BROCKTON — Sharisse Scott-Rawlins began a trend enterprise from hand-painting T-shirts in highschool to designing a set for Boston’s Caribbean Fashion Week.
Scott-Rawlins was given an task in a sophomore environmental science class at Brockton Excessive Faculty and determined to showcase the work via a hand-painted T-shirt.
Whereas cruising via the halls, a trainer stopped the younger designer and requested 30 shirts of her personal for a bachelorette social gathering.
“The mom of the bride cherished the shirts a lot she requested me to make 30 extra for all of the waitresses to put on for the reception social gathering,” Scott-Rawlins stated. “That was the beginning of my enterprise. It wasn’t one thing that was deliberate, but it surely’s one thing that I like doing.”
After fulfilling the shirt request, Scott-Rawlins determined to kick her trend design profession into excessive gear and take it extra critically. She went on to Lasell College, incomes a bachelor’s in trend design and productions in 2016.
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Throughout Scott-Rawlins’s senior 12 months of school, at 22-years-old, she was recognized with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a kind of most cancers that impacts the lymph nodes and immune system.
Docs had been stunned {that a} wholesome younger girl who had no earlier medical points developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Scott-Rawlins stated.
“The journey of being sick taught me how robust and highly effective I’m. Senior 12 months I used to be engaged on my remaining venture getting chemotherapy feeling terrible however ended up with one of the best venture of my class,” Scott-Rawlins stated.
As a result of prognosis and extra free time, Scott-Rawlins determined to run her enterprise BySharisse full-time from the consolation of her dwelling.
“I took a while to deal with my well being, and I wasn’t working, so why not put efforts into my enterprise? Whereas I used to be sick, I ran my enterprise full time. Trying again at it now, it looks like one thing loopy to do, however I used to be dwelling on a regular basis. So I believed, why not?” Scott-Rawlins stated.
The brand new prognosis didn’t cease Scott-Rawlins in any approach.
Whereas within the hospital receiving chemotherapy, Scott-Rawlins sketched designs, created patterns and did different technical issues.
As soon as she obtained dwelling, she started the extra hands-on work of chopping and stitching clothes collectively.
“I instructed myself I can not simply sit down and really feel sorry for myself. I need to stand up. I’ve work to do. Ever since I found my ardour for creating trend, it will get me up within the morning. Through the occasions I used to be sick, it stored me going much more. It pushed me to work tougher. I discovered a deep motivation to stand up each day,” Scott-Rawlins stated.
This December will mark Scott-Rawlins’s fifth 12 months of being cancer-free.
“Folks have a tendency to take a look at people who find themselves sick or who’ve a incapacity as if they are not able to working and making their goals come true. However, once you get up each morning, it is as much as you to take your individual life in your individual fingers and make one of the best of every day you are given,” Scott-Rawlins stated.
Changing into stagnant due to a life circumstance was by no means Scott-Rawlins plan. As a substitute, she continued to design garments, add inventive movies on Instagram, acquire new shoppers and broaden her following on social media.
Moreover, Scott-Rawlins accomplished her MBA at Howard College in enterprise administration in 2020.
Folks began noticing the up-and-coming designer, and Boston Caribbean Fashion Week invited her to design a one-of-a-kind assortment.
“The style present highlights completely different designers of Caribbean descent and showcases their work and tradition. I really feel a way of satisfaction. The mission of my model since 2010 is to create confidence, individuality, and equality via what I do. I take advantage of my platform to encourage individuals who seem like me, ladies of coloration particularly,” Scott-Rawlins stated.
“It is a proud second to work in a present that uplifts and celebrates folks of coloration. I felt tremendous honored to be there.”
Scott-Rawlins’ assortment The Colorshow launched Oct. 15, and 11 fashions strutted down the runway with brightly coloured garments in completely different patterns.
“My garments are for individuals who need to stand out. It’s important to have the arrogance to put on them,” Scott-Rawlins stated.
The inspiration behind the gathering was to create a full of life garment to uplift folks. The designer took some darkish experiences and introduced gentle and hope into them.
“It reveals folks there is a gentle on the finish of the tunnel. So although we’re all going via powerful occasions, COVID and all of the chaos happening on the earth, I wished to indicate items with daring coloration and vibrancy,” Scott-Rawlins stated.
Enterprise workers reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel may be reached by e mail at stciela@gannett.com You possibly can comply with her on Twitter at @alishaspeakss. Assist native journalism by buying a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise at this time.