Last week, I shared the story of why SARA was created.
But an idea for a skirt and a skirt that actually works in everyday life are two rather different things.
And somewhere between the two…
there are prototypes.
The First SARA
When I began designing SARA, I knew what I wanted her to do.
She needed to be Sustainable, Adaptable, Reversible and Adjustable.
She needed to work with a changing body rather than expecting a body to remain the same size.
She needed two wearable sides so that one skirt could work with more of the clothes already hanging in a wardrobe.
And she needed to be equally happy with sandals, trainers, boots or wellies.
On paper, it all sounded perfectly sensible.
Then I had to make her.
And that’s when the learning really began.
Prototype One
The first prototype wasn’t supposed to be perfect.
It was there to answer questions.
Did the adjustable design actually work?
Was it comfortable?
Could you move easily in it?
Did the reversible idea work in practice rather than just in my head?
Would someone genuinely choose to wear it on an ordinary day?
Some things worked.
Some things needed changing.
So we changed them.
Then we tried again.
Prototype Two
The next SARA was a little closer.
Small adjustments were made.
Ideas were reconsidered.
Details that looked right on the sewing table had to prove themselves away from it.
Because I didn’t want to design a skirt that simply photographed beautifully.
I wanted to design one that could live beautifully.
And for that, I needed some help.
Enter Vicki and Sue
Two of SARA’s prototypes went off into the world with Vicki and Sue.
Their job wasn’t to tell me that SARA was lovely.
Their job was to wear her.
Really wear her.
To walk in her.
Sit in her.
Spend ordinary days in her.
Wear her with different shoes.
Live their normal lives.
And notice.
What felt comfortable?
What didn’t?
What worked particularly well?
Was anything irritating?
Was there anything they would change?
Would they actually reach for her again?
Those answers mattered far more to me than perfection.
SARA Went Out Into the World
And this is perhaps my favourite part of her story so far.
SARA went places.
She pottered around a greenhouse.
She stood amongst sweet peas in a garden.
She went to the coast.
She even paddled in the sea.
Exactly the sort of ordinary adventures I had hoped she might have.
And all the while, Vicki and Sue were helping me discover the little things that could make her better.
Their feedback came back to the sewing table.
Another adjustment.
Another thought.
Another prototype.
Try it again.
Because thoughtful design isn’t always about getting something right the first time.
Sometimes it’s about being prepared to listen.
People Love Seeing Care. Not Perfection.
I think we’ve become rather accustomed to seeing finished things.
The perfect photograph.
The finished garment.
The polished launch.
But there’s a whole story before that point.
There are pieces of fabric on the cutting table.
Pins.
Seams that are unpicked.
Ideas that don’t quite work.
Ideas that work better than expected.
Cups of tea that go cold while you think about something.
And people kind enough to say,
“Have you thought about doing it this way?”
That’s part of making something thoughtfully.
And I don’t think we should hide it.
Nearly Ready
SARA isn’t being hurried.
She has been allowed the time to become the skirt I hoped she could be.
A skirt that adapts.
A skirt that can change with you.
A skirt with two sides.
A skirt that doesn’t mind whether you’re wearing sandals, trainers, boots or wellies.
A skirt for sunshine, chilly mornings, gardens, coastlines and ordinary Tuesdays.
Perhaps SARA’s product testers have already taught us something rather important.
Clothes shouldn’t just work on the day we buy them.
They should work in our lives.
SARA will be arriving at Beautiful Benevolence at the end of August.
If you’d like us to introduce you when she arrives, we’d love to send you a little note.
Until then, she’s still spending a little time with us at the sewing table.
And I think that’s exactly where she should be.