created for people
who love to make

Our story begins in 1996, when our CEO and founder, Yuliya Raquel, was a young DIY sewer with a sewing machine in her bedroom and an obsession with learning how things were constructed.

She taught herself by doing—drafting patterns, cutting fabric late into the night, and sewing custom gowns for private clients long before online tutorials or maker communities were widely available.

While shopping with her mother, Yuliya realized how few well-made, thoughtfully designed sewing options and garments existed for fuller bodies.

In February 2000, she launched IGIGI by Yuliya Raquel online — designing, patterning, and producing garments with a deep understanding of fit, construction, and real bodies.

For over a decade, Yuliya lived every part of the making process. She got professionally trained on how to draft sewing patterns, refining construction techniques, sourcing materials, solving fit challenges, and running a growing business largely by hand.

That experience revealed a deeper problem.

Sewing and DIY creators were expected to either struggle alone or invest in expensive, complex systems designed for large manufacturers — not individuals who wanted to create with intention, precision, and joy.

This platform brings together practical tools for sewing-driven creativity: from design planning and fabric exploration to pattern logic and construction strategy. It’s built for hobbyist sewers, DIY designers, and independent makers who want more control, more clarity, and more confidence in what they create.

In 2021, Yuliya met her co-founder Oleksandr, whose technical insight and systems thinking helped evolve BootstrapFashion into a smarter, more scalable platform — one that supports makers without overwhelming them. Together, they focused on simplicity, flexibility, and empowering creators at every skill level.

It isn’t about mass production. And it isn’t about following rules you didn’t write.

It’s about sewing as self-expression, DIY as independence, and giving makers the tools they deserve to bring their ideas to life.

If you believe creating something with your own hands matters — you’re in the right place.