Meet The Designer
Hello, I'm Alejandra (Ali for short)
She/her/hers
I am a third generation seamstress with 28 years of experience, living and working in my hometown of Truckee, California. I am passionate about honoring the full spectrum of ourselves so that we may honor the same in others and I am a fierce advocate for everyone’s worthiness to feel pleasure and at home in themselves. As a physical representation of these sentiments, I am honored to create these pieces for all bodies.
The start of my passion
My dad gave me my first sewing machine as a 5th birthday present. I still have it. My grandmother was a seamstress in Chilé. She taught him how to sew and he passed it along to me. My mother used to sew all my Halloween costumes from scratch. I am honored to carry forward this beautiful tradition from both sides of my lineage.
At 7 years old, I took my first sewing class with a bunch of elder women. After that I was hooked and started making Halloween costumes for myself. As I got older my passion grew and expanded to include elaborate costumes for myself and friends.
I attended UCLA and acquired a BA in English Literature, in an attempt check the boxes, be a "good girl, and do what society expected of me. I moved home afterwards, feeling unfulfilled and uninspired. I quickly fell into an intense depression.
One day I was sitting at my sewing machine and I was able to observe the flow state I was in and how my nervous system felt deliciously safe and calm. I experienced a spark of inspiration. That spark drove me to move to the bay area and attend fashion school at the City College of San Francisco. It was amazing and fulfilling in ways that I had been longing for for years.
Sewing is my alchemy. Taking different elements and weaving them together to give form to an entirely new creation is deeply nourishing to my soul. There is no better feeling than actualizing a vision that was once a sketch on a piece of paper.
Discovering leather
Fate brought me back to Tahoe in 2016. Soon after, Kahlil Johnson, a local luxury handbag designer asked me to come work for her. I brought my sewing skills to the table and she taught me the beautiful language of leather she had been speaking for 15 years.
I soon grew from an assistant to an apprentice and we co-created for many years in a truly symbiotic dance. You can find our work at Riverside Studios in Downtown Truckee or online here.
In Fall 2023 we consciously uncoupled so that I could pursue my own leatherwork full time.
Exploring kink
I have always loved the delicious surrender of being tied up but I had only experienced subpar materials or improvised restraints. I was looking forward to a fun kinky date when one day the overflowing scrap bin in the leather studio caught my eye and realized I had the materials and unique skillset to create my own cuffs and collar.
It didn’t pan out with the date but while I was creating the pieces I experience the same flow state that had drawn me to drop everything and go to fashion school so many years earlier.
From there, Raptrix was born. I made luxury handbags by day, and used the leftover remnants from bag production as my raw material for luxury bondage gear by night. My production is now too robust to only use leather remnants but I'm still committed to upcycling whenever possible.
I've been creating these pieces for others since 2020 and am so excited to share this art with others on their journey!
I deeply honor kink as a pathway to transformation and trauma healing.
Thank you!
I am a proud queer, multi ethnic, Latinx woman. I also exist at innumerable intersections of privilege - especially white privilege - that have shielded me from the detrimental effects of marginalization. I am committed to spending that privilege and investing it in a vision of liberation for all. For this vision we must dismantle systems of oppression both within and without. Pleasure is radical. The work is never done but if my art can serve to enable even one person to feel embodied pleasure in the present moment I am living into my purpose.
I am so grateful to do this work and be able to connect with others. Thank you for being here and reading my story!
If you have any questions or would love to chat, please don't hesitate to get in touch! Thank you!