Marrisa Wilson has always had a distinct point of view. At W Hollywood, she told me she wanted to become a designer since she was very young. Wilson who founded his brand in 2016 in New York City has had a concise plan since she was in second grade.

THE eponymous label in Wilson’s words, it’s a unique blend of utilitarianism, sportswear and craftsmanship. She finds power and beauty in embracing the many aspects that make up the individual, especially in her clients. “My brand is centered around this idea of ​​celebrating the super power of multicultural women,” she shares.

For this year’s LAFW, Wilson presented his Spring/Summer 2024 collection titled “Wild Coast.” Many of the pieces are inspired by the Rupununi region of southern Guyana, her family’s home country, and broader themes in Western culture. This southern region, unlike what is commonly referred to as Caribbean terrain, is a desert region teeming with rodeo culture. While ruminating on this unique subculture, she thought about the idea of ​​a Caribbean cowboy and let it guide the inspiration for her latest line.

“For the ‘Wild Coast’ collection, I wanted to (create a) mix of land and sea,” Wilson explain. Here she begins to speak about this connection through her creations. The collection as a whole blends elements of his Caribbean heritage with the cowboy archetype. Taking inspiration from the Guyanese method of net fishing, she made a net dress, with details of handmade tropical flowers, as if they were native flowers ‘caught’ in the fishing nets. She also took the idea of ​​the western fringe, applied her custom print and cut the fringe into the shape of palm blades.

Pieces from the collection featuring mesh or fringe details are accompanied by those with its field-inspired printed designs, either printed directly onto the fabric or woven through a jacquard material, offering two detail-rich methods of translating prints . Panels and multi-pocket designs on its suits emphasize the utility of Western clothing such as stylish storage and gun holsters, while sportswear elements like the band under the panels on the sleeves of the suit jackets offer a stronger vision for women’s clothing.

His creative process encompasses different creative mediums. Building on the connection between audio and visual storytelling, Wilson always starts by creating a playlist that helps him anchor his ideas. For her latest album, she looked to artists such as Sam Cooke and Otis Redding to imagine this soulful archetype and infused reggae. What she stumbled upon were looks with a Calypso vibe that looked like clothing fit for outlaw cowboys — each look was created through her lens and worldview.

Her detailed prints, all designed and hand painted by Wilson herself, her fabric manipulations and her musical influence, are just some of the many tools used to communicate her story. She believes that the artistic process is constantly evolving and wants the message to be expressed beyond the collection, whether through conversation or other creative output.

The designer says she likes to explore concepts and sources of inspiration. She uses different mediums, including campaigns and photo shoots, to showcase her creativity. For this reason, documenting the legacy of one’s work is also an integral part of the creative process. Sketch, dismantle concepts, photograph, record, come back to them, reconstruct them. She describes how you’ll never know what the final product will be or if you should return to an idea for another project until you get into the details.