We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sajalyn Tovar. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sajalyn below.

Sajalyn, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents gave me a great home to live in, an education and taught me importance of having moral values and that things done well and with love are important.. They were the base I relied on to be able to study my career, and learn everything I now know. They also planted in me a love for sports, and were always there to cheer me on.

I’ve been a swimmer since I was a kid and always felt frustrated with the swimsuits available for purchase, At 9 years old I asked my mother to design a swimsuit for me, She had a small atelier but she didn’t know how to make swimsuits, she decided to take a course and she took me with her. After that, swimsuits became my purpose.

As I became older I noticed so many women with a similar problem of not finding a swimsuit in which they felt comfortable.
For this reason my mother and I created a swimsuit brand in Venezuela, and when I migrated to the US, I decided to continue my passion by creating Saja Swimwear. I’ve always been thankful with my mother for being supportive, and never trying to change my mind.

Sajalyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a fashion designer with an expertise in swimwear.

I have over 20 years of experience in the design, manufacturing and logistics of the swimwear industry, and now I am bringing all that experience out in my brand Saja Swimwear.

In my experience many women experience trouble finding a swimsuit in which they feel comfortable. the swimsuit that highlights those parts they are proud of and covers parts of their body they don’t want any attention on. This is a common problem, thus I design swimwear that is focused not only on looking good, but also being extremely functional in this regard, and since all of our swimsuits are made to order it is easy to accommodate to our customer’s needs.

Saja Swimwear is a brand that offers multifunctional pieces, one style you can wear in so many ways and different occasions

As mentioned before, all of our product are made to order in the USA, and we work with locally sourced supplies as much as possible.

Saja swimwear also provides a personalized custom design service, we meet with the customer, evaluate existing designs and options to configure a swimsuit that is built specifically for that customer, something that fits like a tailored dress, made only for you.

We make emphasis in quality, durability, and customer service. Quality is the first remark our customer make when they touch or try one of our swimsuits, and they notice how different they feel to the touch to mass produced swimsuits that you can find on retail stores.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I moved to the USA, I had no money so I started working in any job I could get, jobs like waiter, factory worker, retail, or working for other designers but always with the mind of saving money to start my own business and I gradually bought everything single element that I needed to create my own swimsuit factory. It took me years but I did it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2016 I traveled to the USA to spend a few weeks with my sister who had migrated the year before. During that time my country’s financial and social situation took a downturn and my parents convinced me to apply for asylum and stay in the USA. It was a big change for me because I had not planned to leave my country, and I had to adapt and improvise to create a new life. I left my store, my house, and my family behind and started over.

Another pivot was In 2020 when the pandemic began and people stayed at home, My business stopped, my product was not essential.

I had to find a solution because I was going to run out of money. One day when I needed to go to the supermarket, I realized that I needed a face mask and I decided to make one, took a photo, and listed it on my Etsy shop.

The next day I began receiving orders, and each day that passed there were more and more orders coming in. I began manufacturing face masks in quantity, to be able to support myself during that year.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sajaswimwear.com
• Instagram: @sajaswimwear, @saja.tovar
• Facebook: sajaswimwear