Dance was at the heart of Marrisa Wilson’s striking Fall 2023 experiential runway presentation titled, “Rhythmic,” which fused music, movement, art, and fashion. A former dancer herself, designer Marrisa Wilson, looked to her own dance background as well as iconic American dancer, Katherine Dunham, for inspiration while creating this season’s 24-look collection. For Wilson, her design process has always been influenced by her connection to music and this linkage between the two art forms helped inform the collection’s hand-painted prints, which feature lively, artisanal designs evoking a sense of rhythmic, melodic energy.
To help bring her vision for the presentation to life, Wilson partnered with Oribe’s Principal Educator of Content & Training, Kien Hoang, who envisioned turning natural curls into brilliant hair sculptures. Working as lead hairstylist, Hoang used Oribe hair products to craft graphic, sculptural bobs—some shaped into an umbrella or circular design—that let natural hair textures truly shine.
Pre-show, The Tease was able to chat with Hoang about his inspiration for the hair looks, how the hair looks complemented the collection, and his favorite thing about styling for fashion week. Keep reading for more!
The Tease: What can you tell us about the hair looks for the Marrisa Wilson presentation? What served as inspiration?
Kien Hoang: The inspiration is Marissa. You know, it’s about her heritage. When we talked, we collaborated on making the hair look. The texture of her hair is so beautiful and normally, it’s actually like protected down, but we just wanted to expose this beautiful natural curl and shape it into these like bob-like, chin-length hair sculptures so they are kind of like these radiant goddesses that are like stomping down New York City.
How do these beautiful hair sculptures complement the fashion in the presentation?
Hoang: It complements the graphic lines that are in Marrisa’s clothing, that are hand-painted by her. It’s so gorgeous! And, we took those lines and then just looked at the shape and created it within the hair.
As far as key products, what did you use to prep and style the hair?
Hoang: For all of us backstage, it’s important to moisturize the hair really lightly. We already prepped the models the night before to detangle well using the Oribe Moisture Control Collection and kind of get it prepped. And, so as the model arrived, we just used a little bit of the Oribe Foundation Mist ($32.00), which is a revitalizing spray and a light detangler.
And, lastly, what’s your favorite thing about styling for New York Fashion Week?
Hoang: My favorite thing about styling for New York Fashion Week is working and collaborating with designers to bring their vision alive.
