Vividus Sports will show their latest collection on the runway at VIFW 2026 on Sat., Nov. 21st - Spirit of the West Coast. Purchase tix HERE!
Bio -
Every piece Tierra Alysia creates begins with a story. As a Kashia Pomo designer , Tierra founded VIVIDUS to honor the beauty, resilience, and brilliance of Indigenous people through luxury fashion. Inspired by her ancestors, the California coast, and the belief that clothing can carry history, her work invites people to see Indigenous design not as something of the past, but as something living, evolving, and shaping the future. For Tierra, fashion is an act of preservation, pride, and possibility.
By the time I was around 13 years old, I knew I wanted to become a fashion designer. What started as a little girl who simply loved putting outfits together eventually grew into a passion for creating the clothing itself.
Today, as the founder and creative director of VIVIDUS, I can trace so much of my creative journey back to those shopping trips with my dad. He helped me understand that fashion wasn’t just about what you wore, but how you expressed who you were.
It’s beautiful to look back and realize that something so simple in my childhood ultimately helped shape the career and life I’ve built today.
I’ve learned that being a designer requires much more than creativity. You have to understand how to turn an idea into a physical product, how to price it, how to produce it, and ultimately how to build a sustainable business around it. I believe creativity opens the door, but knowledge and perseverance are what allow you to stay in the room.
What comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?
But those challenges have also given me a new purpose. I want to help other Indigenous artists and designers learn the business skills necessary to turn their creativity into sustainable careers.
My most recent collection was also deeply personal. It was inspired by my grandfather’s name, Thunder Arrives, and from that I built a collection centered around metallics, lightning, and the strength and beauty of women. I also used a lot of abalone shell references, because I come from a coastal California tribe, and for us, abalone is like a diamond. It holds beauty, meaning, and a strong connection to home.
The Kashia Pomo people have an extraordinary history of basket weaving and artistry. The precision, geometry, and craftsmanship found in our traditional baskets continually inspire my work. I’m also inspired by the California coastline, natural landscapes, abalone shells, and the places I experience through travel. Having spent significant time between the United States, London, and Asia, I’m constantly observing how different cultures approach fashion, architecture, textiles, and design.
What can you share about the new collection you will be showing at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW) 2026?
The theme for the night I’m showing is “The Spirit of the West Coast,” and my collection is a true celebration of exactly that — the beauty of the California coast, the land where I come from, and the spirit of my people. Throughout the collection, there are references to my great-great-great-grandmothers through basket weaving motifs she made , tributes to abalone shell, and a deep honoring of the Pomo Tribe. The entire collection is centered around Pomo art, our traditional regalia, and the place we come from on the California West Coast.
More than anything, this collection is a celebration of where I am now with my brand. For the first time, I’m introducing my golf brand fully through my Indigenous lens, which I had not done before. When I first began the golf side of my brand, I was designing for the masses and trying to fit into a space that was never really built for me. This time, I’m designing from a place of truth. I’m designing as myself. I’m designing to showcase Indigenous excellence on the golf course.
Where can readers purchase your designs?
I’ll be at the Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week market with my VIVIDUS booth on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and I would absolutely love for everyone to come say hello! It’s always so special to meet the people who support my work in person, share the stories behind the designs, and connect with the community.
In closing, is there anything else you’d like to share with readers?
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned throughout my career is that Indigenous excellence isn’t something we need permission to achieve. Our ancestors were extraordinary artists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and storytellers long before the modern fashion industry existed. We come from generations of people who created beautiful things with incredible skill, intention, and cultural knowledge. I believe our responsibility as contemporary Indigenous designers is not only to honour that legacy but to build upon it.
As my career has evolved, so has my understanding of what success really means to me. Of course, I love creating beautiful clothing, producing fashion shows, and seeing my designs on runways around the world. But I’ve realized that my greater purpose is to help create opportunities for other Indigenous people to succeed.
