COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT - Sarah from NARA Swim
In this month’s community highlight, we had a conversation with Sarah, one of our lovely SCOUT clients who is just launching her own swimwear brand! After a career in the Fashion Industry and as a buyer at The Iconic, she decided to let her own creativity shine and start her own thing! She also has a huge Pilates obsession and recently completed her instructor training. Read her story below!
Hi Sarah, can you share a little bit of your background and what brought you to your passion for swimwear & fashion design?
I’ve worked in the fashion industry for almost half of my life, starting in retail when I was 16. After I finished my degree in Business, I wanted to spend some time living and working overseas, so I moved to London for 2 years (very original, I know). While I was there, I worked with the merchandising team for ASOS, which is mostly working with numbers and spreadsheets, but it opened my eyes to the world of ‘Buying’. Once I began to understand that buying centred a lot more on creativity and focused on product, I knew it was the career for me!
When it was time to move back to Australia, I decided to make Sydney my new home and began working at The Iconic. During my time there, I worked as a Buyer for their private label team in the Swimwear department and fell in love with it all! It allowed for so much creativity, which was so much fun! I have always been a big fan of going to the beach and being outdoors, so it was the perfect merge of fashion and my favourite things. Since moving away from the Fashion industry career-wise, I have missed the creativity it allowed me, and have always wanted to start my own business, thus Nara Swim was born in 2023.
Can you tell us more about the story of Nara Swim, what inspired you to create it and what makes it different from other swimwear brands?
I have always loved being by the water–the beach is my favourite place to be, and I’ve had a particular interest in swim/resort wear since the beginning of my time in the fashion industry, so it felt like the natural route for me. Nara Swim is named after my mum–her name is Channara, which is such a beautiful and unique name. I wanted to pay tribute to her as she is a really inspirational person and sacrificed so much for my sisters and me to have the opportunities we have.
What makes Nara different from other swimwear labels is that our designs are fully reversible–each design will have an exclusive print on one side and a complimenting plain colour on the reverse side. This allows for versatility with different combinations to choose from, meaning you don’t need to spend as much for multiple options, and you don’t need to pack as much when going on holidays (I’m a chronic over-packer so I’m always looking for solutions to help with this…haha).
On top of that, we aim to use sustainable/recycled fabrics where possible, and a number of our print inspirations have come from deadstock or old vintage fabrics that I have sourced from different markets around the world. Each print is really unique, which was an important aspect to me, as we didn’t want the focus to be on trends, we wanted the pieces to feel timeless and be something people can wear over and over for a lot of years to come.
And lastly (and the thing I’m most excited about), is the opportunity to showcase different communities, artists and cultures. We are currently working on some really exciting projects (stay tuned for our next collection) which we have worked on with some incredible female artists from around the world. It involves learning about the meaning behind the art, the intricacies of how these pieces are created, and what it means to their communities. I have always wanted to promote and showcase different cultures and communities through art and fashion, so I’m really excited that Nara Swim can be part of something like this!
What does a typical weekday (or week) look like for you?
I like to keep active, so I’m generally up around 5:30 am for a 6 am pilates class at Scout or a sunrise coastal walk and swim. When I get home, I start my 9-5, and then after work, I like to cook myself dinner or catch up with friends. Earlier in the week, I’m usually in hibernation mode, so I like to go for a walk around Sydney Park and then do some work on Nara, or get myself to one of Monica or Kitty’s mid-week yoga classes to help my brain and body reset.
What do you most love about your creative job?
I love that I actually get to be creative! It’s so good for the soul, and it’s really cool to see my vision come to life. It’s so fun working with other creatives as well and seeing the way they interpret your vision. Collaborating and creating something together with others is a really rewarding feeling. I’m quite open throughout the design process, and I trust everyone I work with, so I love seeing them add their unique touch to whatever I have tried to convey from my brain. One of the coolest parts of this whole process was to see the finished product on the model for our Nara campaign shoot–it was so special to see it all come to life!
What is your personal favourite swimsuit or a must-have from your range to come?
That’s like asking me to pick my favourite (non-existent) child! Very difficult…but if I had to choose, I think it would be Agatha/Dusty Pink or Mila/Burnt Orange. I’ll definitely be living in these all Summer!
Do you have any advice to help people find their perfect fit within your range?
We have tried to make sizing easier for customers by ensuring 90% of our range is adjustable. That way, you can size up or down depending on how much coverage you want.
What is your main goal for Nara Swim in 2025?
To showcase and collaborate with different artists and talent, and to be able to give back to various communities and charities through the brand. I would love to run a few community events and activations as well, so I’m really excited about the new connections that will be built in 2025 and the amazing opportunities that can be created from this!
When you’re not working, what are you up to / how do you like to spend your free time?
Pilates – I love it so much! I just finished my reformer instructor course, so I have been spending most of my time at different studios, learning as much as I can from all the amazing instructors in Sydney. Otherwise, I’m out on a coastal walk or at the beach with friends. I also love going out for a nice dinner or hosting dinner parties with friends over a good wine. When I can, I enjoy getting myself back up to Brisbane and spending time with my friends and family, and hanging out with my sweet little nephews.
Finally, where can we find your products?
You can find us on Instagram, or via our website link (below). I’ve created a discount code for my beautiful Scout friends–hopefully see you in Nara!
Discount Code: SCOUT15
Instagram - @nara_swim
Website - https://naraswim.co/