We were lucky to catch up with Sharisse Scott-Rawlins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sharisse, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful projects I have been working on are my cinematic fashion visual brand commercials. I like to think of myself as a visionary Designer. I am someone who is able to dream in the most beautifully vivid and detail oriented way, and follow it through to execution as if it were a calling from the Gods and the Universe. Inspiration can strike from limitless sources, but there are several steps that come into play in order to get to the final product. All that goes into the process is why it is so meaningful to me, because I pour my heart and soul into these visuals.

The first step of the process is sketching. Fashion sketching is how I can brainstorm my design ideas on paper, until I reach a final illustration(s). The next step is to think of what fabrics and materials I may need in order to bring each vision alive. This step is followed by pattern drafting based on muse measurements, prototyping, fittings, and final designs. What people don’t realize is that the execution of the vision is not completed once the garment is finished, that is just the first half of the process. The next step is breathing life into the designs to create an entire visual; in hopes to transcend viewers into bySharisse’s universe. This means choosing the right models to bring the garments to life, creating and buying accessories to elevate the looks, choosing the perfect locations, working with producers to create the perfect instrumental music (or working with local artists), and having the right content team to execute the visuals. The last step is meticulously mapping out each scene I want to be shot, and communicating that to the entire team involved so that everyone understands the vision/assignment.

Once all of this is achieved the content is edited into a cinematic masterpiece, paired with high quality photography. bySharisse’s fashion visuals are so meaningful to me because they represent the epitome of what my brand universally stands for; to create and inspire. With so much going on in the world, I vowed to use my platform to create a positive, powerful impact on the community. To dig a little deeper, since my brand’s beginnings it has had the mission statement to encourage confidence, individuality and equality; celebrating all body shapes, sizes and identifications. These visuals are meant to show the world that we can exist in our own universe unapologetically, and do not need to conform to societal beliefs. These visuals have created my own lane as a Designer, combining fashion with cinematography and positive change.

Sharisse, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The start of bySharisse occurred due to a class project and divine intervention. In 2010, my sophomore year at Brockton High School, Brockton Massachusetts, I was assigned a non-traditional class project where we were told to present our topics in an unconventional way; so I decided to hand paint a t-shirt. Growing up I had always been a visionary who loved to create, and I was always interested in anything regarding fashion; but never in a million years did I expect that hand painted t-shirt to change my life forever. I wore that shirt to school, confident I was going to ace the class project, and ended up leaving at the end of the day with not only an A, but also a huge group t-shirt order! One of my teachers ended up hiring me to make 30 hand-painted shirts for her best friend’s bachelorette party; which ended up being such a success that the mother of the bride hired me to make 30 more for the wait staff to wear at the wedding reception a few weeks later. This was the start of bySharisse. No long thought out plan, simply walking in the direction of my life’s purpose. Not too shortly after that project, my services were being booked for sports team attire, school club memorabilia, birthday parties, fundraisers, church functions, and so much more! As the custom orders rolled in I started to take notes and think about how I could best make bySharisse a full time business in the future.

From making hand-painted t-shirts, sweatpants, hoodies, etc. in high school, my journey continued to college as I decided to obtain my Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and Production at Lasell University, Newton Massachusetts. At Lasell I was able to expand my skills and learn how to construct everything from day to evening wear, womenswear, menswear and childrenswear, along with the production component of putting together fashion events. My junior year I was accepted into a high level semester abroad program at one of the best fashion schools in the world, London College of Fashion in London England. Where I had only known how to sew for a year but still managed to push myself and my skills to the top of my class, completing the semester with straight A’s. In 2016 I graduated from Lasell at the top of my class and was chosen by my department for the prestigious Book Award; an award/recognition for demonstrating the highest quality work, and the student most likely to succeed.