I’m incredibly passionate about helping Indigenous youth, artists, and emerging designers learn how to transform their creativity into successful, sustainable businesses. I want to see more Indigenous owned brands in luxury retail, more Native artists receiving fair compensation for their work, and more of our communities building businesses that create generational wealth.
I don’t want Indigenous fashion to be viewed as a temporary trend or something that only belongs on a runway during cultural celebrations. We deserve to be part of the global fashion industry every single day. I want Indigenous designers to become owners, manufacturers, innovators, and leaders in the global fashion industry. I want us to own the businesses, not just create the beautiful things that make those businesses successful.
I often think about my ancestors and how unimaginable parts of my life today might have seemed to them. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world carrying my identity proudly, bringing pieces of my culture into spaces where they may never have been seen before. Sometimes I find myself halfway across the world wondering if I’m the first woman from my tribe to have ever stepped foot in that particular place. It’s a feeling that’s difficult to describe, but it reminds me how far we’ve come and how much further we can go.
Each collection is created to celebrate identity, spark meaningful conversation, and inspire the next generation to wear their culture with confidence. Through VIVIDUS, she hopes every person who experiences her work leaves feeling more connected to themselves, to one another, and to the stories that deserve to be carried forward.
Interview -
Can you please share with readers about your journey to embrace fashion design as a career? Was it a passion from a young age?
Fashion has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Even as a little girl, I was very particular about what I wore. I always wanted to pick out my own outfits, and I was fortunate to have a father who encouraged that creativity from a young age.
Fashion has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Even as a little girl, I was very particular about what I wore. I always wanted to pick out my own outfits, and I was fortunate to have a father who encouraged that creativity from a young age.
My dad would take me shopping and let me put together my own wardrobe. Looking back, I realize how much those experiences shaped my personal style and developed my eye for fashion. He gave me the freedom to experiment, express myself, and discover what I loved. Without even realizing it, he was helping lay the foundation for my future career.
By the time I was around 13 years old, I knew I wanted to become a fashion designer. What started as a little girl who simply loved putting outfits together eventually grew into a passion for creating the clothing itself.
It’s beautiful to look back and realize that something so simple in my childhood ultimately helped shape the career and life I’ve built today.
How did you learn your skills?
I studied fashion design at first at Seattle Central Community College I actually failed out of their program twice and was told by a teacher fashion design wasn't for me. A year later my mom put me in a private school with amazing teachers at New York Fashion Academy in Seattle where i got my degree and after I graduated I continued my education at Central Saint Martins in London, one of the world’s most recognized fashion institutions.
I studied fashion design at first at Seattle Central Community College I actually failed out of their program twice and was told by a teacher fashion design wasn't for me. A year later my mom put me in a private school with amazing teachers at New York Fashion Academy in Seattle where i got my degree and after I graduated I continued my education at Central Saint Martins in London, one of the world’s most recognized fashion institutions.
However, some of my most valuable lessons have come from building my own brand. I’ve spent years learning about textiles, garment construction, manufacturing, international sourcing, and the business side of fashion. Most recently, I’ve traveled throughout Asia, including China, to work directly with manufacturers and better understand how to bring my designs to market on a larger scale instead of doing everything by hand. I wanted to make my brand more accessible And sourcing outside of the United States recently has made it possible for me to be able to finally do that.
I’ve learned that being a designer requires much more than creativity. You have to understand how to turn an idea into a physical product, how to price it, how to produce it, and ultimately how to build a sustainable business around it. I believe creativity opens the door, but knowledge and perseverance are what allow you to stay in the room.
What comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?
Storytelling comes most naturally to me. I can look at a material, a pattern, or something from my cultural upbringing and immediately begin imagining how it could become a contemporary garment. I can take one idea for a garment and create a whole world around it story telling through my work is my favorite. I try to really show who I am as a person through every detail.
The hardest part has been navigating the business of fashion, particularly manufacturing and scaling a brand independently. As an Indigenous designer, you don’t always have the same access to funding, infrastructure, or industry connections as larger fashion houses. I’ve had to learn how to become not only a creative director but also an entrepreneur, production manager, and business strategist.
