My name is Sarah, I'm the Founder & CEO of Holen Apparel and I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
It was in the Summer of 2016 when I decided to go my church's temple and receive my garments. I made a vow to wear these religious garments under my clothes as a reminder of the covenants I've made with God. I decided to have this clothing that consists of a short sleeve top and knee length bottom remind me for the gratitude I have for my body and to continue to respectfully take care of it.
Although I'm happy I've made the decision to dress modestly it hasn't been as walk in the park finding clothes that make me...well...feel like me.
A year in, I've already donated or sold 80% of my clothes because none of them worked with the garments. I'd stand in my closet looking for something to wear to a night out with my girls and silent tears would stream down my face because I had "nothing to wear" (dramatic but true).
Two years in, I was getting ready to attend my sister's 21st birthday celebration in Las Vegas and I needed a bomb dress to wear. I found a sassy sequin dress at my local Nordstroms Rack and tried it on with high hopes...it was of course, too short. I headed home defeated and packed a church dress.
This was the final straw for me. I vented to my friends about the difficulty I was having with dressing modestly and wanting to look unique, sexy, and not basic. They agreed and vented about the same thing. I realized that I'm not alone in this and I'm too stubborn to stand aside and not doing anything about it.
Four years in, I started a clothing company called Holen Apparel. It would sell modest womenswear with an urban edge. We would serve other women with a selection of clothing that would be modest, unique, and dare I say...sexy. I partnered with my sister Mary Jane (the Las Vegas Birthday one) and we would drive around Los Angeles hand curating items to sell in our shop.
This was just the beginning.
