“I’M ON A MISSION”
Inspiration for major life changes can come from many different places, and Sarah Jordan (45) from Oxford, founder of Y.O.U Underwear – youunderwear.com is happy to confirm that hers is pants...
I used to work in the charity and education spaces, with a degree in Geography and Computing (my original dream was to be a weather forecaster!) and subsequent
MA in Electronic Media taking me into the ‘tech for good’ realm. I led Oxfam’s digital communications and strategy teams for many years, then moved to the MS Society in London as digital director. I set up my own digital strategy consultancy
having gone freelance, but it all changed when I went to Uganda in 2016 as par t of the Uganda International Marathon volunteering programme. I was turning 40, had just come out of a relationship and wanted to go on an adventure that made a difference.
That trip changed my life in many ways. I saw the impact of not having under wear, with many women and girls in the local community missing up to a week of school or work each month when they had their periods, just because they were missing the basic necessity of a pair of pants.
I ran the marathon with an unknown stress fracture, badly broke it during the run and spent the next 15 months on crutches when it didn’t heal.
I had to give up my London work and commute, but it did give me the chance to create what would become Y.O.U Under wear.
I had no experience in fashion, or manufacturing ... or any of the elements of the business I am now running, so it was a complete shift for me. I also never thought I would be running my own business, so it’s been a learning experience from day
“My strong belief in helping others fed into the business”
one. My inexperience did mean that I approached things differently though and my strong belief in helping others and having a positive impact fed into the business from the star t, despite that causing many of its own challenges. We’ve definitely grown more slowly and are less profitable than if we’d not focused on the sustainable elements – being Fair trade, using only organic cotton, paying Living Wages etc, but to me that’s a no-brainer and I’m now on a mission to prove that business and fashion can be a force for good.