At a young age Sara Simmons knew she had a flair for fashion when she would pick out fabrics so her mom could make her dresses. She instinctively knew that she was born the ability to understand and forsee upcoming fashion trends when she saw the same pink polka dot fabric that she had chosen months prior for her own dress in a major department store window. This pattern seemed to keep repeating itself year after year. Sara was proud and thought it must be hereditary, as the family story goes, her distant cousin on her maternal grandfather's side, was Norman Hartnell, the Queen's dressmaker from 1938-1979 and founded the successful House of Hartnell in London, England.
Sara moved to Chicago two weeks after high school to study fashion design. She graduated in 2003 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Fashion Design from the International Academy of Design and Technology in Chicago, IL and since then shes been exploring many avenues in fashion and business.
After graduation, she studied abroad, touring Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France and England. She then returned to the U.S. and worked for an online apparel company as the Customer & Vendor Relationship Manager and Assistant Production Manager. In her role, she helped implement new product lines, managed e-commerce by building relationships with suppliers, vendors and consumers in addition to implementing operational strategies for the production warehouse.
With a passion for business, Sara decided to move to London to pursue her Master's of Business Administration in International Business at the American Inter Continental University in London. During her three years there, Sara worked for the Financial Times Group as a Research Analyst regarding global M&A activity for their Remark Publications division.
After pursuing and developing her business skills, Sara worked in the buying department of the famous Liberty's Department Store in London where she assisted the Women's, Men's and Accessory Buyers.
In 2007, Sara returned to Chicago as the Business Manager of CellKeeper. CellKeeper was created to bridge fashion and function in accessory carrying solutions for essential items.
In addition, Sara also started her own clothing label for plus size women, Courbes Sera. Courbes Sera, French for curves will be. Being her own clientele, she knew there was a need for high end designer fashion for the plus size apparel industry. Since conception, Courbes Sera strives to be the premier fashion house for the full figured woman, offering luxe apparel for women's wear. Courbes Sera's mission is to create luxe apparel inspired by old Hollywood glamour in pieces that can be worn day to evening for the women's plus size market. Designer, Sara Simmons, is inspired by her international travels, beautiful fabrics, and anything & everything that is glamorous.
Sara currently lives in Chicago and is involved in several organizations, including the Apparel Industry Board (AIBI), Fashion Group International (FGI) and National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).
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