"Just start, learn from your mistakes, and enjoy the process" with Samantha Harding

Samantha Harding is a Fashion designer and now businesswoman living in London. She had everything ripped from her at a young age due to life events but she still perceives to live her dream with her brand Sahar by Samantha Harding and enjoy the process during the way. Grateful to still be alive and have amazing support from those who know who they are!

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I was born in Dubai and raised in UAE, always on the beach. In my teenage years I moved to Brazil, Brazilian mum was scared of war outbreaks in a close Arabic country. In brazil I started surfing, always found an excuse to leave school early and hit the waves, luckily I never failed any subject so wasn’t a problem. I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer ever since I can remember, always drawing croquis at a very young age. I went to fashion university but like school always traveling to surf different waves around the world from Hawaii to Tahiti. I started my business in university selling to friends and friends of friends. In 2017 I was in a life-threatening accident where my ex-boyfriend was drunk and driving like a manic on an island in Brazil called Fernando de Noronha, miraculously I survived, hence the doctor walking and the first site looking at me saying `How is this girl still alive. I was forced to stay awake through the whole process, if I decided to take the nap I was ever longing for I would have died. I had over 100 stitches all over my body, ruptured all the ligaments in my right ankle. I was 4 months in bed without being able to move nor able to do anything by myself and had to learn to walk again slowly. The recovery process was `fast` as doctors said because I focused on staying calm, keeping me positive & eating organic. I also received the lovely news of staying three years out of the sun and not surfing for a year. The things I most loved in life were taken away from me. Now I have almost fully recovered with scares to remind me how I’m grateful to still be alive and still continue to pursue my dream. I had a choice to start fresh and move to London so here I am, now based in London. Sahar by Samantha Harding is my dream and I work on it until I get there, where every there is. I sell my designs in a lot of luxury boutiques around the world, focusing on Bali and trying to aim at exotic destinations to keep it exclusive now just launching in Las Vegas and Ibiza, also selling online.

What inspired you to start your business?

I’ve always loved to design clothes from an early age. When I got into surfing at the age of 13 there were never any nice bikinis to wear so I started to make my own. So one day I woke up and just decided to create Sahar, now know as Sahar by Samantha Harding. My whole life revolved around surfing, I did try to become a pro surfer but when I started competing all the fun started to disappear so I kept it as a hobby and focused on Fashion.

Where is your business based?

At the moment my business is Based in Brazil, I’m based in London, I have structured it in a anyway I can live a nomad life. All my designs are produced locally and hand-made in Brazil. The real Brazilian swimwear.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I started it in university in Brazil – Rio de Janeiro selling to friends because they liked and wanted my designs in 2012. I slowly started to expand and let the brand unravel itself through time.  Now I Have a few representatives around the world in places like California, Malta, Portugal, and Bali. Every day my brand grows a little more. Slowly but surely.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

I used to do a lot of influential marketing in Brazil which got me on the map but nowadays I focus on getting them into boutiques in exotic locations where the product sells itself. One put it on and you're sold. I also like to create content with people I find influential and who have some kind of amazing talent like singers, DJs, successful women with real talent. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

The accident was my biggest challenge because you never expect to go through something like that. My first question to the doctors after I was all sewn up was, `when will I be able to surf again` they looked at me and laughed. I was in the middle of my MBA when it happened and was finishing the course, I basically had to stop everything I was doing and focus on recovery which was really hard because I was doing so well and earning about 30k per month, but I did still work a little bit every day from my cellphone secretly.

Also making the decision to move to London, I’ve always been a girl whose second home was in the sun on the beach or in the sea surfing, all that was taken away from me. The funny story is after many painful sessions with the dermatologist who was looking after my wounds, he said to me, why don’t you move to London, you have a passport & family there, hence my dad in born and raised in London, so I thought for 1 minute and decided to follow his advice, I mean I couldn’t go in the sun for three years and where in the world is there no sun? LONDON! After facing two big challenges of a heavy life-changing accident, deciding to move countries, now Covid. At least everyone took a hit with this one.

How do you stay focused?

I put in about 4/5h daily into my business no matter what, I try to keep my diet clean and healthy, also hit the gym or exercise when I feel I get overworked for some reason. I also like to keep a pen and notebook by my bed and in my bag, just in case my cellphone is dead because I get flashes of designs and great ideas out of the blue and very randomly.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Everything is designed by me, but I do add commercial pieces to the collection just to keep the collection balanced. Everyone loves a simple classic bikini. I also aim to use the best quality materials there is, I try sustainable fabrics but sometimes the quality is just not that good as one of Sahar`s goals is long-lasting pieces, I still have bikinis which I wear today from my first collection, so do my close friends. I also get my collections produced locally and all in Brazil with local family businesses, which come from the communities’ aka Favelas. It’s a way to help the less fortunate by giving them incomes whereas in Brazil the difference in classes is crazy. Also before I do business with anybody in production I personally head down and check everything out, meeting the families and the places my designs get made.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Reaching out to exclusive beautiful boutiques to sell my designs and Instagram ads.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Just start, learn from your mistakes & enjoy the process.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

I read a lot, I have a lot of favorite books but one I found very changing was Celestine prophecy and principles by Ray Dalios. I carried the big book of principle all through Bali, a big mistake but kept me busy in Ubud and Lembongan ( if know know, you know). I aim to read about 2/3 books monthly ranging from business/ marketing/ self-help, anything that will help me improve as a person.

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

With my cellphone, I can do everything from it. Just use the appropriate apps.

Who is your business role model? Why?

My dad, always knows what to do, to say, and pulls me out of the deep-end always.

How do you balance work and life?

I’m a workaholic; I love to work because I feel like I’m not working. When you love what you do it doesn’t feel like work, except for the stressful moments but then a little bit of yoga, mediation, or surf just erases all the stress.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Going to a restaurant and enjoying a nice meal, yoga, meditation, surfing or just getting out into nature. Lots of parks in London.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

After just expanding to Las Vegas and Ibiza, Launching my new collection, I plan to work on my next collection, look at new places to expand & enjoy the process.

How can our readers connect with you?

Through my email – Saharswimwear@hotmail.com

Or my business Whatsapp - +55 21 986527437

Website : www.saharswimwear.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/saharswimwear

My instgram: www.instagram.com/samanthaaharding