| Gemma Marissa was captivated by fashion
and textiles very early in her life. She was brought up in Yorkshire,
where her mother taught her how to knit and crochet from a very early
age. She became captivated by creating and experimenting and seeing
what she could make with the things she found in her mother’s sewing
box! Her interest continued to grow and in 2003, she went on to study for a textiles degree at Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, specialising in Knitwear Design. It was here that her creativity and innovation grew, producing many collections including ‘Bloomsbury’ and ‘Paris Paris’ and showing her work at The London Look Fashion Show, as well as being chosen to show her work in Textile View Magazine. After leaving university, she worked in many areas of the fashion and textiles industries, including the Paul Smith Design Studios and the Channel Four Costume Department. In 2006, she began working as the Design Room Manager for the fashion designer Luella Bartley alongside working as a freelance designer for London based textiles agencies including Corio Studios and Indesign. Gemma Marissa launched her own label in the summer of 2008, producing handmade knitted/crocheted fashion accessories. She has always been inspired by her Yorkshire roots, from a childhood filled with excitement and stories, and by being surrounded by nature. Many of her pieces feature flowers or insects such as the wings of a butterfly or bees. Some pieces are inspired by stories such as ‘The Secret Garden’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’, which are examples of Gemma Marissa’s favourites from her childhood. The pieces are also always inspired by vintage fashions, especially from the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, when fashion was ultra feminine and romantic. It is from these inspirations that Gemma Marissa designs and hand-makes her individual pieces. She combines her inspirations to produce pieces that are beautiful and feminine, but that also have a playful, modern edge to them. |