WHO PROVIDES THE MILITARY WITH CLOTHING: THE STORY OF SERKET
There are two parts to any mission. Situations that you can control and the scenarios you can’t expect. You can train to be your best physical self and have a mind tougher than steel, but in an unforeseen situation, all that can fly out the window. What happens when you encounter an unexpected Improvised Exploding Device (IED), or the conditions take a turn for the worse? Even in these situations, there are ways to keep as much of the mission within your realm of control, and that’s to wear proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Since 2011, Serket has provided the military and law enforcement with high-quality protection equipment to help bring a sense of control to all of these unexpected situations. Founder Trey Harris has gone down a long road to get the business to where it is now, but ultimately he’s enjoyed the process and how it’s helped thousands of service members across the United States.
Harris started his career in apparel working for a high-end sports company. They made technical apparel for the golf and ski markets, which he later implemented that knowledge into Serket’s snow mobility. The lessons Harris learned from designing and selling high-end outerwear were foundational to Serket’s overall journey. He later left to join another sports company. However, the business shifted its focus after the September 11 attacks in 2001. With the country ready for justice and with a new rise in security, the demand for military and law enforcement PPE grew to new heights. In this way, Harris got his start in military clothing. After working for this business for several years, Harris wanted to turn his efforts completely towards military wear.
The next business Harris worked for was a full-time military PPE company. At this business, Harris worked in new product development designing his own style of protective clothing. As time went on, he knew there was a better way to serve the needs of military end users. With that in mind, he decided to start his own business from the ground up in military garment manufacturing. Harris credits his time there as important in building his knowledge of flame-resistant clothing. With the decision to leave and start his own business, Serket came to be.
The name, Serket, comes from Egyptian mythology, but the origin behind it has a much more layered meaning. Harris regularly speaks with end-users about their experiences overseas, and some of these service members referenced completing “circuits” in the Middle East. A circuit is the combination of training in preparation and deployment for a period of time. Harris looked to create a play on the term and came across the Egyptian goddess Serket. Since Serket is the goddess of protection, Harris found it a fitting name for a military PPE business. To create a logo, he went to an art school and pitched the idea as a capstone project for some students to design. The scorpion symbolism of the goddess made its way into the logo, and Serket now had its image and vision ready for the world to see.
Starting a business comes with its challenges. Having worked for various companies and in various industries by this point, Harris wanted to add a sense of discipline to his work. He learned that working within your limitations is the best way to achieve success with what you have in front of you. It’s a tightrope walk, and you need to know how to walk it. An aspect Harris wanted to integrate into the company is everything would be sourced and made in the United States. “I loved the idea of making products made in the United States. I had worked in commercial apparel before with China, and it’s not something I wanted to do again.” A decision like this posed multiple challenges. For one, mandatory minimums on fabrics and materials make it difficult for a smaller business to function since Serket mainly started with smaller orders. Additionally, with elevated prices compared to China, the funds needed to support the business were high. A decision like that has allowed Serket to produce Berry Compliant products and support other U.S. businesses along the way.
While Serket’s focus is military PPE, a popular product has always been the Merino wool socks. You can read more about the many benefits they provide here. Early on in the business, Harris established a strong relationship with USARAK (now 11th ABN) in Alaska. On a visit there, Harris gave a couple of socks to some of the members. “One of them considered themselves to be a sock collector and was impressed with them. He loved them so much that he ordered 20,000 pairs of them.” With that, Serket received its first ever high-quantity sock order, and continues to produce and distribute Serket Socks to everyone. If you want to learn more, you can find the perfect pair for yourself here.
Another aspect Harris credits Serket’s success to is his connection to Fort Bragg back when he lived in North Carolina. Fort Bragg houses one of the largest military populations in the United States. The base is the home for a variety of infantry, airborne, and special operations personnel. While living there, Harris formed a connection to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. A connection like this allowed him to learn about the military market in depth and have an understanding of the needs and wants of end users. A few years later, Harris used this connection for the new products Serket designed. Now, Serket gear and apparel could have hands-on testing in training exercises. The procedures involved simulated missing personnel missions and rescue exercises, so the feedback the school gave proved to be invaluable for Serket to improve.
Having long-established relationships with many military personnel throughout all military branches, Harris learned from them about the prevalence of heat stroke and heat exhaustion as a leading causes of injury in the military. This condition is often exacerbated by unsophisticated uniforms that are heavy and do not breathe well. Alleviation of this was from the beginning, and it remains a very high priority in everything Serket designs and builds.
Serket gained further credibility by participating in a competition called the Defense Acquisition Challenge, orchestrated by the office of The Secretary of Defense, which rewards design excellence for military commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products that have special relevance to the US Military. Harris was encouraged by members of the Army’s SCIE team to enter this competitive competition with Serket’s “Enhanced Combat Vehicle Crew Ensemble (ECVC),” and despite one of the highest numbers of entries that year, Serket’s ECVC won the competition. This funded the Army’s SCIE team to explore and further the concept as an ongoing Program of Record (POR). The ECVC uniform met all of the requirements of the DoD, and its innovative design allowed for improved dexterity and increased air flow. It kept service members protected while reducing instances of heat stroke and exhaustion at the same time. “It’s a meaningful product, and we won because of it. It’s one of the things that boosted our confidence going forward.”
As Serket began to advance and grow over the years, Harris will never forget his time working with a group of marines who suffered severe injuries due to a lack of PPE. While deployed in the Middle East, this group of marines rode in a vehicle before running into an unexpected IED that exploded and set the vehicle on fire. The marines were not wearing flame-resistant PPE, and their clothing caught fire. All of them received severe burns on their body and had multiple surgeries to help heal the wounds. Harris visited these marines in the hospital and heard about their story firsthand. It’s stories like this that inspire Harris to do what he does. Protect the men and women who serve. After this incident, the demand for flame resistant and no melt no drip protective equipment rose to make sure nothing like this happened again. After visiting the marines, Harris wanted to be a part of it.
So that’s exactly what Serket does to this day. Create cutting-edge clothing and materials designed for the harshest environments and severe conditions all while maximizing comfort. Whether it’s our snow mobility gear, military uniform apparel, or even our Merino wool socks, we have you and your clients protected for whatever mission and challenges come your way.
“The thing that inspires me through it all is the men and women who serve. That’s what drove me to the military market. They defend our country and defend our freedom.” Serket wants to formally thank everyone who serves and promises to continue designing and innovating our products to offer the best protection to them as possible. To get to where Serket is now, Harris focused on setting standards for working with the military: “Have the discipline to know your limitations. You don’t have to be the master of all things and attempting to be all things to all communities is a recipe for failure.” From the humble beginnings of selling a few unique uniform designs and socks to providing our armed service members with some of the best purpose-designed uniform apparel, accessory items and over-snow mobility equipment, Serket has gone through quite the journey to get where it’s at now, and it’s only just the beginning.
To keep up to date with Serket news, fill out the contact form here so you’ll never miss another blog. If you’d like more information on how Serket can help you with your next mission, you can send us an email at Sales@SerketUSA.com. Whatever your challenge, you can feel confident knowing Serket provides you with a uniform built for performance.