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

Hi Marissa, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
My end goal is to be a part of the next generation of apparel designers. I want to create not only costumes for film, but also create new ideas in the fashion industry as well. I want people to one day know my work whether it’s on the runway or the movies, just like all the great designers before me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
There were various moments that influenced my decision to pursue my career path in costumes. I’ve always known I wanted to go into the arts as my career. My first interest in creating clothes came from watching my grandma sew. She made her own aprons, and fixed anything that needed mending. One of the moments that impacted me was the time she made my dress for the school musical. I sat beside her as she made the dress as she taught me how to sew by hand with scraps of fabric.

When you grow up in a small town with not much to do, media becomes the greatest escape. In 2008 when Lady Gaga started her career,I would watch her on tv and see her in magazines wearing elaborate garments. At that moment, I knew I had to become a Fashion Designer! She challenged the fashion world, which inspired me to start sketching my own designs.

The show Once Upon a Time is the project that convinced me to want to work in the film industry. The incredible work of the show’s Costume Designer, Eduardo Castro, inspired me to pursue Costume Design. The way his costumes transformed the actors into modern day fairy tale characters, blended these time periods seamlessly together in a way that hadn’t been done before.

Growing up in Watsonville, with absolutely no connections to the industry, I knew I had to figure it out on my own. After graduating in 2021, I had the opportunity to be a costume supervisor on my first film. I had to learn quickly on the job what the role of a Costume Supervisor and other title in a costume department was because I ended up having to be flexible in the role I was given. Through that experience I ended up having the best time! Since that first project, yes I have faced obstacles that have made me question,” what have I gotten myself into?”, but I wouldn’t have changed those experiences for anything else.

What I have learned along my journey is that being yourself does make the difference. Showing people how passionate you are about the things that make you happy and proving that you can take on the opportunities that have been given to you, will help you thrive in whatever industry that you work in.I have continued working in the costume industry on several films, music videos, tv shows and more. I never thought that I would have the chance to work in my dream career and meet people that I admired as a kid, including Eduardo Castro, who I’ve had the opportunity to work with.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite spots in the city is the Mulholland lookout. My friends and I love grabbing food from Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, then driving up to the lookout, sitting in the car and playing music as we look at the valley. It’s such a peaceful and pretty site, especially at night when everything is lit up.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate a shoutout to my teachers/ mentors from Woodbury University; Anna Leiker, Wayne Kastning, and Bobi Garland. When I was studying Fashion Design at Woodbury, they created an amazing creative environment that encouraged me to find out who I was as a beginning designer. They never said, “No, don’t do it that way “, but “how can we achieve this goal?” They are incredible people that I am fortunate to have in my support team . I don’t know where I would be without them throughout my journey as a designer!

Instagram: marissa_soto_official

Linkedin: Marissa Soto

Facebook: Marissa Soto

Other: IMDB Marissa Soto

Image Credits
Professional photos by Eric Keitel ,Jason Tozier, and myself.

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