THE SWEET SPOT

Sarah Swainson – below – believes one must be passionate about what you do, and she certainly is. Her passion is providing women of all sizes with wellfitted, comfortable underwear. Her shop, Sarah Elizabeth in Salt Rock, offers personalised fittings and a range of underwear, swimwear and sleepwear. The bras range from an A to K cup, so there is certainly something for everyone.

“I was never able to find a comfortable bra in South Africa,” says Sarah. “While working in the UK I went for a personal fitting which changed my life and gave me new confidence about

WITH THE RIGHT BRA, SARAH SWAINSON’S VISION FOR HER ONLINE BUSINESS IS TO HELP WOMEN GAIN CONFIDENCE, BE COMFORTABLE AND LOOK GORGEOUS, WRITES LES ABERCROMBIE

pictures lara baker

myself.” On her return to South Africa in 2012, Sarah decided to help other women gain the same comfort and confidence she had and soft-launched the Sarah Elizabeth website at the end of 2013. “We were a bit ahead of the curve as online shopping was quite a new concept in South Africa back then.” However, with her marketing background and persistence Sarah gained the trust of her clients and now provides

I was never able to find a comfortable bra in South Africa, while working in the UK I went for a personal fitting which changed my life and gave me new confidence about myself

women’s underwear to ladies all over the country.

I asked Sarah how it was possible to buy a perfectly fitting bra online: “On the website there is a Valuation Form to fill in, carefully and truthfully. We assess the form which gives us an indication of the problem areas and then send the customer two or three bras, in different styles, to try. This type of customer service tends to build relationships with our clients who soon become return customers and friends.”

With her online business ticking over, Sarah decided, in 2018, to venture into retail and has managed, with the help of her fitting assistant wizard, Rozelle de Lange, to successfully and seamlessly marry the two concepts, which work in tandem.

Apart from “brafidence”, Sarah’s other passion is running, and one of her ambitions is to help all the women out there who don’t

Five Tips To Comfortable Confidence Ensure the band sits comfortably and snug, stabilising the breasts. Cup size should be big enough to contain all the breast tissue. Straps should not be taking the weight and should be comfy and not too tight. If you need to continually tighten the straps, other aspects of the garment aren’t right. Choose a style that suits your breast shape and lifestyle. Remember, your shape changes with age. When trying bras on jump up and down, run on the spot – if the garment moves around it’s not right for you.

exercise because of a discomfiting “bounce”, into the gym or on to the road! “If your band is the correct snugness and your size and style are correct, there should be no bounce,” explains Sarah. “The band is the most important part of the garment. It should fit horizontally and snugly around the back and not creep up. Straps shouldn’t be tight and the cups should ‘scoop’ the sides of your boobs together.”

With her full range of ladies underwear imported from the UK, Germany, America and Spain, Sarah is confident she can help all women find new comfort. As she says, “You may be wearing the right size but the wrong style for your shape. Our job is to find the sweet spot which offers the most comfort but still leaves you feeling sexy.”

*FOR MORE INFO 084 894 4676; orders@sarahelizabeth.co.za; Shop 11, Sage Centre, 1 Old Fort Road, Salt Rock