After working for years in accounting to prove her father wrong about his conceptions of the field, Yolanda Sealy finally decided to get into the career of her dreams — fashion design.

“My father used to work for an English company in Barbados, and he didn’t like the accountant. He thinks that all accountants are dumb,” she said.

Sealy told her father at a young age that she wanted to be a fashion designer but was not supported.

“Bajins [Barbadians] are very proud [of their] education, and my father told me that no girl child of his is not going to become a needleworker. He did not have the vision of a fashion designer, but I did.”

In 2014, she left an accounting role at Habitat for Humanity to start her fashion design business, Dress With Confidence, where she mixes African prints with modern designs. In addition to her own creations, she offers custom-made garments out of her business at 80 Fairmont Ave. in Hyde Park.

On Aug. 15, Sealy got the chance to debut work at the 16th annual African Festival on Boston Common. She described the day as “bigger and better” than years past.

“I got people [who] want to know where I get my fabrics from, and how can they get hold of me. …It was great. It was satisfying.”

It has been a journey to find the right home for her clothing business. Sealy did a stint in Atlanta, “but it didn’t work out.

People [were not] open to African wear.”

In 2015, however, clients started flooding in. Today the boom has subsided; she suspects that’s because she doesn’t offer clothing online, opting instead for face-to-face contact with clients.

“I would like to find a way that I can deal one to one with the customer as opposed to selling three or four items online. My take is that I like to make one of a kind garment; it’s really annoying that you go down the street or you go in a park and you see your [outfit] across the street or in the dancing house,” she said.

Ultimately, Sealy’s work is something of a love letter to her community.

“I think we need to get the best. … Other people who are not part of our community come to appreciate what we have, to ask questions, and come to get knowledge of what we are doing, what I am doing, and come to appreciate it.”