Ibulliance: Talking Design with Marisa Nemirow
The team crowds around the oval table in the studio, excited to learn about the new Outrageously Uzbek Collection coming out this fall. Marisa presents colorful ikats, soft velvet jackets, sumptuous embroidery and bold accessories to accompany the fashions. Marisa Nemirow is Ibu’s director of design and has been working with our artisan partners for ten years to create our unique designs showcasing their gorgeous heritage crafts. Her work includes sourcing new artisan groups, drafting new silhouettes and refining classic ones, selecting the collections’ colorways, the look, the feel, the fit—all the details that define Ibu fashion that you know and love to wear.
I sat down with Marisa to learn a little more about her process and share the inside scoop with you.
~ Lasley Steever, chief marketing officer
When did you begin at Ibu? What was your background and how did you get to your current role?
MN: I began at Ibu exacy ten years ago. Wow! Crazy it has been that long. I came from being a buyer and manager at a luxury women’s store. I met Susan at a transition in my life where I was recently married and looking for a change. Susan was about to open the Ibu studio and showroom. I knew some of the others on the team, and all of the pieces just ended up coming together serendipitously.
How do you define an Ibu design?
MN: I would first say an Ibu design, well, it has to be designed by Ibu! In all seriousness, an Ibu design takes the amazing skills that these talented women artisans already possess and reinterprets them into bold, unique designs created by and exclusive to Ibu. Whether it is the silhouette of the garment, the embroidery design, the colors of the dye, the mixing of materials and techniques, it comes from ideas conjured up here at Ibu and is then brought to life by talented women artisans, creating something truly one of a kind.
Would you describe your overall design process? How do you typically start a collection drop?
MN: The process starts with a particular inspiration, whether it be an area in the world, a specific technique, a particular color palette, or an overall motif that will run throughout the collection. Once this theme has been determined, I look at all of the artisan groups we work with and see how it can be interpreted with the skills they already possess. Their crafts have been passed down from generation to generation and we always look for ways to innovate while being true to the heritage technique.
The International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe is a great source of inspiration and a chance to connect with long-time artisan partners as well as to meet new ones.
Where do you find inspiration, and how do you incorporate it into your work?
MN: Inspiration comes sometimes from the stacks of coffee table books all over my house—from fashion, to travel, to food—all filled with pages of eye candy. Daily research exploring fashion, checking out what other retailers are offering, as well as my travels… I always try looking at things with a new eye and focusing on details to see why a design feels creative and unique.
How would you describe your personal design style? How does it influence your process?
MN: I continue to hone my own style. I find the older I get the more I gravitate towards the unique, the bold, the fun, and interesting. I have decided life is too short to be boring and it can be more fun to be outrageous. I also am aware that not everyone wants to wear the total extreme so I try to meet-in-the-middle. How can we create chic and distinct pieces, stay true to these ancient artisanal techniques, and offer an assortment of designs for different styles, ages, and figures? I am always looking for the new and being open to different ideas with no rules!
What methods do you use to gather information and research before starting a design?
MN: Each season is different—sometimes it’s based on the focus of an event we’re having and others are conjured up with allies such as Ali MacGraw and Charlotte Moss, in which their input and style are critical. Other seasons just seem to come together organically from research in the fashion world, gathering of images, and the creation of mood boards where it starts to all come to life.
Walk us through how you go from initial sketches to a final design.
MN: Once I have interpreted a specific technique into a design, I send over sketches and detailed notes to the artisan group. There is typically some back and forth to go over the details and clarify questions before the first sample begins. Communication continues through the process to make sure the design is going in the right direction. First samples are completed and sent to me so that the garment can be tried on and inspected. I respond with any tweaks, changes, and adjustments and the second sample begins. Some designs only take one sample and are ready to execute. Some take multiple rounds or even a few seasons until we finally get them right, but in the end it is all worth it to see the evolution from the initial sample to the final gorgeous product.
Marisa meets with artisan partners in the Ibu Studio; and styles looks for runway shows.
Have there been times where feedback significantly changed your design or required you to pivot your design approach mid-project?
MN: Yes, occasions where I dreamed up something that would be fabulous just to find out that it is impossible with the techniques being used, or the base fabric isn’t suitable for the design, or the base fabric can’t even be sourced in the area in a quality up to our standards. While planning for the Fringe Revolution runway, we had a crazy idea for the Seven Sisters felted dress... what if the felting looked like a vine, playing up the botanical theme of the runway, and the design wrapped around to cover parts of a woman’s figure while exposing skin in other areas, resulting in an edgy, fashion-forward allure to the dress? The design was sketched and looked oh so gorgeous on paper. I was so excited to propose this new design to the artisan leader, just to find out that this sort of placement for the felt design was not possible. I learned there is a balancing act to the felting technique and in order for the pieces to lay flat and not pull, the design must be much more symmetrical. Instead, we pivoted to a one shoulder, knockout felted dress in the most radiant earth and sky hues!
What are some of the biggest obstacles in your design process?
MN: Communication breakdown—which is to be expected with so many different primary languages. Also timing. Everything is handmade and that means it takes a lot of time and energy, and then throw in political instability, war, diverse religious holidays, and illness into the mix and you can’t foresee the delays and how long everything will truly take. And lastly, international shipping issues. It is crazy how many random problems there are. You can’t make it up!
Marisa puts final touches on a Bold Knits ensemble and makes notes on adjustments for the Outrageously Uzbek collection.
What’s a project you’re particularly proud of?
MN: The current collection of Bold Knits and upcoming Outrageously Uzbek, as they are the first I have curated solely on my own. It has been tricky to work through everything in my own brain and to look for new groups and create new ideas and silhouettes, but it has also been fun and gratifying to see it come together in our editorial shoots these past couple of weeks… even if a few shipments have still not found their way here!
Thanks for sharing all of these details about your incredibly interesting process. Anything else you want to add?
MN: I also have an obsession with wild cats and my domesticated cats, of course. So there is always a feline inspiration and energy running throughout as many designs as possible for me!
SHW
Creative Director + Founder
