Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Navarre.
Hi Sarah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a photographer and fashion designer who has been a lifelong creative in many forms of design and has used that creative skillset to create VanderRose Photography & Gowns. This portion of my journey started with photography and has a focus on creating empowering images of the model/client. Yet, I could not find gowns that I had in my imagination off the rack at any store, which led me to start designing gowns to be used in photography. Gowns can create the setting for the scene, plus when one is wearing one she feels beautiful, magical and strong. All of those emotions, and many more, are truly felt and captured in photography. The emotion one is sharing is what is really beautiful and captivating when it is captured in a photograph. Now the gowns have continued to grow significantly and will be on the fashion runways at New York Fashion Week in February 2023.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life is never the smooth road we imagine it to be as a child but I would say my road has been a very windy road with twists and turns that are unexpected, some really hard but others more incredible than I could have imagined. In this journey with creating the VanderRose brand, it really has been a lot of work, the financial investment of course, and moving forward one step at a time. Yet, the most rewarding is when someone shares how meaningful the experience, and the photos, are for them as they see themselves in a new way and give them confidence. This empowerment piece is really the passion behind everything I do.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I did my undergrad at BYU Hawaii in International Culture Studies/Conflict Resolution. My degree required 2 years of foreign language and I studied Mandarin Chinese, plus went on a study abroad to Shanghai and Beijing. While in China, I found the fabric districts and had some incredible pieces sewn for me that I treasure today. After BYU Hawaii, I returned to Salt Lake and somehow stumbled upon Real Salt Lake. I worked for the team president and owners for 5 full seasons. I was also in graduate school at Westminster College doing an MBA, and once finished started a second masters, an MPH (Master of Public Health). It was at Real Salt Lake that I met and learned from people with incredible leadership skills. I also learned how to host events on a very large scale as we hosted games for 20,000 guests, plus concerts and events broadcast to countries around the world, plus hosted headlining concerts. It was an incredible opportunity that was instrumental in growing my network and learning opportunities.
After RSL I was in the global medical device industry launching products to be used in hospitals around the world. Currently, besides VanderRose, I work for Fidelity Investments in cybersecurity leading a global team of cybersecurity experts. I also have served on boards such as the American Red Cross, and currently, Women Who Succeed who give an opportunity to mentor younger girls and young women to continue in math, sciences and technology. I’m also honored to be one of the inaugural winners (2022) of Utah’s 40 Over 40 Women! The awards were last week and I was in awe of the diversity of the other 39 winners and how each is making a unique impact to her community. I was honored for the empowering work we do at VanderRose.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I am a thoughtful risk taker I guess. I really evaluate steps as I go but more importantly, I watch for windows of opportunity as come up. It seems with VanderRose one thing has led to another in baby steps but a bunch of baby steps really can take one far as you look back and recognize how far we’ve come. My perspective is to invest in yourself, meaning put the work, the time, the money, if necessary, and NETWORK every step of your journey. The more education we have, the more opportunities have room to come our way. I’m a big fan of women being able to support themselves and not have to be in a relationship or marriage for financial reasons. Marriage and families are great, but I’ve seen too many women divorced without an education or work experience to fall back on. I was one of those women way back when and was divorced with a lot of work experience, but only a high school diploma. I moved out, filed for divorce, and started school all in the same month. I stayed in school for 15 years straight after that time and was a non-traditional student. Yet, I went to an incredible school, I studied abroad, I was able to do things I never thought I’d have the chance to do. Being self-reliant is really critical, so if that takes some risk (mostly it’s hard work and determination), then it’s worth the risk to get to that point.
Pricing:
- Photoshoots begin at $400 and go up depending on group size, location, etc.
- To purchase a new custom gown, they range in the $900-$1300 range. We sometimes do sell our sample gowns for closer to $700.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vanderrose.com
- Instagram: @vanderrose_photography and @vanderrose_gowns
- Facebook: @vanderrose_photography and @vanderrose_gowns
Image Credits
Photographs by Sarah Navarre: Sarah Navarre, VanderRose
Copper gown: Jeron Allen
Red gown with red rocks background: Noelia Antweiler
Yellow gown and sunflowers: Marissa Ivie
Red gown at salt flats: Victoria Hanks
Blue gown: Sierra Indergard
Black and purple gown: Kiery Baert
