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A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to run for „Oh, Marisha“ in one of her fantastic costumes for the exhibition opening at the „Galerie Art Café am Kölner Dom“. It was a blast. The wonderful Photoartist Kira Hagen Photography has supported the whole event and has worked out beautiful results from all models in front of the Cologne Cathedral.

I have worn a fantastic golden gown with a beautiful fish tail and the little diva inside of me came really out. I am so in love with the wonderful pictures Kira made of me. 

Marisha has started to implement her dreamy creative ideas and the first steps into sewing very early. She calls herself a Costumier Fantazier – 

„Marisha is a seamstress and designer, antique collectress, a scholar of fashion history, former participant of TV show „Project Runway“ and overall a girl with one foot stuck in a fairytale world of the past“ (more). 

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I had a little Interview with her about her work. So have a view:

When you were introduced at the Exhibition Opening as an artist / designer, was said, that you have sewn your first clothes already from the curtains of your mother. Maybe you may tell us something about your way, the beginnings and your development up to now?

Yes, I accidentally switched channels on tv and saw some scenes of a movie I didn’t know but the girls wore such incredible dresses with tiny waists, giant long dome-like skirts and it was so magical, so beautiful! As a child, I did not understand or know much about that time period in history, neither I understood the movie, but I just couldn’t stop daydreaming about those dresses. Being a very visual person, I instantly recognized the print on Scarlett’s iconic bbq dress – it was that of my mother’s kitchen curtains! I had to make that dress for my Barbie… and then the one Scarlett wore in the first scene, one with white ruffles and red belt… With time, I learnt how to sew on my grandmother’s old Singer machine, she taught me how to prepare patterns, treat the seams, make buttonholes… To me, playing with dolls was to create dresses for them, change their outfits, make their furniture and decorate their interiors. Years later, when we found WGT festival, Mera Luna and local gothic clubs with special dress code, I started sewing and modifying clothes for myself and my friends. At the time I lived in Finland and couldn’t afford real fabrics, so was mostly sourcing materials from second stores and fleamarkets, and guess what?! – it was always either curtains, or upholstery leftovers or even bed sheets! I couldn’t afford a sewing machine, so early costumes were sewn partly by hand and partly on my friend Molla’s machine, whenever I had the chance to visit her. So sewing out of curtains and household fabrics was with me all along the way, and even now too!

Your works are all seeming to tell their own nostalgic and dark-romantic stories. What does it mean for you?

I like to imagine each dress as a character with a story… What if Scarlett O’Hara was in soviet army, what would her crinoline dress look like in green camo print and red stars? Or an elegant lady of the Belle Epoque but all stained in tea and her dress is actually made of table cloths… It’s this mix of something strange and often dark or even horror, together with beauty of historical fashion. I live in that world of twisted fairytales and beautiful but inadequate clothes.

How would you describe your style and where is it reflected in your daily life?

What I create is all historically-inspired, and with time it also crawled into my own wardrobe. When I first discovered romantic goth subculture, it was a wonderful escape and excuse into wearing strange „unfashionable“ things that felt right for the time I wished to live in. With time, this style evolved and now it is a mix of neo-retro elements, my goth-punk past and femininity of the past. I am costumier-fantasier and my daily wear is exactly that!

Your works are exhibited at the „Galerie Art Café am Kölner Dom“ now, till when is it possible to admire your costumes there? 

The exhibition is now prolonged until 13th of September, so you still have a chance to see! The Art Galerie also has a lovely cafe, so it is a very cozy place to be in!

Thank you Marisha! 

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The Galerie Art Café near the Cologne Cathedral is offering very good ice-cream too. It is worth it to enjoy a cool yummie ice during the last summer days and to have a look.
Like you can see is the gown I wore also exhibited there now… 😉

Here a few Links to her official Website and Etsy Shop: