In preparation for Marrisa Wilson’s First Communion, her mother spent the days leading up to it sewing curtains and reupholstering chairs around their home. Marrisa, who was in second grade at the time, recalls watching her mother carefully handcraft fabric-covered buttons for seat cushions. She would collect the leftover fabric scraps and buttons for a project of her own: custom dresses for her Barbies.
When her mother noticed her interest in making clothing, she decided to teach her to hand-sew. A few years later, she bought her a mini sewing machine. And a few years after that, when Marrisa was in high school, she attended Saturday Live sewing and drawing classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology which led to her first internship in the fashion industry.
Becoming a fashion designer was always part of her plan.
In February, she debuted at New York Fashion Week. Her Fall ‘22 collection was entitled “Somewhere North of Earth” and featured bright colors and bold fabrics inspired by our future in Web3.
Today, Marrisa is preparing her second show at NYFW. This collection is called “Of Many Waters” named after the country her parents emigrated from, Guyana. It began “with a lingering thought–that you can’t really know where you’re going until you know where you’ve been.” So she turned her gaze from the future and onto the past, creating a collection inspired by her family’s heritage. But don’t be deceived by the collection’s theme; Marissa still has an eye on the future.
Recently, she launched a genesis collection of NFTs: Woman’s Prerogative. This collection features hand-painted images of women wearing pieces from “Somewhere North of Earth.” It was her first attempt at turning her physical art digital, and it was a success. After a month, the first phase of that limited collection sold out. It’s no surprise. Not only are her images beautiful examples of the artistry that extends beyond clothing in the fashion industry, but they are packed with utility.
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Holders of Woman’s Prerogative were offered tickets to “Of Many Waters” as well as a 50% off code for Marrissa Wilson New York. Then, on August 31st, her second collection launched on SuperRare called “MW Genesis NYFW Print Art Collection.” The winners of the auctions will be named as the official presenting sponsor at the show–a first in NYFW history. But that’s not all. They will be offered a front-row seat at the show, a VIP gift bag, two tickets to the afterparty, a meet-and-greet with Marrisa, a signature trucker jacket, and a framed print of the art and runway show invitation.
When Marrisa entered Web3 in 2022, she says she noticed there weren’t many fashion designers in the space. There was no rulebook to follow, so she had to make up rules as she went. Though fashion in Web3 is becoming more and more common, we are still only seeing the beginning of what is possible, and Marrisa is a pioneer.
I realized that to understand where I am today— as a human, a daughter, a designer, an artist—and what my future may hold, required a deeper exploration of not just my own past but also my heritage.
I ruminated on childhood memories. I remembered the vibrance of the country and its rich culture. . . so full of bright colors and bright energy. And I reflected on the natural beauty of the land, how I could step out on the veranda, lean over the railing and pluck a mango right off a tree.
But I knew I had to look deeper. I had to explore the era of the 1970s, the time after Guyana had just achieved its independence. It was a decade of both rapid and gradual change, as Guyana and its people were finally able to form their own, unique identity, one that drew on its history but wasn’t confined by it.
It is that feeling of the past and the present coming together to inform the future that I wanted to evoke.
I wanted to incorporate my Web2 brand into Web3 in a way that made sense to me as an artist and felt authentic for my brand. So, I created a Twitter account and started connecting with other artists and art lovers. I quickly realized that. . .the community and the amazing people you meet is the true value of Web3.
So as we got closer to another NYFW Runway Show, I started to think about ways to incorporate NFTs into the show in a way that valued art and community. Since I hand-paint all of my custom designs, and then hand-paint all of the fashion illustrations for the physical apparel that will be seen during the runway show, it made sense to turn that artwork into NFTs.
I'll say this: They really try to understand. That's all you can ask, right?
In the traditional fashion space, despite my experience in the industry, I had never seen a Black woman in a position any higher than Senior Designer. So I’ve always wanted to do whatever I could to ensure that I could help create a pipeline to support the next generation of design talent.
Last summer, when I first started learning about Web3 and NFTs, I realized there was this entire new world being created. And I thought to myself that if I’m fighting so hard for representation in real life, then the same work needs to be done in Web3. Because if we, as women of color, don't have our point of view and culture represented in Web3, someone else is going to do it on our behalf.
Marrisa’s “Of Many Waters” debuted September 11th at New York Fashion Week. A livestream of the show is featured on NYFW.com. Her next collection of NFTs, the Genesis Fashion Illustration collection, debuted the same day on SuperRare.
This is not financial advice. If you don't want to spend money investing in crypto or Web3 — you don’t have to. The intent of this article is to help others educate themselves and learn.
Karie Fugett a mother and author whose debut memoir, Alive Day, is forthcoming from The Dial Press.
