I feel the old fat letters all right you are metaphorically speaking now I completely understand it's a turn of phrase isn't it yes Matt it could be the skinniest person on that boat up in that group you could say always the fact that at the back yeah but I do have a problem with the brand because unfortunately it is a little bit too closely descriptive of the person that you want to attract you want to bring out then a female range would you where fat girl at the back that's my point [Applause] fight kid at the back no I don't think you could do the case guys like listen I'm gonna be really quick come they can interact as much as they like if they you know my point is I get all of the bits you're talking about so don't think I misunderstand it but unfortunately that isn't gonna help you yeah I get it but I still worry about it right so it's just before you declare out just to say just a second thing and that's that at the moment the initial range to get the brand out there was is emblazoned with fat loud at the back but we do have a plan to bring out a more subtle range for those people who don't want to industry it's hard it's tough and you need to get as much market as you can not box yourself into a quite tight group of people who are gonna get it we're gonna think it's funny I'm afraid I won't be investing so I've got to say I'm out thank you fat chance then of a fashion industry savvy Deborah Medan seeing fit to offer Richard and Lynne a deal will keen cyclist piers Linney show any more enthusiasm whoa where do we start on this one I'm a mammal and I have been the flap yes fundamentally it's a very very competitive market mm-hmm why are you different I've just passed on the sizing yeah the world the brand can I answer yeah so basically I'm not a cyclist so I've come at this from a different angle I dress Richard in a normal day-to-day fashion because I'm really interested in fashion and styling and things like that so we've changed the shape of the garments itself we've started with a 44 inch chest and we've made the garment look good on that size of person and then we've tailored that up and we've tailored that down so we've come at it from a completely different place to motorcycle where companies your presentation for me is so flawed most people don't want to think they're being they're becoming middle-aged or that they're overweight or what they don't want that pointed out to them okay I don't kind of get the positive out of it I think when old people return to like go back to the gym or go cycling I'll do all of those things they want to feel like they fit in like that if you've got fat lad at the boat do you mean it just I understand so sometimes it's easy for somebody to almost take the mickey out of themselves and go I know I'm gonna be the fat light at the back possibly saw nicely but not everybody I'm looking at your models they've got a potbelly hmm so therefore it just means that it's got to be bigger I mean if you're fatter you buy bigger clothes you do but up to date there's not been anything available for people that I don't believe that for one minute I mean I know lots of people that are overweight that do sport their shirts are not up here they're just bigger shirts a cycle where tends to be based on the typical the old-fashioned typical cyclist which is a 36 to 38 inch inch chest but the middle-aged man in Matt in lycra has changed that Kelly maybe maybe rightly getting hung up on the brand mm-hmm if you put the brand to one side for a moment there are are more and more middle-aged men and women actually riding bikes that don't look good in very technical like room so happens when everybody else says oh look they're selling lots are those tops of bigger guys will make are slightly bigger I will change the shape slightly and and and they will I mean we were with a the third largest cycle where and online cycle company last week and and their comment was you know we're definitely gonna stock you because you're the best people to solve the problem I think you could do better on the design if you if you're gonna do something which is really gonna make a mark I mean there's you know we're doing the bet the best we can and have up until now you know into in terms of design but we are only six once Holland [Applause] despite intense scrutiny Richard and Lynn's belief in their brand is unwavering but will that be enough to convince the skeptical Peter Jones I would be definitely certainly you look at me I know that I'd be the fat lad at the back but I'm not so sure I'd want to be the fat lad at back when I walk into the pub I don't see it as a mainstream opportunity and mainstream band that being said I do think you'll sell some because I do think it is quirky and people like quirkiness but I don't see it as an investment I'm gonna say I'm out finish your concept it's great that you're doing something like this they just think the actual fat light at the back descriptive title or brand is wrong so for that reason I can imagine you sat around a table one night and everyone's like oh I'm overweight you know I'd like to sort of go off and cycle but I can never get the clothes weight and it you created this brand and it was funny at the time but morally I don't like it because I know people struggle with their weight I would say that what the brand has done for a lot of people and a lot of the feedback that we've got is that people wear it and they feel empowered by it and it gives them almost permission I wish you well with it and I hope it works for you but I'm not going to invest in news I'm afraid that I'm out but good luck with it four dragons have now turned down a deal as the only dragon who's grasped their fat lad logic all hopes of investment now lie with peers lynnie there is a market but the question is how big is it and is your brand ripe for because to know what you tried to do by exercising is not be the fat light of the back yeah you want to try and be you know the skinny mates at the front I don't think you're gonna create enough traction enough people out there gonna buy this stuff so I'm out so Richard and Lyn leave the den empty-handed convincing the Dragons to give them a financial push having ultimately proved an uphill struggle just think at it well you know it's the brand is to word heavy it'd be like a hat company calling it bald-headed old men I am the original fat lad at the back I I've always been called the fact that at the back we've got now 1,100 fat lads out there riding in our stuff within six months and and that is I think that's pretty good you

Channel: Dragons' Den

Views: 1,446,508

Keywords: bbc iplayer, united kingdom, british tv, british tv shows, watch uk tv online, watch british tv online, dragons, den, series, pitches, funniest, moments, shocking, ideas, products, businesses, peter jones, deborah meaden, dragons den worst pitches, dragons den funny, dragons den series 17, dragons den 2019, shark tank, shark tank 2019, new dragons den, new shark tank, sara davies, tej lalvani, touker suleyman, Fat Lad At The Back, FLAB, cyclist road rage

Id: GBxjWK22cHo

Length: 11min 7sec (667 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 28 2019