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Nissa New York
Very special Thank You to Nissa for taking time for this interview. Important Note: Interview is unedited copy / paste from e-mail. Check out her unique designs and style!
Interview
How did you become interested in fashion design?
I was very interested in fashion from a young age. I loved to dress up. I changed my outfit 3-4 times a day when I was little. Around that age I would draw or play different fashion games. Then when I was in the second grade, I started sewing (I say sewing loosely because who knows what I was making). As I got older, my parents helped me get into art classes and sewing classes and develop those skills further.
What was the first article of clothing you designed?
I think the very first article of clothing I ever designed was a dress. I was really young, so it kind of was just a tube with straps later on I would continue to make actual dresses with patterns.
You design for women of all sizes (from your website). How important is this part to you?
It is very important to show inclusivity in my brand. I created this brand because of my love of fashion but also because I love to give people confidence in what they wear. Right now my size range is XS to 4XL and that range is still evolving. I think it’s so important for people to see something they love and actually be able to buy it because that’s not the case in most stores. I think everyone should be able to enjoy fashion and their own self expression and size shouldn’t be a factor getting in the way of that. I want to give everyone that fun and empowering experience with fashion and shopping my brand.
Your creations have a wide range of style, reminding me of 60’s to current. Flora Top / Dottie Dress made me think of the B-52’s band. Does this help you evolve as a fashion designer?
Yes, I have a very strong 1960s and 1970s influence in my designs. I really love vintage, fashion and aesthetics, and I take great inspiration from them anywhere from color combinations to prints to silhouettes. I always look to those decades for inspiration. I typically modernize it in a way, but I still take influence.
Where do you find inspiration?
For my ready to wear pieces I draw inspiration from the 1960s and 1970s. I love those prints and color palettes. Taking that inspiration and putting it in a more modern silhouette. I really love to design in color so I take inspiration from people I see on the street whether it’s here in New York City or if it’s in Copenhagen, I’m also looking at other creatives.
I design special occasion gowns for custom orders as well. When finding inspiration for these pieces, my inspiration can be more conceptual. I would say this is where the true artist in me comes out. I find inspiration in a feeling or nature and show that through a design that is more architectural.
Do you ever experience creative block, especially in the middle of a new design?
I have experience creative block multiple times throughout having this brand I think it just comes with the territory. Especially when your brand is so small and you’re still figuring out what works and what your customer enjoys and what you enjoy to make. I took a pause and skipped a season to really refine what I wanted to design and I think it was very important to do that. I think it’s hard when your brand is so small to take a break because you don’t feel like you can. You feel like you’re wasting time but I think it’s important to do that for yourself and the brand.
How do you overcome creative block?
I overcame creative block by taking a season off, and really thinking about what direction I wanted to take the brand and designs. I think sometimes it’s important to just give your creative side a break especially if you’re doing everything by yourself. I think taking time to not think about it and then finding new inspiration helps get out of that block. I also found that surrounding myself with other creative people and connecting with them re-inspires me a lot.
How did you come up with website design, especially cherries as a pointer?
I have a very eclectic style and I wanted my website to emulate that. My designs really show my style and my love for bright color combination so I wanted the website to have that. Our logo is those cherries, so we kind of built the color palette off of the logo. I thought the cherries cursor would be a cute little extra detail. All of my clothes have little extra details like heart shaped buttons or hidden cute little stitching so I wanted my website to have some little details like that.
How do you decide what color combinations / patterns to use?
My brand really stems from my personal style and I love bright color combinations. I take a lot of inspiration from the 1960s and 70s because they used a lot of bright colors and unique combinations. I tend to play with combos a lot before creating a sample. I do think that I have a good eye for colors look good together, and what prints look good together. Especially because this is how I personally dress as well.
What do you believe is more important as a fashion designer: formal education or personal / street level experience?
As a fashion designer, I think that personal style is extremely important. I do have a bachelors education in fashion, and I think that’s important to have to understand the industry and how to execute your designs. I think there’s a great value in a brand that understands clothing, and is passionate about the garment. I know today with social media it can seem like creating a brand is easy. I think it’s important for the person having a brand to understand everything that goes behind it. That being said, personal style is probably the most important part of having a brand in my opinion. You can’t teach style, you can learn how to properly make something but you can’t learn how to design something beautiful, that has to come from you.
Overall challenges / difficulties of being an indie designer? Examples: Marketing / featured in fashion shows.
I would say the biggest challenge in being an indie designer or small brand is affording to continue producing new products and finding new and creative ways to market yourself. It can be very hard to continue to grow a business from such a small scale. I feel very confident in my designs, and they do well when they are seen but it is hard to get as many eyes on your designs as possible.
I remember you did you a pop-up shop during NYFW Fall 2023. How important are events like this to the success of a fashion designer?
These in person events are very important for my brand and for me as a designer. These in person events really allow me to connect with my customer and put a face to the follower count. On a personal level, it lets me understand that there are real people that follow along with my journey and support me and it really inspires me. For the customer, it’s great because they get to try on the product, feel the product, and just have an experience with the brand before buying the product.
Is the fashion industry (business side) geared more toward younger generations / people (20’s / 30’s max.)?
I wouldn’t say that the whole industry is geared toward the younger generation. However, my demographic is fairly around that age group. I have customers that range from late teens to mid 30s. I think that tends to be my demographic because I am around that age and we share a similar sense of style. However, I have had customers that are outside of this range.
What is your advice to people interested in becoming a fashion designer?
My advice for people interested in becoming a fashion designer is always to just go for it. I think the biggest thing that holds people back is being afraid or embarrassed to do something that they are interested in. If you’re passionate about it, look into classes about it or videos online that can teach you different skills that come along with that. Find inspiration and just start creating!
