This page was exported from Caledon Citizen [ https://caledoncitizen.com ] Export date:Thu Jul 18 7:26:25 2024 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: One size does not fit all - Caledon resident opens custom bikini business --------------------------------------------------- Written By REBECCA WESTON Calista Desousa is the owner and seamstress of Alfa Swimwear, which she runs out of her home in Caledon.  Desousa created her company and designed her bikinis to promote body confidence.  “I started it because I couldn't really find any bikinis that fit my body perfectly and it was really hard because bikinis are really expensive and most of them are made in Australia, or far away, so they cost a lot of money to ship,” said Desousa.  She realized that if she was having trouble finding a bikini that provided that perfect fit, there must be other females having the same problem.  Desousa came up with a design where most of the bikinis are adjustable so that each part of them can be fixed to any girl's body type. This, Desousa says, helps to show you don't need to be a certain size for clothing to fit perfectly.  “For the longest time, I started to really struggle with body image, due to the internet and just me comparing myself to other girls and so I went to like 90 pounds,” said Desousa.  Desousa began a fitness journey by going to the gym to help boost her confidence and improve her she felt about her body. She began to learn that “the gym isn't a place for you to go to torture yourself, it's a place for you to feel empowered about yourself and love your body and just feel good about yourself.” “I wanted (the brand) to be a form of self-love for other girls so it's not just you go to a website or a place to go buy a bikini,” said Desousa. She plans on having a blog on her website, where girls can research about body positivity, strategies to teach girls how to love themselves, as well as ways others can start a business.  “It's more than just buying a bikini,” she said. “I want girls to look at the page, and even if they didn't want to buy a bikini they could still follow and get inspiration to be empowered and do what they want with their life, because that's kind of like what I'm doing,” said Desousa.  When Desousa decided that she wanted to open Alfa, she was in school full-time at Wilfrid Laurier University.  She would work on her schoolwork from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then work on Alfa until 10 p.m.. “I'd be working on Alfa, like sewing, in my little dorm room,” said Desousa. Not only has Desousa made her brand local to Caledon, but she made it part of her mission to make sure it is also environmentally friendly.  “Every girl gets their bikini in a reusable bikini bag that is handmade too, so there's no plastic,” said Desousa. “I buy my fabric locally and they're usually from other small businesses so I can support other local small businesses instead of buying from a big manufacturer.” Reflecting on what it was, specifically, that made her want to launch her own product line at such a young age, Calista says it was all about taking the opportunity to inspire and help people as much as she can.  “The reason I wanted to do this was because it's not for me to make money and yes it's going to help me be financially free and do what I want with my life but I'm going to be inspiring girls,” said Desousa.  --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2020-05-07 11:16:18 Post date GMT: 2020-05-07 15:16:18 Post modified date: 2020-05-07 11:16:22 Post modified date GMT: 2020-05-07 15:16:22 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com