Since 2010 my custom fashion design business has created 800+ hand made pieces to date, including wedding dresses. Without any prior knowledge of business before running my brand, I have been single-handedly optimising my businesses supply chain for materials and managing its finances while running day-to-day operations, including consultations, sketching, pattern drafting, fittings and sewing. I have also strategically planned, managed, marketed and executed dozens of fashion shows, collections, photoshoots, video shoots, pop-up shops, open markets, documentaries, flash mobs, and collaborations; collectively, while learning how to best run my business as I excelled forward. In 2020 I graduated with my Master’s in Business from Howard University and founded an Entrepreneurship club/centre while I was there.

I always knew that I wanted bySharisse to withstand the test of time, so as I gathered first hand experience, I simultaneously wanted to have the educational background in my repertoire as well. Now, as I transition my brand into a full time job, I am learning about the most effective and fool proof ways to increase the ultimate success of my business. In October of 2022, I decided to take a leap of faith and expand my brand/business to Atlanta Georgia to continue growing and striving to achieve my brand’s highest potential and have been thriving in Atlanta ever since. It took a lot of trial and error, strategic planning, and most importantly faith in myself to achieve my dreams thus far. I was meant to start my business before even knowing it was my purpose, and it has all been based upon my love to create and inspire.

When it comes to custom orders, it is a very personalised experience. Clients work one on one with me, the Designer, to bring their desired garments to life. From sketches to pattern drafting to prototypes and fittings, the process is tailor-made to ensure that clients feel special as they get their one-of-a-kind pieces made. bySharisse does have some ready-to-sell pieces that are sold upon availability. I am known for my attention to detail. I am very meticulous about my work and it is my mission to be able to celebrate every shape and size and bring out the confidence and individuality of each client. I am also known for my eye-catching prints and patterns that I source straight from Africa, when making Ankara garments. In addition to creating, I am also a visionary. Not only do I create these beautiful designs but I bring it all together as a complete visual. When people are watching my shows, cinematic videos, or just scrolling through my socials, I want them to transcend into an alternative universe of bySharisse.

The mission behind my brand is to create a positive, powerful impact in not only the communities I am a part of, but the world we live in today. Through my designs and production of my visions, I create a universe that uplifts, inspires and celebrates our heritage and individuality; while bringing us all together. bySharisse is dedicated to diversity and equality, with a mission to celebrate all body shapes and sizes while encouraging confidence, individuality and equality. With everything going on in the world I am proud to be able to uplift my community, provide an unapologetic space for us to thrive, and hold our heads up high as the Kings and Queens that we are. I love to use my platform to take a stand and raise awareness to the issues that matter to me most; such as Black Lives Matter, Racial and Gender Equality, Cancer Awareness, Self Care and Celebrating Diversity in all shapes and forms. Too often society tries to turn our communities against one another and through my business I try to help bridge that gap and bring us back together as one; we are always stronger together. As a visionary, I intend to continue creating new and innovative ways to uplift our community by using powerful inspiration to create detailed oriented pieces made with love.

Work life balance is something that I continue to work on mastering each and every day. As a creative and an entrepreneur it can be quite difficult to evenly distribute all of the elements I have on my plate. I am an extremely detail oriented person who is also a perfectionist, which unfortunately makes it difficult, at times, for me to find the right balance and know when to step away from the sewing machine and pour into myself. For as long as I can remember I have been a workaholic, but now as a cancer survivor I do keep my health at the forefront of my mind. It is easy to work ourselves to the core when we are passionate about what we are doing, but that determination can lead us to unhealthy habits and routines without us even realising. It is clinically proven that overworking ourselves can lead to a variety of health problems, including cancer, which is why I am an advocate for self care. Before being diagnosed with cancer I would push my mind and body to intense limits simply trying to strive towards greatness. It wasn’t until after I was diagnosed that I realised just how much that lack of mindfulness takes a toll on our bodies as I failed to function at full speed since my body was not in its best condition. Now that I am cancer free, I make it a priority to listen to my body, give her what she needs, and incorporate better healthy habits into my daily routine. When we pour into ourselves it allows us to pour into what we want with more abundance.

