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Tucson native Ysabella “Ysie” García turned a pandemic pause and health challenges into a vibrant swimwear and lingerie brand that doubles as a celebration of self-love, empowerment and bold, flirty style.

García’s brand, La Bikini Bruja, with its colorful, custom-made pieces, has been showcased for the past three years at pop-up events at La Bella Luna Boutique and other local retailers.

Her garments recently earned the attention of Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, who highlighted García and her work on Instagram during Pride Month as part of a spotlight on LGBTQ+ small business owners.

García describes her styles as pink, flirty and fun, saying she creates her designs with everybody in mind and that every piece is a love letter to empowerment.

“What’s so important to me is feeling sexy, feeling empowered, feeling beautiful,” she told Tucson Spotlight. “I think it’s such an amazing feeling and everyone should be able to experience that.”

Her favorite creation to date is a custom two-piece lingerie set with a robe covered in hand-placed rhinestones designed to mimic blood splatter. The dramatic, glitzy creation was made for a performance with Lilith Tucson, a local femme-led performance group.

García draws inspiration from early-2000s fashion and the bright, bold vibes of Pinterest boards and performance art. But her creative journey wasn’t linear.

When the pandemic hit, health issues forced García to step away from dancing and redirect her creative energy. She said she was inspired by other small business owners in Tucson who showed her what’s possible.

Now, she’s become part of the creative ecosystem that supported her years ago.

“That’s what inspired me to start sewing,” she said. “I took a class at Pima to learn how to use a sewing machine, and since then I’ve been making custom outfits for people. That’s my favorite thing to do.”

What began as a hobby evolved into both a creative outlet and a source of strength. For García, fashion became a way to heal, especially during the isolation of the pandemic.

“It was one of the only things that kept me going,” she said. “Creating things I can wear is my own way of loving my body, even with medical issues, and that’s something I want to share with people.”

La Bikini Bruja is now a staple at La Bella Luna Boutique, a curated shop at the MSA Annex run by Arriana Luna. The two met at Tucson High School, where Luna was one of García’s teachers in the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán program.

“She’s really encouraged me, we’ve done a lot of stuff together,” García said. “We’re always each other’s creative directors. I love her.”

This year, García made the intentional choice to scale back on events to spend more time creating.

“I was doing a lot of events and I wasn’t having enough time to create stuff,” she said. “Doing fewer events has made it more possible for me to actually get stuff done.”

Garcia showcased her designs at the last Chicano Vibes event and is preparing to debut new pieces at Border Fashion Week, an annual cultural celebration in Ambos Nogales.

Running a one-woman business isn’t easy, with Garcia handling everything from ordering to design and sewing to social media.

“People don’t realize it’s just me,” she said. “Creating everything, uploading to the website, running the whole thing.”

When burnout creeps in, she said she centers herself and reconnects with the joy of creating.

“I like to work on something just for myself,” Garcia said. “It gets me back into loving sewing again. My love turned into my job, which is great, but I try to keep a balance.”

And if García could offer any advice to her younger self?

“Try and enjoy life more and not be so hard on yourself,” she said. “Everything takes time.”

Isabela Gamez is a University of Arizona alum and Tucson Spotlight reporter. Contact her at gamezi@arizona.edu.

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