If you have been following any of the Summer Olympics then you may have heard of Sarah Robles (Team USA Weightlifting). She is the highest ranked weightlifter in the country and last year she attained 11th place at the world championships.
Sarah’s story has been making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook the last few weeks (maybe longer) but not for what you would expect — her strength, her talent, her skills — but for her lack of income. Competing athletes who do not fit the typical athletic mold find it near impossible to find sponsorship to help support their lifestyles — you know, training endlessly day in and day out.
In Sarah’s case it makes it really hard to find nice clothes too. For her team photos “Sarah had to wear the men’s clothing options, rolling the sleeves to look more feminine.” Thanks to social networking her story caught the eye of stylist and fashion editor Jenny Davis (Indulge Magazine) who joined forces with Ming Wang to outfit Sarah with a travel wardrobe.
I admit I am pretty unfamiliar with Ming Wang (Nordstrom, Dillard’s, etc.) but I think Sarah looks great and will fit in well in London. And the no fuss “wrinkle-free, machine washable, fade-resistant, and travel friendly” dressing will be one less thing she has to worry about when she is over there.
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Topic Links
* Support Sarah Robles on her Facebook fan page
* Learn more about the Ming Wang clothing line
Eve says
I think that it’s totally awesome that Sarah Robles is raising the bar for lady lifters even while she’s fighting poverty. Learning about her story makes her more inspiring. A lot of people have a problem like her, you know, having trouble finding something that would fit her well and it’s really cool to see some designers help her out. 🙂
Jenny Davis says
Thanks so much for running this story! Working with Sarah was amazing — she is truly inspirational! If anyone has any questions about the clothes and techniques I used to create a travel wardrobe for her, including Ming Wang and ASOS, please message me through my plus-size lingerie company facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/beatrixprive Also, the photo credit on the right should read Photo by Rima Canaan Lee. Thanks again!
Moe says
Hi Jenny, thanks for popping by. The photo on the right? The PR rep did not mention photo credits so sorry I missed that. They also did not mention there were other companies involved like ASOS so I appreciate you pointing it out.