But those challenges have also given me a new purpose. I want to help other Indigenous artists and designers learn the business skills necessary to turn their creativity into sustainable careers.
Where do you find inspiration for new collections? How important is colour to your design process?
My greatest inspiration comes from my ancestors, my Pomo heritage, and the natural beauty of Northern California.
A lot of my inspiration also comes from my own family, especially my grandparents. In fact, I’m currently developing an upcoming collection inspired by my grandparents in the 1940s and 1950s, and what that era might look like through an Indigenous lens. That will be a major focus for me throughout the coming year.
My greatest inspiration comes from my ancestors, my Pomo heritage, and the natural beauty of Northern California.
A lot of my inspiration also comes from my own family, especially my grandparents. In fact, I’m currently developing an upcoming collection inspired by my grandparents in the 1940s and 1950s, and what that era might look like through an Indigenous lens. That will be a major focus for me throughout the coming year.
Interestingly, colour is not the most important starting point in my design process. For me, the message behind the collection is what matters most. I always begin with the story I want to tell, and the colours follow that emotion. I tend to be naturally drawn to darker tones, especially black. As a woman, I think black is often a go-to colour, and it has definitely become one of mine throughout my collections. To me, black represents power, elegance, and a sense of comfort. I feel most like myself in darker colours.
That said, I do love colour, but when I use it, it is always very intentional. I often use metallics or controlled pops of colour to emphasize the story I’m trying to tell. One of the things I’ve noticed most about myself as a designer is that I use black far more than many other designers.
Because of that, I’ve challenged myself in my next major collection to fully embrace colour. In 2027, I’ll be producing my own fashion show featuring around 50 looks, and that collection will be a celebration. Since so much of my past work has lived in darker palettes, this new body of work will be entirely in colour. The palette is inspired by every colour in the rainbow. I want it to feel like a radiant procession of beautiful Indigenous people walking down the runway bold, vibrant, joyful, and unforgettable.
This collection is incredibly personal to me. For a long time, I felt like no one was really paying attention to my golf collection, even though luxury golfwear for women was actually where my career began. VIVIDUS Sports was one of the earliest parts of my vision. But the truth is, golf is still very much a white man’s world. When I approached golf courses and clubs about potentially carrying my brand, I was met with almost constant rejection.
Looking back now, I can laugh a little, because at the time I had this huge dream: I was launching VIVIDUS Runway while also launching VIVIDUS Sports, believing that if I created bold, beautiful, high fashion runway pieces, eventually people would begin to pay attention to the larger story I was trying to tell in sports and specifically in golf. What makes this collection so meaningful is that it represents a turning point for me and for my brand.
The theme for the night I’m showing is “The Spirit of the West Coast,” and my collection is a true celebration of exactly that — the beauty of the California coast, the land where I come from, and the spirit of my people. Throughout the collection, there are references to my great-great-great-grandmothers through basket weaving motifs she made , tributes to abalone shell, and a deep honoring of the Pomo Tribe. The entire collection is centered around Pomo art, our traditional regalia, and the place we come from on the California West Coast.
This collection is really the meeting point of the two worlds I’ve worked so hard to build: VIVIDUS Sports and VIVIDUS Runway. It brings them together while honoring my tribe, my culture, and the land we come from. In the show, you’ll see a story unfold in a way golf has never really been presented before. You’ll see the elegance and strength of the course, and then a transition into what an Indigenous “force off the course” might wear for a beautiful night out. It’s both sportswear and storytelling. It’s power, culture, and luxury coming together.
My tribe is small, but mighty, and one of my deepest hopes with this collection is to show Pomo art to the world in a way that is recognizable and unforgettable. Just as people immediately recognize other Indigenous design languages, like Navajo prints, I want people to see Pomo inspired art, recognize it, and love it too.
