Complex sentence: The creation of the initial product prototype was completed over the course of a year and involved Blakely, her mother and her friends personally testing the garments--this was innovative at the time, as the industry did not test products with people.
Split into simpler sentences: The creation of the initial product prototype was completed over the course of a year and involved Blakely, her mother, and her friends personally testing the garments. This was innovative at the time, as the industry did not test products with people.