Sara Carney is the founder of Desert Lily Vintage, an Australian-designed and made online women's fashion label. The sustainable resort wear is made from linen and renewed vintage bed linen.
Tell us about your business and how it started?
I am the owner, designer and manufacture of a sustainable resort wear fashion label for women. I create beautiful, size inclusive and comfortable clothing from vintage bed linen and linen in neutral tones.
It all started 10 years ago with a sewing machine and a dream. It has taken me years of learning the art of sewing and dressmaking and with a qualification in fashion design I finally took the leap to launch the label in 2021. I am grateful everyday to design and sew beautiful clothing for women so that they feel confident and empowered within themselves.
What is your biggest achievement in business?
What challenges or hurdles have your faced in business?
I still feel like the biggest hurdles is knowing when to ask for help and when to outsource certain aspects of the business. This is still very much a work in progress.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of owning your own business?
Like most women I wanted to have the freedom to be with my boys (now 10 and 9 years) as they grow and be available for the school drops and pick ups, after school activities and quality time. I love that my boys can be with me in my studio and see Mum still pursuing her passions, creating beautiful garments for women and learning new skills.
Who or what inspires you and your creative process?
Women inspire me! We are just so adaptive, strong, flexible and compassionate in nature and we deserve to have clothing that is functional, comfortable, makes us feel confident and sexy in our unique bodies and feel overall empowered to take on the world.
I mean why do we still get excited about pockets in our dresses or pants? Could you imagine the coup that would happen if men didn't have pockets in their pants or shorts? Our clothing should have all the same available functions as men. *I'll get off my soap box now
What is the best piece of business advice you were given?
"The road to success and the road to failure is almost exactly the same, so just keep moving along the road". It has not let me down yet.
What do you love most about where you live?
I love our little country town by the sea in Queensland. I drive past the sugar cane and farming fields to have a surf with my boys among the turtles. It is my idea of heaven.
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