BootstrapFashion is the first and only complete web-based fashion design platform that delivers apparel and accessory design tools, expands fashion design skills, maximizes entrepreneurial productivity, and simplifies the design process.
We empower, stimulate and cultivate fashion talent worldwide, revolutionizing and democratizing the entire fashion industry. You don’t need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to start your own designer line or create a fashion powerhouse – we’ve done the work for you!

OUR STORY

In 1996, our CEO and visionary, a young DIY sewer-designer, Yuliya Raquel, dreamed of becoming a professional fashion designer. She established a one-of-a-kind design studio in her bedroom, from which she created couture evening and wedding gowns for private clients. One day, however, when shopping with her full-figured mother for clothing for curvy women and finding no high-end designer fashion-forward clothes for her or any women in such size runs, Yuliya realized a need existed: and thus, in February 2000, IGIGI by Yuliya Raquel was born – a collection of fashion-forward high-end clothes for women sized 12-32. She put her designs on the web and curvy women everywhere clamored for them. Fourteen years later, Raquel has become a 4-time award-winning, world-renowned celebrity fashion designer who grew IGIGI into a designer label known around the globe for its contemporary style made just for curvy women, women who adore its adventurous fashion, yet conscious body glamor, the styles provide.

Running IGIGI taught Raquel a lot about fashion: few resources existed to help her run her business, often leaving Raquel and her sister Alla working from 7 am to 3 am daily. They lacked the affordable, easy-to-master tools you’ll now find on BootstrapFashion: concept design to fabric selection to pattern making and more. Of course, other aspects of IGIGI were difficult and expensive for them as well; however, in creating BootstrapFashion, she took what she could to level the playing field to empower all fashionistas, be they simply hobbyist sewers who want to design dresses for themselves or professional designers who desire a masterful collection of unique pieces they can stylize and call their own. She and her co-founder, Don Straub, have designed the system for people to strategize about fashion as they wish with BootstrapFashion.com. You’ll find no other fashion powerhouse like it.