By Sam Foley
The trot up (or interview) was this afternoon – I was hot, exhausted and dressed in my active wear but smiling gleefully with delight. ‘Why’ you might be wondering? Only because I was taking a visit to my favourite equestrian store in Johannesburg, Gauteng – Equestrian Diva Couture…home of all horse-crazed, determined, fashionista equestrian divas. As a well known advocate might once have said, “Let me put it to you…” that if you want to be stylish, trendy, fashion-forward and chic then this is the place for you. I was greeted by, Sherrie Weir, the blonde, bombshell babe behind the brand (she’s not single if you’re wondering). Having been a client and friend of hers for some time now, I felt at ease walking into the store. I was welcomed with a huge smile and a bottle of cool water and we sat down for a little chitchat.
As I entered the domain of this inspiring woman, it was not the first time that I had felt in awe of her and all that she has accomplished. Sure, we all think of the end goal but her journey in creating Equestrian Diva Couture and getting it off the ground is truly inspirational and it definitely emphasises that timing is everything and that sometimes, we have to conquer other challenges first to get to where we need to be. Sherrie’s courage, determination and passion for the equestrian sport is what lead her here today.
As a youngster, she enjoyed riding out in the countryside with her father. They enjoyed trail rides together to pass the time and she always associated fond memories of laughter and fun days out in the country with horses. Life caught up with her and high school and work became a priority, but the memories of being in the country lurked inside her heart. She became a successful financial planner and advisor at Absa Bank, later moving on to a media marketing position at Primedia (now known as Media24). She was good at what she did, she loved her job and decided to open her own media company selling media space in magazines, calling it Media Divas.
Media Divas was a success and during Sherrie’s free time, she found a cute little yard in Linbro Park, where she fell madly in love with an Arab horse named Sassy. Sassy did more than find her way into Sherrie’s heart – she galloped across it, like a wild horse let free to gallop across a plain, reigniting those fond country memories she had with her father. She couldn’t stay focused on Media Divas any longer and it was then that she made the decision to move to the country, namely Beaulieu, where she could have horses at home and live out her dream. She absolutely loved the equestrian lifestyle and adored the horses but felt that in a sport that is predominantly female more beautiful clothing was needed. She was desperate to take the equestrian fashion industry to a whole new level and so the idea of Equestrian Diva Couture was born.
She worked long hours and using her skills in financial planning and marketing, she put together a brand that was destined for success! Sourcing the products from abroad and stocking only exclusive clothing brands, Equestrian Diva Couture makes shopping that much more special. At first, like any business, it was hard and Sherrie struggled – selling only a few items from home – but as soon as word-of-mouth caught up, nothing could slow her down. Sherrie needed more space in a matter of months and now has a beautiful store located in the highly esteemed Equifox Park, Kyalami. The store can only be described as glamorous and glitzy, with mesmerising objects of bling and touches of pink. If that is not enough, the change room is curtained off with a bright pink veil and leads right onto a miniature catwalk. So if any of you fellow diva’s have an inner runway model hiding inside of you, now is your chance to show off your equestrian super model strut.
In the store you can find international brands such as Tattini, FairPlay, HKM, Ovation and OneK to name just a few and Equestrian Diva Couture popup stores can be found at local shows such as The South African Derby, Nissan Easter Festival, Burlington World Cup and Gauteng Dressage Championships. Their shirts and jodhpurs can be described as comfortable, breathable, flattering and feminine and if you’re looking for a great set to do matchy-matchy with your horse, Lauria Garrelli (HKM) makes stunning saddle pads and bandage sets to go with your particular scheme! The shop is an absolute dream come true for those who like to remain stylish in and out of the competition arena.
Sherrie was attracted to these brands by their vibrant colours, subtle feminine edge and the fact that they maintained exceptional quality within a very reasonable price range! The brands took off in South Africa and so did the next phase of the store, “Equestrian Dudes.” Men are able to shop to their heart’s content for well-fitted equestrian clothing from ranges such as Kingston in the HKM brand, the Tattini men’s range and FairPlay’s exclusive men’s range too! Of course, this isn’t where it ends, Equestrian Diva Couture is well on it’s way to expanding and one can now make Equestrian Diva Couture purchases in a few select stores nationwide. However, Equestrian Diva Couture popup stores will soon be launched in the Western Cape and Sherrie hopes that this will result in a more permanent store based there in the near future! This is all very exciting if you ask me…
Sherrie and her team are keeping us on our toes and we anxiously await the next shipment of goods. This is due March 2019 and Sherrie has some very exciting products for us indeed. For reasonably priced, imported goods for you and your horse don’t hesitate to pop into a fabulous store and get styled like champions! You’ll definitely walk out of Equestrian Diva Couture with a smile and quality experience.
Written by, Sam Foley
Equestrian Diva Couture
Equifox Park, 137 Crocus Rd, Midrand, 1684
011 468 3717