September 1, 2025

The Future Of Design

I didn’t just wake up one day and decide, “I am Sgalvao.”

It literally took years of building, breaking, hiding, and reemerging. It took designer perfumes turned into perfume oils and paintbrushes, websites coded until the break of dawn, handbags sewn with hands that were still learning the craft of even using a sewing machine, and late-night reflections when I wondered if anyone would ever find my work worthy — or even care about what I had created.

But the truth is, everything I’ve touched — from fragrance to acrylic art, from business to beauty — was leading me here. To this space. To my name. To me.

My Journey Becoming Sgalvao

Business

I didn’t always begin in business. Right after high school in the 90s, I went to college to study to be an RN. After graduation, I realized my heart wasn’t in it, so I didn’t pursue it. As the internet was just beginning to take shape, I started searching for work-from-home opportunities — a curiosity that led me down an unexpected rabbit hole.

I have always known the internet as my canvas. Websites were my first form of storytelling. They gave me a way to bring ideas to life when I didn’t yet have the courage to put my own name on them. For years I built behind the curtain, creating platforms that spoke — even when I couldn’t.

Fashion & Lifestyle

Then came fashion — not just clothes, but the language of expression. Accessories, handbags, perfume, even the smallest handmade piece became my way of saying: This is who I am. This is how I see the world. Lifestyle isn’t about trends; for me, it has always been about curating moments of beauty in everyday life.

I was never one to chase what was “trending.” I simply knew what I liked, what I preferred. My clothes never wore me — I wore my clothes.

I have always been able to walk into any room and make an entrance. Not because I was better than anyone else, but because I commanded attention through my own philosophy: I wear my clothes.

Love & Romance

As a child, I watched my parents, and growing up in the 80s and 90s, I was surrounded by romance shows. These rituals instilled in me a passion for true love. Yet love, in reality, was not always passionate for me.

Love has not always been soft. It has been a teacher — sometimes tender, sometimes ruthless. Romance taught me what it means to give, to lose, and to rise again. These lessons shaped not just my heart, but also my art.

Weight Loss & Fitness

My body, too, became part of the journey. As a child, I wasn’t slender, but I was never overweight either. During my teens I became naturally slim, and I carried that through my late 30s. However, after my 40s — and the lifestyle I was living at the time — I became overweight.

At times my body carried more than it could bear: weight, exhaustion, pain. But the process of letting go, of rebuilding strength, of cleansing and healing taught me discipline and self-respect. Fitness was never just about a number on a scale; it was about finding the woman inside me who refused to disappear.

I learned to take care of myself and to take control. Yet eventually, through the cycles of life and its circumstances, I gained back all that I had lost. So now I am restarting this journey — and sharing the process, especially for women over 50, as I stand here at 51, choosing to rise again.

Handmade Goods & Creativity

I am a soul that ventures with the winds. People often tell me, “Stick to one thing.” But I can’t. There’s a part of me that always wants to learn, to create, to keep giving.

There is something sacred about working with your hands. I came across vinyl cutting and pressing onto fabric, which sparked the thought: Why not make my own bags? I still remember the day I ripped apart a tote and started learning to use a sewing machine someone had just given me. Of course, I’ve always loved the best, so I leaned toward pure cotton and leather.

Stitching leather, threading beads, pouring wax, painting canvas — each piece carried a piece of me. Later, digital creativity entered my world, and I discovered I could merge the tactile with the virtual. Creativity, in all its forms, became not just a hobby, but a lifeline.

Fragrance, Beauty & Closing Reflection

Fragrance has always been more than scent for me — it is memory, presence, and identity. From designer perfumes to crafting my own oils, each blend was a story. Beauty, too, was never just surface. It was about learning to face my reflection with courage, even when life had weathered me. These rituals of fragrance and beauty became reminders: of elegance, of resilience, of my ability to create something lasting.

So here I stand — not behind another brand, but in my own name: Sgalvao.
This is my space to share the life I’ve lived and the life I’m still creating.

For women who wonder if it’s too late, too messy, or too complicated to begin — I am proof that every chapter adds up. Business, fashion, love, health, handmade craft, fragrance, beauty, digital creativity — all of it belongs here. All of it belongs to me.

And now, I share it with you.