Middle-Eastern Asian Style Comes to Pittsburgh Fashion Week

By Payton Ferris

By using inspiration from her home in the Southern part of The Philippines, Marissa Tampoya utilizes the colorful and beautiful style of Middle-Eastern Asian culture within her work.

With a commonality of ideas floating through the current fashion community, Marissa focuses on not following trends and instead focusing on emphasizing the differences in style and acting on whatever inspires her for her work. Her goal is to create pieces that her clients can wear every day and still stand out in comparison to others.

By residing in the United States, Marissa observes the culture of trends in comparison to the trends of the country where she was raised and uses this to incorporate into her style within her business IslandGurl. She is inspired by the environment around her, especially focusing on the Earth and observing how plants and animals embrace the color and movement that they represent. The similarities within the culture of the island she lived on in The Philippines in comparison to the U.S. allows for her American audience to be familiar with the style while simultaneously embracing the detail and culture that comes with each piece.

When she first started out designing, Marissa was concerned about the acceptance of her work and style. However, she knew she had to remain true to herself and design what spoke to her. Her challenge now is trying to find materials that are unique and speak to her/her work. Luckily, she has friends outside of the U.S. that help her to discover new fabrics that other people in the U.S. do not have access to and therefore contributes to IslandGurl’s individuality. Although trying to create while having to wait to have the fabric in front of her is a challenge, she loves being able to utilize unique pieces for her work.

She hopes that in the future, the fashion industry will inspire designers to step into their own rather than following others. She also hopes that the industry will learn to change with society and culture. Perhaps others will be inspired to observe their surroundings within the present day.