I was very interested in fashion from a young age. I loved to dress up. I changed my outfit 3-4 times a day when I was little. Around that age I would draw or play different fashion games. Then when I was in the second grade, I started sewing (I say sewing loosely because who knows what I was making). As I got older, my parents helped me get into art classes and sewing classes and develop those skills further.
What was the first article of clothing you designed?
I think the very first article of clothing I ever designed was a dress. I was really young, so it kind of was just a tube with straps later on I would continue to make actual dresses with patterns.
You design for women of all sizes (from your website). How important is this part to you?
It is very important to show inclusivity in my brand. I created this brand because of my love of fashion but also because I love to give people confidence in what they wear. Right now my size range is XS to 4XL and that range is still evolving. I think it’s so important for people to see something they love and actually be able to buy it because that’s not the case in most stores. I think everyone should be able to enjoy fashion and their own self expression and size shouldn’t be a factor getting in the way of that. I want to give everyone that fun and empowering experience with fashion and shopping my brand.
Your creations have a wide range of style, reminding me of 60’s to current. Flora Top / Dottie Dress made me think of the B-52’s band. Does this help you evolve as a fashion designer?
Yes, I have a very strong 1960s and 1970s influence in my designs. I really love vintage, fashion and aesthetics, and I take great inspiration from them anywhere from color combinations to prints to silhouettes. I always look to those decades for inspiration. I typically modernize it in a way, but I still take influence.
Where do you find inspiration?
For my ready to wear pieces I draw inspiration from the 1960s and 1970s. I love those prints and color palettes. Taking that inspiration and putting it in a more modern silhouette. I really love to design in color so I take inspiration from people I see on the street whether it’s here in New York City or if it’s in Copenhagen, I’m also looking at other creatives.
I design special occasion gowns for custom orders as well. When finding inspiration for these pieces, my inspiration can be more conceptual. I would say this is where the true artist in me comes out. I find inspiration in a feeling or nature and show that through a design that is more architectural.
Do you ever experience creative block, especially in the middle of a new design?
I have experience creative block multiple times throughout having this brand I think it just comes with the territory. Especially when your brand is so small and you’re still figuring out what works and what your customer enjoys and what you enjoy to make. I took a pause and skipped a season to really refine what I wanted to design and I think it was very important to do that. I think it’s hard when your brand is so small to take a break because you don’t feel like you can. You feel like you’re wasting time but I think it’s important to do that for yourself and the brand.
How do you overcome creative block?
I overcame creative block by taking a season off, and really thinking about what direction I wanted to take the brand and designs. I think sometimes it’s important to just give your creative side a break especially if you’re doing everything by yourself. I think taking time to not think about it and then finding new inspiration helps get out of that block. I also found that surrounding myself with other creative people and connecting with them re-inspires me a lot.
How did you come up with website design, especially cherries as a pointer?
I have a very eclectic style and I wanted my website to emulate that. My designs really show my style and my love for bright color combination so I wanted the website to have that. Our logo is those cherries, so we kind of built the color palette off of the logo. I thought the cherries cursor would be a cute little extra detail. All of my clothes have little extra details like heart shaped buttons or hidden cute little stitching so I wanted my website to have some little details like that.
How do you decide what color combinations / patterns to use?
My brand really stems from my personal style and I love bright color combinations. I take a lot of inspiration from the 1960s and 70s because they used a lot of bright colors and unique combinations. I tend to play with combos a lot before creating a sample. I do think that I have a good eye for colors look good together, and what prints look good together. Especially because this is how I personally dress as well.
What do you believe is more important as a fashion designer: formal education or personal / street level experience?
As a fashion designer, I think that personal style is extremely important. I do have a bachelors education in fashion, and I think that’s important to have to understand the industry and how to execute your designs. I think there’s a great value in a brand that understands clothing, and is passionate about the garment. I know today with social media it can seem like creating a brand is easy. I think it’s important for the person having a brand to understand everything that goes behind it. That being said, personal style is probably the most important part of having a brand in my opinion. You can’t teach style, you can learn how to properly make something but you can’t learn how to design something beautiful, that has to come from you.
Overall challenges / difficulties of being an indie designer? Examples: Marketing / featured in fashion shows.
I would say the biggest challenge in being an indie designer or small brand is affording to continue producing new products and finding new and creative ways to market yourself. It can be very hard to continue to grow a business from such a small scale. I feel very confident in my designs, and they do well when they are seen but it is hard to get as many eyes on your designs as possible.
I remember you did you a pop-up shop during NYFW Fall 2023. How important are events like this to the success of a fashion designer?
These in person events are very important for my brand and for me as a designer. These in person events really allow me to connect with my customer and put a face to the follower count. On a personal level, it lets me understand that there are real people that follow along with my journey and support me and it really inspires me. For the customer, it’s great because they get to try on the product, feel the product, and just have an experience with the brand before buying the product.
Is the fashion industry (business side) geared more toward younger generations / people (20’s / 30’s max.)?
I wouldn’t say that the whole industry is geared toward the younger generation. However, my demographic is fairly around that age group. I have customers that range from late teens to mid 30s. I think that tends to be my demographic because I am around that age and we share a similar sense of style. However, I have had customers that are outside of this range.
What is your advice to people interested in becoming a fashion designer?
My advice for people interested in becoming a fashion designer is always to just go for it. I think the biggest thing that holds people back is being afraid or embarrassed to do something that they are interested in. If you’re passionate about it, look into classes about it or videos online that can teach you different skills that come along with that. Find inspiration and just start creating!
