What is SBS, and how did it all begin? Well, let's rewind a bit.

Sab had just finished her studies in Mechatronic Engineering in Dublin City University when the global pandemic shook the world. Looking for a change of pace and a new adventure, she retreated home to the hills of Donegal.Sab's journey into the world of entrepreneurship began long before SourcedBySab. As a kid, she was captivated by TV shows like "Dragons' Den" and "The Apprentice." In school, she ran her own business called "Sabs Tie dye," selling tie-dye t-shirts and sweatshirts through social media and a website she had built.During her college years, Sab took on bulk custom tie-dye orders for musicians and bands, providing them with personalised merchandise. She also set up stalls at music festivals. Little did she know that her last planned festival, Swell Fest on Arranmore Island, would be cancelled, leaving her with boxes of unsold tie-dye items.

Fast forward to the start of the pandemic. Sab was cleaning out her room and stumbled upon that box of tie-dye treasures. She was experimenting with reselling items on various platforms like eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Adverts. The next frontier was Depop, and that's when @SourcedBySab came to life, featuring a mix of Sab's own wardrobe and her tie-dye creations.In just 12 weeks, SourcedBySab became a Depop-verified top seller, quickly rising to the ranks of the top 0.001% of accounts worldwide. With growing interest, Sab decided to host a few pop-up shops in local coffee shops. Her tie-dye stock was running low, so she began tie-dyeing Nike socks, which quickly became a favourite! She also started sourcing vintage streetwear clothing. At the time, she was still learning about the intricacies of vintage clothing sourcing, and some unique finds arrived with minor imperfections like holes and stains.

Motivated by the sustainability aspect, Sab began reworking these pieces, doing things like  transforming old coats into bags and repurposing sweatshirts into sofa covers.One of the most significant moments in this journey was a weekend-long pop-up shop at The Blue Goat, an artisan store in the lovely village of Ramelton, Donegal. It was a massive success and confirmed one thing for certain – there was a demand for the product offerings of SourcedBySab right here in Donegal.

As our journey continued, Sab found herself needing to expand the SourcedBySab team and so Maeve, Sab's sister who was pursuing her studies in Business Studies at DCU, joined the team. Maeve was at a crossroads, contemplating internship options, and in a spontaneous moment, she suggested something that would change the course of SourcedBySab forever. "Why not open a physical store for SourcedBySab, and I'll take a year off to join you?" It began as half-joking banter but quickly transformed into a very realistic possibility.

And so it began—the birth of SourcedBySab's bricks and mortar store. With determination, our heads were down, plans were drawn up, and by September 2021, the perfect premises were secured. Walls came down, and new ones went up. Clothes were sourced, and by November 2021, our doors were finally open to the world.

In the summer of 2022, Thomas joined the SBS Fam, becoming the missing piece we didn't even know we were looking for. Our community has continued to grow, welcoming a fantastic group of transition year students to our team (Grace, Rory, Paidin, Ruari, Amy, Kylah, Oisin, Fionn, Ayla, Cahir). And, of course, we proudly introduced our very own influencer, the talented Niamhgalll, not to forget sponsoring the local skateboarder extraordinaire, Shaun Devine.

Our journey has been a culmination of countless small steps—placing one foot in front of the other. It's astonishing to reflect on how far we've come in just two short years.