The Brazilian pole wear brand Sol Polewear has been conquering the hearts and bodies of pole dancers all over the world. Read on and find out how it all started, from a simples idea to an international success.
In 2016 I arrived in the heart of Brazil - in the pulsating and vibrant city of Salvador. From the get-go, it was clear that female entrepreneurship flows in strong currents in the city – many local women set up small businesses like bikini shops, delis, and hair braiding stands all over the city. The drive for financial independence is fierce, and in the years I lived there my general observation about Bahian women is that they are extremely resilient and hardworking.
I soon joined the army of female entrepreneurs by co-founding Pole House Studio in 2017, Salvador’s second pole dance studio. As my partner and I embarked on the journey of setting up our studio and clientele base, another incredible woman-owned business started to take shape right next door.
When I first moved to Salvador in 2016 I rented a room at a local Airbnb. The woman in charge was Sol Silva, a short, beautiful woman who soon went on to become my close friend and first pole student in Brazil. Sol witnessed the start of Pole House Studio as both a supporter and student, and being the innovative person that she is, she saw an opportunity – though at the time she didn’t realize how it would change her life.
The Start of Sol Polewear
At the time pole dancing was only beginning to manifest as a popular activity in Salvador, so needless to say no pole-related accessories like pole clothes, grip aids, or heels were easily available. So I was completely ecstatic when one day Sol showed up to her class with a new pair of pole shorts. When I asked her where she bought them, she replied that she had resurrected her granny’s sewing machine and made them herself.
To me it was clear from that moment on that Salvador was about to become the hub of a new pole wear brand, and it was simply thrilling. Indeed, it didn’t take long before all of us at PHS started ordering and buying Sol’s first items. News spread fast, and in a relatively short amount of time Sol Polewear was being sold at all local studios that had popped up over the course of a 2 or 3 years.
Nowadays Sol Polewar is available in studios all over Brazil. Top athletes like Erika Thompson, Ana Paula Santos, and Aisha Britto wear her brand, and her team of ambassadors are have grown into a wonderfully diverse and multinational team.
As she wittily remembers,
“When I made the first pole shorts I knew nothing about sewing, never mind that it would become my profession and change my life. At the time I made it merely because I wanted to a set of pole shorts to wear to class.”
Why the Success?
First and foremost, Sol Polewear is small business – a cute bedroom-sized home factory where every single item is created with utmost care by the hands of Sol and her assistants. I’ve spent plenty an afternoon in the sewing room with her, chatting away over coffee and the sound of the sewing machine. Her clients know the brand’s products are magnificent, but what does Sol see as the reason behind her success?
“It makes me very happy to see how the brand has grown and is becoming more and more sought-after by the pole community. It is thanks to the dedication, persistence and desire to always deliver each item with the best possible quality, even when the resources for the brand’s production were very scarce.”
Who are Sol Polewear Nowadays?
“We’re still a small team. I work with a tailor, Dona Nade, who helps me with the production during 3 days a week, and with another tailor, who comes in once or twice a week. I continue to lead the production as the designer, tailor, marketing director… and anything else that involves running the business,” Sol remarks with a smile.
Sol Polewear takes on the World
Apart from rocking the polewear market in Brazil, the brand has already reached pole dancers on various international spheres, including South Africa, the UK, Ukraine, and Italy.
There is a worldwide demand for Sol Polewear’s clothes, but given Brazil’s questionable infrastructure, the logistics of getting shipments out at affordable prices are quite complicated. Fortunately however, with the artifly online shop, sales in Europe should become a little easier. Conquering the world takes time, but things are already headed in a very prosperous direction.
For the brand’s future, Sol says,
“I don’t envision Sol Polewear to grow into a big, industrial company, but we hope to become a medium-sized one, expanding to international turf. Above all, we pride our socioeconomic responsibility and want to show that Sol Polewear isn’t only a product for sale, but a brand composed of humanity and compassion.
I'm extremely proud of what Sol and her small team have achieved in the least, as a friend, fellow female entrepreneur, consumer, and now international sales rep and brand ambassador.
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