A CLOTHING business is proving it’s far from pants after creating jobs and attracting the attention of High Street retailers.

Oddballs Apparel, which designs and makes boxer shorts and briefs for men and women, is expanding as it looks to meet strong growth targets.

The firm, set up by ex-Newcastle United goalkeeper Steve Harper, former Newcastle Falcons player Richard Metcalfe, and Falcons’ ex-chief executive Paul Varley, raises money for men’s cancer charities, with ten per cent of every sale going to causes fighting testicular cancer.

The trio say it will create eight machinist jobs in Newcastle, and are talking to more than a dozen stores over sales, as they bid to hit £600,000 turnover by the end of the year, and £3m by 2018.

To support those aims, the firm has worked with NEL Fund Managers to secure £225,000 backing from the Finance For Business North East Growth Fund.

Mr Metcalfe said: “With our strong links to the area, being able to bring jobs back to Newcastle is particularly pleasing, and we know the machining expertise we need is going to be readily available in the region.

"We've set ourselves some stiff commercial targets, but we're confident we’ve got the business model and products in place to reach them, especially now NEL has come on board.”

Chris Parker, NEL investment executive, added: “Oddballs has quickly established an extremely strong brand presence, backed up by an excellent product range and the commercial knowledge required to achieve great things.”