Sara Blakely

Throughout history, inventors have found inspiration from the strangest places. For Spanx founder and owner Sara Blakely, the inspiration came from VPL (visible panty lines) and uncomfortable thongs. A frustrated consumer-turned- entrepreneur, Sara invented footless pantyhose, created a national brand and led a shapewear revolution. Obsessed with creating comfortable, slimming garments that minimize figure flaws, Sara has created more than 150 problem-solving products and recently entered the bra business with the ground-breaking Bra-llelujah! In 2006, Sara brought her shapewear know-how to more women with the national launch of ASSETS, a new collection of expertly- designed shapewear and legwear. Continuing to raise the bar with innovative products women want, in 2009 Sara launched Haute Contour by SPANX, a new line of sumptuous shapewear to be seen in. Chances are you've seen Sara flashing her Spanx on QVC, judging inventions on ABC's American Inventor (2006), or sharing tea with Ric