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Malissa Long, right, stands with model Kaylee Thamrin at MakeICT. Long is a Wichita-based designer who will show this dress, and others, at Kansas City Fashion Week in April.
The Wichita Eagle
In fashion, everything old can be new again. The style truism is evident in Wichita designer Malissa Long’s collection for Kansas City Fashion Week.
This Friday, 12 models will walk the runway at Kansas City’s Union Station in looks inspired by 1920s design motifs and silhouettes, which Long refashioned in modern, comfortable fabrics. She designed the collection for women who aren’t completely ready to move on from the hoodies and yoga pants they’ve been wearing during the pandemic.
“I wanted to keep that comfort and add a little class to it,” said Long, who felt a spark of inspiration as she perused Gilded Age styles. Under the name Malissa Long Wear, the designs include her take on 1920s beach pajamas. Simple shapes paired with a variety of patterns, some reproduced with machine appliqué, are characteristic of the collection.
Reinvention is nothing new for the native Texan, who moved to Wichita seven years ago to work in the industrial sewing industry. Long and her husband, Leo, were motivated by the dream of home ownership, which they didn’t think they could afford in Austin.
A year after their move, a cervical cancer diagnosis threatened the stability she and her family were searching for. Long’s job didn’t work out the way she expected, either.
These detours led her to MakeICT, the community makerspace where Long has served as the volunteer textile lead for the past few years. It was the first step toward becoming an established community artist and volunteer. Long is a past winner of the Neighborhood Superstar award through Fisch Haus and Harvester Arts, and she has also been a resident artist at Botanica. She serves on the Wichita Arts Council and the board of the Haysville Public Library.
Prior to her move to Kansas, Long participated in fashion weeks in Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. She grew up in a “sewing family,” and her mother made all of her children’s clothes, often with leftover fabric from the Jordache factory where some of their relatives worked.
If an item of clothing was damaged, Long would take it apart and examine the construction. Sometimes she would take two patterns and figure out how to join them together to create something new.
“Nothing ever fit me right, so I had to learn how to alter and play with things,” she said. “It seemed to come to me naturally.”
Long majored in fashion merchandising at Sam Houston State, where she also took pattern-making classes. She developed an interested in “up cycled” fashion, launched a small fashion brand, and joined the Austin Craft Mafia.
In Wichita, Long’s creative practice shifted toward embroidery and fabric art. But last year she returned to her roots when she participated in the Been Seen group fashion show at Harvester Arts.
“We had so much fun, Long said. “It reminded me why I loved making clothes.”
The experience inspired her to try for a spot at Kansas City Fashion Week. Long created a slide deck and interviewed to be one of 20 designers to show at Union Station April 13-16.
Another reason Long applied is Kansas City Fashion Week’s inclusion in CFDA Connects, a program of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The new program will connect 10 regional fashion initiatives with marketing, professional development and funding opportunities.
Long is also excited to be a part of a growing fashion movement in Wichita, which includes the fashion event series ICT Fashion Tour, founded by local artist Anri.
When Long learned she had been accepted to her first fashion week in 10 years, the friends she made through the fashion tour were among the first to congratulate her.
“There are enough people in Wichita who want to share and be part of a fashion community, which is amazing,” Long said. “It’s really nice to have people to bounce ideas off of and collaborate with.”
Malissa Long Wear at Kansas City Fashion Week
What: Wichita designer Malissa Long will show a 12-look collection alongside eight other designers
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 15 (doors open at 6 p.m.). KCFW shows will also take place Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday
Where: Kansas City Union Station
Cost: Tickets start at $40
More information: https://kcfashionweek.com
Textile Time at MakeICT
Designers and textile artists are invited to a monthly gathering co-hosted by ICT Fashion Tour and Malissa Long Wear. The next one is from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 20. The event is free with required registration: http://makeict.org/calendar/
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