Healing comes from different places, and sometimes in the least expected ways and things. Some people turn to therapy sessions and spiritual experiences to acknowledge trauma and address pain so they can move forward in life. For Josef Francesca Cadorniga, designing, creating and wearing lingerie have led her to her pathway towards empowerment and self-love.
This lingerie line founder and designer shared that a traumatic past with a former partner gave her that extra push to design lingerie. Her fashion line Sefra Babewear, a portmanteau of the creator’s first and second names, sprung to life in 2015 after leaving a physically abusive relationship.
Creating Something Beautiful From Pain
“People would often ask, ‘why didn’t you leave the relationship right away?’. But people in an abusive relationship go through a cycle of mental war. It’s hard to leave because I would think that I did something wrong, then I would give a lot of chances every time my partner would apologize,” Francesca shared.
She left the relationship eventually but with a realization that the experience left her unhappy with herself and her body image. What saved her were her dog’s love and sporting some lingerie at home.
Discovering Her Craftsmanship
Francesca shared that she never had a formal training in designing lingerie. But she discovered her love for sewing and stitching so early in life. She mused that she used to do small cross-stitching projects when she was really young, when she was still in nursery.
In high school, she would create advanced pieces at home using an old Singer sewing machine for her home economics projects. Although she never had a formal training on how to use a sewing machine, she was exposed to it as she used to play with a broken one. But the moment the sewing machine was repaired, she had the innate instinct to teach herself how to use it and create fashion pieces with it.
After graduating high school, her sister enrolled her in a basic dressmaking class in Golden Hands. From there, she enriched her basic knowledge and learnings by watching YouTube videos for hours and hours.
“I became obsessed with lingerie so I taught myself how to create one. On second thought, it started before I even started. I had to create lingerie pieces as I found it so hard to find the perfect bra for me because I was so small,” she said.
Sexy and Comfy Design for Everyone
Sefra Babewear offers lacy and fit-focused bralettes, triangle bras and various cuts and silhouettes of panties for all body types, skin tones and ages. Her items are customized to cater to all kinds of women with different measurements, making them more special and a step ahead of other off-the-rack, mass-produced lingerie. “I only use the best materials to ensure that the lingerie pieces I create and sell truly offer superior comfort,” the designer shared. “I even sleep in my sample pieces before producing a number of them to test if they are soft, comfy and snug.”
Lingerie as a Form of Art
Francesca’s well-crafted designs are meant to be wearable art pieces. Each Sefra lingerie, with its careful stitching and whispers of lace, serves as a form of art that one can wear for the joy of dressing up for oneself, and feeling comfortable in one’s body.
“Lingerie is like an art of self-empowerment, so it is not always about sex. Lingerie’s definition is anything that you wear under your clothes. So in essence, everyone is wearing lingerie,” the self-taught designer said. “The difference lies in the overall design of the underpinnings. So for me, I love that I can create and offer my clientele beautifully crafted lingerie pieces that they truly feel beautiful in.”
When she was just starting out, one of the challenges she faced was that the Filipina market was still very conservative and on the modest side. “I would have trunk shows with just bralettes and not even full-blown lingerie, and women would just pass by and give a side-eye,” she said.
Back then, Filipina women veered away from buying lingerie pieces publicly because they thought other people would generally link lingerie to sex and promiscuity. “But the perception of Filipinas about lingerie has really changed over the years. There’s definitely a new wave of modern Filipinas who see the power of lingerie as a tool to embrace and love their bodies, and feel sexy from within and for themselves.”
“Filipinas are more empowered these days and for some of them, empowerment means feeling sexy from within. While for some, it’s about being comfortable in flaunting their bodies. They don’t care about what others would think so they just do as they please for themselves. Their bodies, their rules.”
Body Love
Struggling to love one’s body is something Francesca is very familiar with. “I have always been slim, but I was not happy to be inside my body. Lingerie has helped me to embrace what I have, and to be truly comfortable in my body.”
“I have come to realize that a woman should celebrate her body because it is the only one she has and will ever have. And celebrating it is about taking care of it, embracing it, empowering and loving it genuinely. Fashion or wearing lingerie is just one of the things you can do for yourself and your body. Nourish it, empower it through fitness, take care of your health. Especially this quarantine. You should take care of your body because it takes you to places and allows you to be the person that you want to be,” she said.
Wearing Lingerie for Yourself
“I’ve personally experienced how lingerie has helped me heal, confront my insecurities and love my body and myself completely. I am happy that with my creations, other women can have the same journey to healing and self-empowerment the same way I did. Through Sefra, I can be part of other women’s journey towards self-love, and that’s fulfilling,” she said.
You may shop Francesca’s Sefra BabeWear lingerie pieces on Instagram @sefrababewear.