Pangoo Apparel

In 2021, Sara Chen moved to Detroit without local friends or family, but with an invite into DYNO Detroit, a climbing gym near Detroit’s famed Eastern Market, she found a welcoming community that introduced her to Michigan’s surprisingly good rock and ice climbing world and to the outdoors in general.

But while the people she met made her feel seen and accepted, the apparel on the market did the opposite. “When I started climbing in Detroit, I could never find a pair of pants that fit both my hips and my waist. All the pants were cut too straight, so it was either too tight at the hips or gapping at the waist. None of them had pockets where I could climb with my phone inside of them, and that drove me nuts,” said Chen.

She shared her frustrations with a few friends and found they had the same experience. “That was the moment where I said, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a huge problem across the sport.’” She soon discovered it was also a business opportunity.

Origin of a Species

Chen sketched out a pair of pants with an ultra-high elastic waistband to give an easy fit for a wide array of body types, and a more flattering appearance than traditional medium or low-cut pants that are less flexible. With an increased hip to waist ratio, more room would be intentionally built into the hip and thigh area compared to most traditional climbing brands.

She added pockets deep enough to fit a water bottle, “because I just could not stand the tiny, tiny pockets,” and started sharing the design on social media to gauge interest. The response convinced her that “a ton of women in this space want something like this,” and she registered an LLC.

But, as she recalls, “I had no business background or experience. I was also a newbie outdoors enthusiast. I had just started climbing a year and a half or two years before. I was by no means an expert. I didn't even study design professionally. It was an uphill battle to figure out basically everything from scratch.”

One of the first things to figure out was the name and mission of the business. “Growing up, I didn't see many faces like mine represented in the outdoors. Coming to Detroit was my first exposure to accessing a community that loved the outdoors, but also looked like me, and shared some of my life experiences,” said Chen.

With that inspiration, she arrived at a company name, Pangoo Apparel, and philosophy: “Pangoo (盘古) is the creator of the natural world in Chinese mythology. The name Pangoo is an homage to my heritage, a reminder that we are all connected to each other and to nature, and as an embodiment of our mission: to create a new world where inclusivity and access is the norm rather than the exception, where everyone can see their stories and bodies represented in the outdoors.”

In April 2024, Chen launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise capital for the first production run of her Origin pants, offering two colorways: Dragon, in deep green with an orange waistband, and Tiger, in a striking black and orange design. Over 1,500 backers pledged over $175,000, and Pangoo was in business.

One Step at a Time

Chen found that Detroit was an ideal, supportive place to begin. “Many of my closest friends now have lived in Detroit their entire lives, and the journey of this city and this grit, this spirit of determination, meshes so well with the entrepreneurial experience and the journey of building a business. Because it’s not just smooth sailing. It’s a lot of little fires everywhere, bouncing back and making do.”

Along the way, Chen found a helpful source of introductions, connections, amplification and support in the Michigan Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. For example, she was invited to share space and celebration at Michigan Ice Fest – the largest ice climbing festival on natural ice in the country, which brings national brands and athletes to the Upper Peninsula each February – and recently joined the office’s director, Brad Garmon, closer to home.

“We were just at Eastern Market After Dark with Brad [in Sept. 2025], and it was such a great experience getting to set up with the community and tap into meeting more folks locally,” said Chen. “While talking to one group that Brad sent our way, I asked if they knew of any good local videographers for our next campaign. One of the women (also named Sara) just happens to be a professional videographer based in Detroit who specializes in the outdoors! She showed me her portfolio on the spot.”

Pangoo has quickly made an impact on the larger outdoor scene, with an invitation into REI’s Path Ahead Ventures program and an investment from the Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund, the first of its kind in the country. The fund was born out of an investment thesis created by Michelle Erikson, then an MBA student at the University of Michigan working as a Fellow for the Outdoor Recreation Industry Office.

Chen won first place at an outdoor pitch competition the Outdoor Recreation Industry Office hosted in 2024 as part of Michigan Tech Week. The competition showcased the broad range of outdoor innovators and opportunities in Michigan, including other outdoor apparel companies like Pyke, which creates pants and other gear for upland bird hunting. As the Michigan Founder’s Fund said in a LinkedIn post, “Pangoo Apparel isn’t just about climbing pants—it’s about representation, empowerment, and breaking barriers in outdoor spaces. Sara’s journey, from discovering climbing at Dyno Detroit to winning the $50,000 Michigan Outdoor Innovation prize at Michigan Tech Week and securing the BasBlue Zero-to-One fellowship, have all been great early steps in her founder journey.”

Chen’s vision for the future of Pangoo is to expand beyond the climbing niche and apparel. “We're going to do it slowly, one step at a time. We're still staying very true to our core niche and expanding from there, eventually into an outdoor lifestyle brand where people are able to look good and feel good.”

To Detroit with Love

“This brand is really my love story to the Detroit outdoor community. I was never an outdoor person until I moved to Detroit, and finding this community was life-changing for me, not just on a career level, but on a personal level,” said Chen. “Everyone genuinely wants to see each other succeed. When you enter the local climbing gym here, you see folks cheering for each other as they’re climbing even for the first time.”

Detroit may not be the first city people would consider as the place to build an outdoor company. But as Chen sees it, “a lot of folks here are just now accessing and exploring and finding ways to tap into outdoor recreation for the first time, especially folks of color like myself, who got into sports like climbing or hiking during the pandemic. It feels like our brand is moving along with the momentum that's building in this city as well.”