To Wear Your Truth like Armor

Words by Klaudia Zychowska Visuals by Felton Kizer

For Nelissa Carrillo, how we dress reveals an element of our identity. Her new brand offers a bold space for individuals to freely express who they are regardless of gender norms.

Nelissa Carrillo radiates a warmth and fierceness that draws you toward her. From the moment you first meet the young designer, you feel welcomed and seen. The longing to make this world a more beautiful and compassionate place guides her through life and drove her to start her genderless clothing brand, STRONGER WISER EVERYDAY (SWE).

The name of the brand reflects how she feels and how she wants others to feel. As a victim of domestic violence, Carrillo understands the difficulty knowing your own worth after someone makes you feel like it is something you lack. She understands how it can feel impossible to learn to love yourself. The journey of recovery is taken in small steps, on a daily basis, and it can be done by affirming yourself. Every day, you are stronger. Every day, you are wiser. Every day, you get better at loving yourself and the world around you.

Domestic violence disrupts a person’s entire understanding of safety because that safety is absent where it is meant to be. The entire world can feel cold and unloving, so it is important to love and put yourself first.

Our identities are composed of many elements, and one such element is the way we present ourselves to the world, particularly through fashion. Dressing the way you want is absolutely freeing, and Nelissa Carrillo wants to spread this feeling of freedom through her designs.

Educated at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in California, she pursued multiple directions before discovering her passion for genderless clothing. Although Carrillo always knew she would do something creative, she hadn’t always been sure of the medium. It was in the 8th grade when she realized it was fashion.

From then on, regardless of what life threw at her, she refused to settle for anything other than a career in fashion. She applied to FIDM, got in, and graduated with a degree in Fashion Design. In school, she began the journey of self-discovery familiar to most artists; she tried out a variety of paths until she found what felt right in her heart. After getting her degree, she packed a bag and moved to a brand-new city: Seattle. There, she worked in ready-to-wear designs as well as in avant-garde designs, but it was while she was an intern for a couture designer she learned the most about working in the industry.

“She showed me the couture technique…[and] that’s when I started teaching myself and researching more what the traditional skills are in creating a garment,” she says.

After her internships came to an end, Carrillo began working on cocktail dresses for TV personalities and pageant girls. That still did not feel right. “I felt stagnant,” she recalls.

The idea for SWE first came out of her own need for women’s wear to be simultaneously comfortable, functional, and cool—which she could never find shopping in the women’s section. This resulted in her being drawn to the men’s section of stores, which turned a few heads.

“People would be like, ‘Are you shopping for your boyfriend?’ And I’d be, like, ‘No, I’m shopping for a shirt I can wear on a date tonight,’’ she laughs.

She wants the brand to offer people a space to comfortably be themselves and wear the clothes that reflect that notion—whether that means a woman in oversized cargo pants or a man in a skirt. “I just love comfort, and to look badass,” she says with a smile.

It amazes Carrillo that fashion is able to transcend numerous forms. For her, fashion is an outlet, a passion, a form of armor. It’s a way to show the world who you are that day. It’s a way to discover yourself.

Fashion also has the chance to bring the topic of sustainability to light. Carrillo strives to be transparent about SWE. She wants her customers to know that sustainability is close to her heart; she takes extra care to ensure the sources from which she gathers textiles do not harm Mother Earth. And, when she considers the growing future of the brand, she plans to stay true to what the brand is meant to be: sustainable and ethical and inclusive.

Carrillo’s creative energy takes many shapes. In her spare time, she bakes. She paints. She creates stunning graphic portraits grounded in her use of color and authenticity. Though these pieces remain private, she has considered sharing them on social media.

Like other artists, Carrillo’s creative abundance means being involved in an array of projects, which can often result in burnout. Knowing well what burnout feels like and how difficult it is to get out of the accompanying rut, Carrillo prioritizes curating balance. She fills her days with both work and self-care. Each morning, she tries to wake up early and meditate. Then, she practices yoga, prepares home-cooked meals, works in her studio, and, before going to bed, she reads. When I spoke with her, she was reading a book about entrepreneurship book to help master running her own business. With no background in business, she is completely self-taught. Sometimes she second-guesses her choices, but she has realized it’s better to try and learn from them.

Filled with ideas and creative energy, Carrillo’s bright future will definitely include making waves in the fashion world.

“The idea for SWE first came out of her own need for women’s wear to be simultaneously comfortable, functional, and cool—which she could never find shopping in the women’s section.”