My tribe is small, but mighty, and one of my deepest hopes with this collection is to show Pomo art to the world in a way that is recognizable and unforgettable. Just as people immediately recognize other Indigenous design languages, like Navajo prints, I want people to see Pomo inspired art, recognize it, and love it too.
Colour does play an important role, but in a very intentional way. The palette is deeply connected to the California West Coast and to my cultural references. You’ll see tones inspired by the natural world, the coastline, abalone shell, and the richness of Pomo design. As always, I use colour to support the message of the collection. It is never random — it is there to deepen the story, evoke place, and honor where I come from.
Do you have a favourite look?
This collection is stacked! I always say that I don’t believe in throwaway looks or fillers. Every single look in my collections has to be able to stand on its own. If it doesn’t make a statement or contribute to the story I’m telling, it doesn’t belong on my runway. I’m genuinely excited about so many of the pieces in this collection because each one represents something meaningful to me. However, I will say that the final two looks are particularly extraordinary, especially my finale.
Without giving too much away, my finale look is a tribute to the beautiful Pomo women of my tribe. It’s a celebration of their strength, beauty, artistry, and the generations of women who came before me. I wanted to create something that honours them in a way that feels powerful and unforgettable. For me, that final moment on the runway is so much more than fashion. It’s a love letter to the women of my people and the legacy they have passed down to us.
Where can readers purchase your designs?
I’ll be at the Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week market with my VIVIDUS booth on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and I would absolutely love for everyone to come say hello! It’s always so special to meet the people who support my work in person, share the stories behind the designs, and connect with the community.
Outside of the event, I accept custom order requests through my website, and you can shop select VIVIDUS pieces online at www.vividussports.com. You can also find my designs at Native Star Boutique in San Diego, California, which happens to be one of my favourite Indigenous retail stores. I’m currently working toward expanding VIVIDUS into more retail spaces, particularly golf pro shops at tribally owned resorts and casinos. One of my biggest goals is to see more Indigenous owned luxury brands represented in these spaces.
Readers can also follow VIVIDUS and my personal journey on Instagram to stay updated on new collections, upcoming shows, and future retail locations.
Readers can also follow VIVIDUS and my personal journey on Instagram to stay updated on new collections, upcoming shows, and future retail locations.
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned throughout my career is that Indigenous excellence isn’t something we need permission to achieve. Our ancestors were extraordinary artists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and storytellers long before the modern fashion industry existed. We come from generations of people who created beautiful things with incredible skill, intention, and cultural knowledge. I believe our responsibility as contemporary Indigenous designers is not only to honour that legacy but to build upon it.
As my career has evolved, so has my understanding of what success really means to me. Of course, I love creating beautiful clothing, producing fashion shows, and seeing my designs on runways around the world. But I’ve realized that my greater purpose is to help create opportunities for other Indigenous people to succeed.
I’m incredibly passionate about helping Indigenous youth, artists, and emerging designers learn how to transform their creativity into successful, sustainable businesses. I want to see more Indigenous owned brands in luxury retail, more Native artists receiving fair compensation for their work, and more of our communities building businesses that create generational wealth.
I don’t want Indigenous fashion to be viewed as a temporary trend or something that only belongs on a runway during cultural celebrations. We deserve to be part of the global fashion industry every single day. I want Indigenous designers to become owners, manufacturers, innovators, and leaders in the global fashion industry. I want us to own the businesses, not just create the beautiful things that make those businesses successful.
If my journey can inspire even one young Indigenous person to believe that their dreams are possible, then everything I’ve worked toward has been worth it. My hope is that generations from now, Indigenous children won’t have to fight so hard to imagine themselves in these spaces. They’ll grow up seeing Indigenous designers leading fashion houses, owning manufacturing companies, building international brands, and creating opportunities for their communities. They’ll already know they belong. Because our stories don’t end with us. We’re creating the opportunities our ancestors dreamed of for the generations still to come.
Links -
- Website - www.VividusSports.com
- Instagram designer - @TierraAlysia
- Instagram brand - @vividussports and @vividusrunway
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