Alumni
Grad Launches Online Boutique Sandyland Shop
Born in Nicaragua, Sandra Sequeira has lived in the Bay Area of California most of her life. As a cancer survivor, she has come to realize life is a blessing and it truly is about the journey. She recently launched an online boutique, Sandyland Shop, curating items that she has used in her own self-discovery and self-healing journey. The entrepreneur has her FIDM degree in Fashion Design and is also a graduate of UC Berkeley where she double majored. She is currently working as a bilingual account manager at an SF based technology company and is also the FIDM Alumni Chapter Representative for San Francisco. We caught up with her to learn more about her inspiring journey.
Tell us a little about your personal journey that has led you to opening Sandyland Shop: I feel Sandyland Shop has been in the making for over a decade. I see it as a culmination of things that bring me joy. I love design and beautiful aesthetics, unique jewelry, whimsical vibes and because of my health I’ve embarked on a self-discovery/self-healing journey that I want to share with others. More on this a little later.
Why did you choose FIDM? I chose FIDM because I was into fashion, art, and music, growing up. A representative from FIDM came to my high school and I perked up at the idea that I could go to school to do something that I felt passionate about and came natural to me.
How do you feel FIDM prepared you for what you are doing now? FIDM exposed me to more of the things I LOVED. This was pre-social media. A time when hashtags didn’t exist and finding out about new designers involved going through W magazines, watching fashion shows and keeping an eye on window displays at Neiman Marcus and local boutiques near the campus in SF. The trend reports in the FIDM Library were also one of my favorite perks! The time at FIDM allowed me to gain confidence in my own style and develop what I like to think is a unique eye for curating.
How did you decide on your major? Freshman year in high school I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and ultimately decided to be homeschooled. Upon coming back to school sophomore year I embraced getting creative with outfits in hopes people wouldn’t pay much attention to my missing BIG curly hair. I remember someone asking what happened to it to which I replied, “I decided to cut it off.” Cancer support groups and such were not a thing yet so I didn’t know how to own the experience at the moment.
All this went down during the big rave scene in the Bay Area and a lot of thought would go into the outfit I would wear to the weekend parties with friends. These parties provided an outlet from what was a depressing time with the diagnosis. I liked bold and neon colors, mixing patterns, and my close friend and I would add an element of costume wear such as wearing white platform boots, colorful wigs, sometimes wings (like Jules from Euphoria), and glitter of course! I chose Fashion Design because I had found a way to express myself and the emotions I carried. I felt I had a perspective and passion to share. I love how you can, without speaking, express how you feel through fashion. It’s fascinating.
Looking back, which classes at FIDM were most valuable to you? I truly enjoyed the Creative Design Theory & Color Theory courses. I loved thinking about a theme for a line and developing pieces and a color story for it all. I feel these courses helped me develop not only my eye for design but also gave me a grasp on the bigger picture/the collection and keeping them cohesive.
Aside from these classes, what I enjoyed was the opportunities that came during my time at FIDM. I recall a lot of volunteer opportunities that allowed me to get a backstage peek at fashion show production, for example.
What opportunity do you see in the fashion industry that may be unfolding as a result of this upheaval we are all experiencing this year? Even though eCommerce is evolving at a rapid speed and we can now buy something we like right from an influencers Instagram feed, for example, I think buying local and shopping small is where the focus will be. Especially during these times with the pandemic it’s important for us as a community to think about which small businesses we want to support so they are around next year. I also think businesses that have a niche around such things as clean beauty and wellness or that provide information and/or tools for self-discovery are going to be in high demand. There is a lot going on in the world today and we are going to need some time and tools to process all this.
Any advice for current FIDM Students who are nervous about the future of the fashion industry and these unprecedented times we are facing? I never would have thought that I would end up in the tech industry when I enrolled at FIDM. I think when you are young it’s important to think rationally if a degree will help you get a future job. However, it’s equally important to believe and love what you are studying and have a passion for it.
FIDM was the perfect choice for me at the time. Due to my involvement I was able to work as a wardrobe assistant for local music videos and films in the Bay Area which later led to working in production and in the marketing department for a kids entertainment company that produced their own TV shows.
I also got to work in the corporate world and see how a design went from ideation to the sales floor. I was disillusioned by fast fashion but that was all part of the learning process. When I went on to attend UC Berkeley I created collections each quarter as part of the fashion club and even helped produce a fashion show for the non-profit Drip Drop Foundation. This was an amazingly fun time. I learned something from each job and project and I wouldn’t change that.
FIDM Alumni Director Kevin Keele tells me that you are the FIDM Alumni Chapter Representative for San Francisco. Tell us about that: Alumni chapter reps just had our first meeting since Kevin came on board as Alumni Director and I can’t wait to see what we all come up with to support FIDM Alumni under Kevin’s guidance. We’ve got some great webinars on the calendar such as a Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace webinar and one around Social Media for your business, but there is so much more to come! If you have any suggestions make sure to join the Facebook or Linkedin group. We want the Alumni group to be everything we all want it to be.
What is your biggest goal right now? I just launched Sandyland Shop and all I want to do is make people happy when they make a purchase. I LOVE finding unique things that are beautiful to look at, or bring a sense of joy either when you are wearing it, holding it or using it. I’m all about self-discovery right now because not only has it been a long year but I’m at a point in my life where I want to unpack all my experiences around my personal health, family, career but also my passions. I’m ready to get to the core and live my best life. The one I kept getting ready to live. I’ve decided I can’t keep waiting for what I think is the perfect time. The perfect time is now.
Anything else you’d like to share? Just want to add that if you have an idea to open your own online store, create a jewelry collection, start a non-profit or whatever that idea is that keeps coming to mind, just go for it. You will figure it out as you go along and if you fail or it doesn’t turn out how you had envisioned, I bet you will have learned something from it for the next time you go for it.
The sellers I work with as an Account Manager at Square on a day-to-day basis have inspired me and given me the push I needed to get started with this online store. I used to think I had to have it all figured out before getting started. Where will I find vendors, how will I convince them to let me sell their amazing items, how will I make my first sale, omg what about taxes, then what?
Even though I still don’t have all the answers, I know it’s doable. You just need to be curious, plan a little of course, problem solve along the way and network with like minded individuals. I recently joined Create & Cultivate and Boutique Hub, and both communities are amazing for new and existing business owners.
You can start big, start small, but the key is to START!
Sandra Sequeira is looking for a logo designer and is interested in carrying FIDM Alumni-made fashion and accessories. Interested grads can reach her at shopsandyland.com shopsandyland@gmail.com. Keep up with Sandyland Shop on Instagram @sandyland_shop.
Categories: Fashion Design Alumni
