Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Debra Swersky. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Debra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
I would change the education system to be more practical and applicable to everyday life. The focus would shift from teaching material to creating experiences where students can practice fundamental life skills and different careers in an integrative and safe environment.
The class that I remember from elementary/middle school was a math class where we ran a fake business and balanced a checkbook. I still think about the life lessons learned in this section: budgeting, checking statements, managing expenses, etc. Lessons that (lucky for me!) my parents reinforced later in life with my own finances. It wasn’t until much later in life, when I pursued my MBA, that I would understand why that curriculum resonated with me: I could use the information I learned to help myself and others.
My MBA is from Babson College: the leader in entrepreneurship education. Their approach is hands-on and experiential. Though I could go on to say many wonderful things about their program, the most important thing that I learned while there is that everyone is and can be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is how you see the world and what you do about what you’ve seen to make the world a better place.
I believe that an integrated curriculum built with hands-on, relatable, projects will help students in today’s educational system identify problems, have the confidence to develop solutions, and take on the responsibility to solve the world’s problems.
Debra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
In my 20’s I employed a personal stylist to help me figure out my wardrobe. I wanted go-to clothing, a uniform of sorts, that represented me and rules to play by to make the shopping experience less overwhelming. We settled on bright colors mixed with neutrals, a style of flattering pants that made me feel comfortable, and a wide variety of flats and fun-colored sneakers. I felt empowered by my choice, creativity, and sense of self. Some would say “comfortable in my own skin.”
Until 2017.
In 2017 I was diagnosed with primary lymphedema, chronic swelling that affects my right leg and my right leg only. To manage my condition I wear either compression garments or bandages in a blah, beige, color. The condition is painful, unsightly, and requires consistent, mentally debilitating, maintenance which creates dysmorphic thoughts, anxiety, constant conversations with curious strangers, and the endless search for normalcy.
From the moment that I first noticed the swelling in my thigh, the tightness of my pants on one side of my body, and the difference in the weight of my leg, I felt rocked: off, discouraged, confused, unbalanced, restrained… like I didn’t know who I was anymore. I learned how to manage my condition with compression and bandages and hated the way I looked. I wanted to be myself, the empowered, self-assured, woman who I knew that I was, but I felt chronically uncomfortable with my image. Thus, instead of you seeing me, you were likely questioning what was wrong with my leg. Our entire exchange started out on the wrong foot. This same exchange played out every time I looked in the mirror too with myself. Life felt exhausting.
Until I covered up my compression garment with a bold, fun, print and made it a fashion statement.
I made a choice. I decided how I wanted to look. I developed my own style. And there she was the empowered, self-assured, woman who walked this earth before 2017. The conversation we were having immediately changed. No longer were we questioning what was wrong with my leg. Rather, we were admiring my style: you and I both!
Stemwear launched its signature silhouette, a one-legged legging, in 2022. It’s both a cover-up to a compression garment and fashionable leggings for those looking to skirt the ordinary. The pattern acts as both a camouflage and a highlighter. A camouflage to my compression garment and a highlight to my unaffected leg. It works the same for those NOT covering anything up!
Differences in our bodies can, and should be, celebrated. Stemwear is designed to help people stand out, stand strong, and stand proud by normalizing the differences in our bodies shape, size, and structure, in a way that celebrates them.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Stemwear built its audience on social media slowly, organically, and with care. When Stemwear launched on social media, we instantly found a community of people who understood the mental strife that came with wearing compression garments and bandages. They go by “lymphies” or “lymphedema warriors.” These are individuals who embrace their condition and want to help others do the same. One-by-one we engaged with these individuals. We checked their profiles trying to figure out if they dressed up their garments or bandages or covered them up. We enjoyed their content: bandaging tutorials, getting ready with garment videos, travel tips and pictures by commenting and liking. We messaged with them to understand their stories and oftentimes invited them into our network. Though we may never meet everyone who we’ve engaged with on-line, we remember that it’s a person on the other side of the picture and handle who has made a choice to follow, like, engage with our content (and us theirs).
Hashtags, algorithms, the aesthetic of one’s feed, new features, and keeping up all come with their own challenges. We try to take an intentional and human-centered approach to social media by delivering helpful content to our audience.
Our advice would be: don’t worry about the number of likes, follows, or amount of engagement you’re receiving. Provide the best product that you can to the people that need/want it and make sure that your supporters know how much you appreciate them.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
Stemwear is manufactured by a woman-owned activewear manufacturer based in the US. Due to the customized product (i.e. style, size, and design selected), we do not hold inventory. Rather, we operate with a minimum order quantity that allows us to provide the best version of the product as it’s needed for our customers.
Though initial prototypes of Stemwear involved cutting the leg off of a pair of leggings, the actual product for manufacturing needed a blueprint for printing, cutting, and sewing. Finding a studio that could both help with the technical documentation, provide the prototypes, and prepare Stemwear to scale, was a dream come true.
The most important lesson I learned about manufacturing is sizing and the change in scale needed for sizes XXS to XXL (and beyond). It was an important lesson for the brand to learn as we celebrated the differences in everyone’s shape, size, and structure.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wearstemwear.com
- Instagram: @wearstemwear
- Facebook: /wearstemwear
Image Credits
Photographer: Joseph Brewster