When it comes to knowing whether to keep going or to give up I like to ask myself, “what is my heaven on earth?” We all have a vision of what our ideal world looks like, and if you see your passion as a part of that dream, then you know it is something worth pursuing continuously. Often we allow ourselves to get discouraged, down hearted, or defeated, due to life not going according to plans. But the only way we’ll ever know the possibilities of our dreams is if we stay the course and don’t give up on them. Trusting that everything happens in divine timing and knowing that we all have our own journeys is the key to helping me continue to move forward even through the toughest times. True passion about something is never worth giving up on in my opinion.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

By no means is being an entrepreneur easy, but knowing that through the ups, and the downs, designing is my soulmate, it helps me to continue pushing through anything that I encounter with the utmost resilience. I know that God and the universe did not bring me down this path of Fashion Design and Production by mistake. The moment I knew faith in my passion and my resilience was all I had to lean on during my most challenging times, is when I was diagnosed with cancer immediately after graduating undergrad university. All throughout my senior year, I had a large tumor growing from my throat down to my heart at a rapid speed. Although I knew something was wrong, the healthcare system was unable to properly discover it. I was already enduring the most difficult year of university; creating my senior capstone collection, taking masters level courses, and captaining the Women’s Volleyball Team. So needless to say, I didn’t need anything extra on my plate, but nevertheless I was going to push through it all to achieve success. Through immense pain I managed to design, and it ended up carrying me through this difficult time. After visiting multiple doctors and specialists trying to solve what was wrong, they all chalked it up to stress. So I would return to the sewing lab and release my pain and frustration through pouring into my handmade garments. It wasn’t until after I graduated that I was officially diagnosed with Aggressive Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in the spring of 2016 and had to fight for my life.

While undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, I continued to run my business consistently by showcasing new collections and taking on an ample amount of orders, including my first wedding dress order. I also made a point to use my platform to raise awareness of how important it is to look after our own health, but not to let any obstacles keep you from pursuing your dreams. I truly believe my faith in my purpose and leaning on my passion during this difficult time is what kept me going and helped me beat cancer exponentially. Although it has not been easy running my business since the age of 15 in 2010, my passion to create has always uplifted me through my darkest times unfailing. Designing has always been the shoulder I had to lean on, the voice of my soul. My resilience to create and inspire despite one of my most difficult times, having cancer, is one of the things I am most proud of.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

bySharisse has built its audience on social media through genuinity, high-quality designs, and consistency. Since the start of the brand in 2010, I, Sharisse, have always been one to create personal authentic connections and bonds with whoever I come into contact with. From clients, models and collaborators, to complete strangers, I am undoubtedly going to treat you with the utmost respect and kindness, while sharing my passion with you. Many people follow my brand because they feel they know and can resonate with me, being the designer behind the brand. I always exude passion for what I do, and pride myself on the authenticity of my platform. bySharisse has also done a lot of travel and community based work in many different cities all over the world, which introduces people to my brand on a first hand basis, while getting to see the quality and detail of my work in person. However, whether followers have met me or not, there’s no denying the quality of my garments, my visions, and the intentions behind my brand. The overarching goal is to create and inspire, with a mission of encouraging confidence, individuality, and equality. Every body, shape, and size, is represented on bySharisse’s platform, which allows its audience to envision themselves in Designs bySharisse. Always having a clear message, and detailed-oriented high-quality work, brings an audience to the platform that truly appreciates all that goes into my presence. My audience can feel the love. My brand has built its presence one follower at a time, and I appreciate each and every person who supports my dream. One piece of advice I would give to those just starting to build their social media presence, is to be unapologetically yourself. It is easy to get consumed by the social media world, but we must not lose ourselves in the process. The best thing you can do is be yourself because no one else is like you! Create your own lane and thrive in it. As a verified micro influencer, I am proof that standing true and being unapologetically you, can work wonders.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bysharisse.com/
• Instagram: @bysharisse
• Facebook: @bysharisse
• Twitter: @bysharisse
• Youtube: @bysharisse
• Other: Tik Tok: @bysharisse

Image Credits
@chinnfilms, @towermedia.r, @lifeofimagery, @hannahosof, @44shots.atl, @miles_theshooter, @btsdesignstudio, @justdope_photography, @cedric_hatcher