Caribbean born and raised in New York, Sequoia studied Fashion Buying and Merchandising at The Fashion Institute of New York. There, the inspiration from Seventh Avenue led her to change her Major in real time and develop her first collection. "Moda Mutes" was a futuristic collection of sportswear and club-wear that received rare reviews and was featured in the windows and sales floors of Patricia Fields, Henri Bendels and Bloomingdales. As Sequoia's interests and influences changed, so did her fashions, eventually leading her to Jamaica to design costumes for Jimmy Cliff and his Band. In Jamaica, her exposure to Reggae, Rastafari and the African culture inspired her to launch the ITES INTERNATIONAL label.