Check out Julissa Arrington’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julissa Arrington.

Julissa, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in Houston with my Colombian mother and little sister in the southwest part of town. I have always been interested in the arts whether it be, hair styling, dancing, playing musical instruments, drawing or singing. I played the clarinet and was involved in theatre arts in middle. In high school, I was in Choir and Dance (ballet, hip-hop, jazz). For a brief moment, I also wanted to get into modeling, I tried out at a couple of scout agencies, but they kept telling me that I had to lose or gain weight, so I let that dream go.

I decided to take some classes at Houston Community College for fashion because at this point I was not sure what I wanted to do in fashion, but I knew I wanted to be in the industry. One of my Algebra teachers in high school helped me decide. I played with the idea of getting my cosmetology license as well because I had been doing my hair and others since I was 12 years old (I grew watching my mom do nails or hair), but then I decided to stick with fashion. I realized that I wanted to design once I had finished my two years.

I searched for four-year colleges to transfer to once I was done with my two-year program at HCC. I considered SCAD, Parsons, FIDM, and Academy of Art. I decided on Academy of Art because I was attracted to their annual grad shows and because they guaranteed housing. During my years in the Academy of Art (2006-2010), I found my design aesthetic. The instructors pushed their students to be more avant-garde compared to what I was used to in Texas. AAU was also expensive and I was working 40 hours a week to pay my school tuition. I had a hard time focusing in such a big school. I fell into a big depression and at times could not finish some of my work. I ended up switching to The Art Institute of San Francisco after a year break.

During my years at The Art Institute of San Francisco, I felt closer to the instructors but still struggled with my depression, at times it was hard to focus on my studies. I felt overwhelmed, alone, and defeated. At this time, I was also working 40 hours a week. I had attempted to be in the school’s fashion show three times, but every time I tried to complete the deadlines, I would fall short.

My job at the time offered to counsel and I decided to get help and attended counseling twice a week. I also partnered with my instructors to meet up with them for my progress. With the help of counseling and my instructors, I was able to finally show at my school’s Fashion Show. The name of my collection was titled “Suffocation.” It embodied everything that I had gone through, it was a walking journal of pain and the beauty that came out of it. This Collection also allowed me to show at New York Fashion Week, I was one of the nine students that won an entry via the school in the fall of 2016. I received great reviews and people were interested in buying the collection. I never planned on opening my business right away because, in school, we were always conditioned to work under someone for about ten+ years before branching out.

I was not sure of what I wanted to do next. I considered staying at my current employer and possibly interning at a fashion house. That year, my company relocated and we were let go. I decided to use my free time and savings to open my company in the fall of October 2017. I was anxious and afraid I would fail, but I decided to just go with my gut and go for it. In my first pop up show in Oakland, I had five orders. The gave me the confidence to keep going. At that time, my studio apartment was getting crowded and I could not afford to move into a bigger space in Oakland, so I decided to move back to Houston in January of 2018.

I attended my first pop with Flea at Silver Street in September of 2018.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I create women’s contemporary clothing. I like to call it “wearable art.” I want my clients to feel like they are truly wearing a piece of art and not just another garment, I sew all the clothes myself for the moment and I am very particular of the fabrics that I use. I enjoy working with natural fibers such as hemp, silk, cotton, and linen.

I am inspired by my surroundings. I like telling stories through my clothing. I love architecture and lines. Some of the artists that have inspired me are Jean-Michel Basquiat, André Courrèges, Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, Haider Ackerman, John Galliano, and Alexander McQueen.

Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
The role of an artist has always been to evoke an emotion through their art. Whether it be a positive or negative. I am not a “literal” designer, meaning that just because we are in a certain climate in society, I am going to start printing shirts about the current political climate. I weather include the present and the past to create a story. I also don’t believe an artist should always have to be so pressured to be political in their work.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
People may view my garments online.

Contact Info:

• Website: julissaa.com
• Phone: 2814553824
• Email: contact@julissaa.com
• Instagram: j.a.label

Image Credit:
Clay Moss

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