Meet Marquise Sarah: Creative Director / Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marquise Sarah and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marquise Sarah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Having my own fashion line has always been a childhood dream. My sketchbooks were filled with clothing ideas, different names and drawings of the perfect logo. Throughout my life, I carried that dream of seeing my clothes on a stranger walking down the street and participating in NYFW. What actually happened was a different story. In 2012/2013 fresh out of Parsons, I filed for my business license thinking it was the perfect time to launch. My senior thesis was going to transform into my groundbreaking capsule collection and everything would fall into place. After learning about the “business” side of fashion, I pivoted to a styling based services and custom garments business. This was my on-going side hustle for several years while I worked as a sweater designer for private brands in NYC. September of 2016, I took the ultimate leap of faith by quitting my job as an associate sweater designer to launch my line. My employer had a strict non-compete clause which encouraged me to plan my exit, since a 9 to 5 wasn’t the end goal. By this time I made several changes to my business concept such as focusing on the men’s shirting category and took many continuing education classes at FIT to grasp the general knowledge of the business of fashion.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

Marquise (Mar-Key) Sarah is dedicated to servicing the modern luxury consumer. Presenting bespoke-quality finish, luxurious Japanese and European textiles, with innovative and distinctive design details. The hallmarks of the Marquise Sarah brand are novelty menswear inspired print & patterns, infused with timeless menswear staples beginning with the exploration of tailoring. We chose to strengthen the very heart of the brand by utilizing production services based in NYC, from where all sampling, production and distribution are currently coordinated. Our ideal client requires a transitional wardrobe that takes them from the boardroom to dinner to after hours drinks while remaining fashionably appropriate.

I am extremely excited about the upcoming rebranding launch this spring. We are releasing some of our favorite designs with a new/improved fit and branding experience. Throughout the year we will update the product with different patterns, seasonal colors and potentially new silhouettes to diversify the collection. Like most businesses, we utilized the pandemic as a time to reevaluate and pivoted into developing facemask with matching pocket squares. This led to our most recent give back initiative, which I am most proud of.

For June’20, the business partnered with The Brooklyn Bank, a non-profit dedicated to empowering the community by providing financial literacy, wealth building strategies and promoting entrepreneurship. We adopted a local black owned business that was affected by the pandemic to receive proceeds from the product of the month. One of my business goals is to expand this model into scholarship and grant opportunities to empower our community and circulate the dollar.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I always give honor to God for his continuous guidance and favor. I also want to shout out my parents, brother, extended family, supportive friends and a lifetime of tough love teachers/mentors. Without these individuals’ presence in various times of my life, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Website: www.marquisesarah.com

Instagram: @Marquise_Sarah

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarquiseSarahMenswear

Image Credits
Harvey Jackson Studios, Vianel De La Cruz,  LostArtBK, Brian Hibbler, Frank Watson, Flyzel, Marlynn Haywood