How Itfits Came to Life: Behind the Seams

What a year it’s been.

This past year has been a whirlwind, full of highs, lows, stress, joy, and relief. I think I’ve felt every emotion imaginable. My journey began in September 2024, when I decided to turn a long-held dream into reality: launching my own women’s sports footwear and apparel brand.

It all started with an idea to design a pink compression shirt for my basketball team to wear under our pink jerseys for Breast Cancer Awareness. I began searching for manufacturers in Canada and was eventually connected through a friend with a company in North Vancouver. That’s where I met an incredibly kind and supportive gentleman who believed in my vision and helped me bring it to life. After a few samples, I landed on a design I was proud of. It wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned; creating the perfect product would’ve required more time and money than I had. As a student-athlete, my resources were limited, so I made it work with what I had.

On Valentine’s Day 2025, my team wore the pink jerseys and compression shirts. It was a hit. The feedback from my community was overwhelmingly positive and gave me the confidence to keep building itfits.

In April, I met someone who introduced me to a mentor who guided me through the entire overseas manufacturing process. As a new business owner, navigating manufacturers, documentation, and registration was daunting. I couldn’t have done it without the support and guidance from this person; you know who you are, and I’m endlessly grateful.

By May, we had partnered with a small manufacturing company in Pakistan. The team there was amazing, easygoing, and hardworking, and they were truly a joy to collaborate with. Of course, the process had its challenges. I wanted to expand the basketball line with shorts and refine the compression shirts. The first sample was rough, expensive, and far from what I had imagined. Still, I kept going. The vision was always exciting, but the reality of building a business was tough. Every dollar I spent came with a little voice in my head saying, “This could go toward your first house… a down payment… a new car.” But I kept coming back to one truth: I want to live a fulfilling life, and this is what fulfills me. If I never tried, I’d always wonder, “What if?”

After countless samples and endless fabric trials (seriously, FABRIC, FABRIC, FABRIC!), I finally landed on materials I loved for both the shorts and compression shirts. It was a proud moment placing my first real order, 100 compression shirts and 50 basketball shorts, made for female athletes, by a female athlete. And don’t even get me started on CARM and international shipping procedures. That part of the journey was a whole new world. I’m incredibly thankful for a short-term job I had, where I met two experienced and generous gentlemen who guided me through the maze of international regulations and logistics. Their support helped me navigate the headaches of customs, paperwork, and shipping requirements—things I had no idea how to handle on my own. Though I’m no longer with that company, I truly live by the saying, “everything happens for a reason.” If I hadn’t taken that job and crossed paths with those two, my gear might still be stuck overseas.

Then, just as production wrapped up, disaster struck. Pakistan was hit with mass flooding. On the day my shipment was supposed to leave, the roads were completely undrivable. I had already registered and paid for the Stephen Ave Market and was preparing to launch my retail website. Time was not on my side. I had made promises to my customers that I couldn’t break. That week felt like a year. I checked in daily, worried about my partners in Pakistan and the fate of my order.

Thankfully, after more than a week, they were able to access the factory and poured their hearts into finishing my garments. I’m so grateful to have worked with such dedicated and kind people. With a little faith and a lot of hope, my products were finally shipped.

Two weeks before my very first pop-up, the stress was real. But then, the boxes arrived on my doorstep, and the rest is history…

I’m endlessly inspired by fellow self-starting entrepreneurs. Knowing the blood, sweat, and tears that go into building a small business makes me appreciate this journey even more. I can’t wait to see where itfits goes next, and I’ll be sure to keep you updated every step of the way.

Thank you for reading.

xx, Sar