Hey besties,
My name is Sarah, but everyone always called me Sera, so It grew on me, haha. I’m 32 years old, born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya.
When someone asks what’s my story, so many things flush in my head because it’s been one long but exciting journey.
I’m a legal associate by profession. Growing up, I watched my mother tailor big yards of fabrics into different outfits for her four girls and matching shirts for her son. Occasionally she would make cushion covers, and we would all be matching the whole living room. Boy wasn’t that annoying, haha. Well, primarily for my big sisters, who were now teenagers discovering wide-leg jeans and bear backs.
We all learned tailoring just by watching our mum and her best friend spend long afternoons tailoring and chit-chatting in laughter. Looking back, I can’t explain how beautiful that was.
As an adult, I focussed on a career that would advocate for me a city life and respect in an African home. Degrees are a big deal in our African culture, so everyone takes pride in bringing one home.
However, studying law on and off due to school fees hiccups, I slowly started developing anxiety and worries about my future. Finally, I lost interest and slipped into depression, became a young single mum, and Mother Nature slapped me right on my face into a lifetime consciousness.
By 25, I had worked in the tourism and hotels industry, then moved to Medical sales, where I discovered my passion and interest for sales and reaching targets. In this job, while making connections, I learned the crafts of business.
In 2015 I boarded a flight to China, and my fashion entrepreneurship was born.
I opened up SHOENIVERSE DIVAS and ran it up until the end of 2020. It was easy to run the business with the help of trustworthy employees. Then came Covid and struck us. Since we live with my husband and kids in Switzerland, I could no longer check in now and then because of the travel ban. Also, due to curfews in my hometown, it became an impossible hustle. So I sadly bid my Shoeniverse goodbye.
Living in Switzerland as a mom and having no family or friends became harder. In addition, the language barrier and different education systems meant that I needed more time and more study to find something in the career world.
I decided to relive my mother’s passion and started tailoring my clothes and my kids alongside German lessons.
And that’s how I birthed prettyohmy. I tailored and sourced for well-made products and accessories, had my husband design a website and besties; it’s been quite an experience.
Switzerland is a very different culture compared to my own. Still, it’s through this platform that I have met women and ladies who understood my background, supported me, and became friends.
On 14th February 2021, Prettyohmy became a part of my love story. Every day I interact with amazing souls as I find my bearing in Switzerland.
My story and business will continue.
