Sefirah Fierce Designs is an independent fashion design adventure designed, created, owned and operated by Sefirah in Oakland, California. Launched in 2008, the clothing line was inspired by an underground music, art, and dance scene in New York City, where freestyle urban dancers, fashion photographers, visionary installation artists, electronic and experimental musicians, psychonauts, and performers of every kind fused momentarily into a community of radical creativity.
Amidst the beat of that wild metropolis, I found my niche as a dancer, and then as a designer for dancers, and my designs draw on this background: from dramatic silhouettes and sexy shapes that accentuate our curves, to rockstar glamour and nu-Victorian gothic, the line embodies movement, freedom, and self expression.
Fierce. Strong. Beautiful.
The line was originally developed and produced in Bali, where I worked directly with my tailors in a small open-air workshop for several months each year to ensure the greatest attention to detail went into each piece. The Balinese and Javanese tailors and patternmakers I worked with are master craftspeople, and I owe much of what I now know to having been able to work together with them. I am deeply grateful for their patience, skill, and generosity of spirit.
I taught myself to sew one mistake at a time as a teenager, learned to sew leather with a third-generation leather jacket maker in Bali, and learned technical patternmaking at Apparel Arts in San Francisco.
In 2015, seeking a more sustainable business model, a smaller carbon footprint, and a more personal relationship with both my clients and my craft, Sefirah Fierce Designs transitioned into a 100% locally-produced clothing company. I now do all my own patterning and sample making, and the majority of the sewing. I finish each piece by hand. I have Oakland-based sewing help, who supplement my production when needed. New designs are created year-round, and released one style at a time. To keep the line interesting, I do small runs of 15-20 pieces per style, ensuring that each piece will be truly special. I accept commissions for custom pieces.
Thank you for being a part of the journey.
~Sefirah