Julissa Martich is a fashion stylist, video producer and writer. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Julissa currently divides her time between Paris, Amsterdam, New York and Florida. When we first checked out Julissa’s incredible fashion blog ‘She by JMartich’ (http://www.shebyjmartich.com/) we were really impressed and wanted to share her incredible talents with you. Delving deeper we learnt that alongside her fashion blog Julissa is also an incredibly talented creative director having just released a short fashion film, ‘Femme Fatale’. Despite Julissa’s incredibly hectic schedule, we were delighted when she agreed to complete an in-depth feature interview so we could share everything with you. Read on to discover what inspired Julissa to start a fashion magazine, how she would define her own personal style and what she’s hoping to achieve over the next 12 months.
Julissa Martich
Julissa Martich
Q: How did you get into fashion?
Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to be part of this. I’ve worked in almost every single aspect of the industry, my early works in fashion took humble beginnings in the retail industry and soon expanded to the aspect of Fashion Styling and Art Direction, but one thing many people don’t know is that I actually graduated with a degree in International Business and Diplomacy, I’ve worked for United Nations in Paris (UNESCO) and also for the Embassy of The Dominican Republic in France.
Q: How have the last 12 months been for you?
The last 12 months of my life have been full of surprises, changes (good and bad) most of them very good and blessings, I’m busier than ever doing what I love which is create, I feel more in control of who I am and what I want to show in my work.
Q. What inspired you to start your fashion magazine?
I used to work for a newspaper doing the fashion section of it, but I didn’t have the freedom to show or cover the stories I was really interested in, so I decided to come out with my own fashion site (www.shebyjmartich.com) about 2 years ago to use it as an outlet to showcase what I love about fashion. I really find interesting what happens behind the cameras and see the creative team in action.
She by JMartich
Julissa Martich and Josie Maran
Q: Where do you get your inspiration?
Music is a great source of inspiration for me, most of the times when I’m creating a concept for a project is by listening to music, and then a designer or a model comes to my head so on. I am also inspired by films,and photographs.
Q: Which modern day fashion designers or fashion icons do you look up to?
My muse or fashion icon is a woman with aspirations and is secure of who she is. As for fashion designers I really like what Iris van Herpen is doing, I think is very unique and Avant Garde, I also love the simplicity of Rachel Roy’s line and the way she mixes prints, patters and colors, another two talented designers I really love are Ngoc-Phung Dang from France, her brand “Rainbow People Paris” is sophisticated and easy to wear and Evon Tan from Malaysia, her label “ Amoire” is so chic and sexy.
Q: Who is your favourite photographer?
This is a very difficult question for me because I have many, but I can mention at least 3 of them: Mario Testino, because everything he photographs turns out to be magical, I die for Sølve Sundsbø’s work, he has a special technique of playing with lighting that I haven’t seen in any other and Deborah Anderson because she knows how to capture sensuality in a very tasteful way.
Q: Is there anybody you would like to work with?
I would love to work with Photographers Sølve Sundsbø and Nick Knight, also with Art Director Nicola Formichetti, there’s so much to learn from all of them.
Julissa Martich
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjiZC9OXIIA
Q: What does fashion mean to you?
To be honest for me fashion is just a word, in my opinion style is more important because is an extention of who we are, therefore we should only wear what makes us feel good.
Q: How would you define your personal style?
My personal style is very simple when comes to clothes, I tent to be more creative when I’m on set styling someone else. My closet is full of blazers, white blouses, cocktail dresses and jeans, where I go over the top is with accessories, I think they are the key item to make any outfit stand out.
Q: Which magazines do you read? What makes a good magazine?
Some of my favorite fashion magazines are: Numéro, and Vogue Japan. For me what makes a good magazine is a combination of a different things: Relevant information that makes a difference for the readers, originality, I’m a visual person so consistent layout/font-style/graphic style that is pleasing to the eyes is very important and of course a good cover.
Q: Where are you based?
At the moment I’m between the US (NYC and Florida) and Europe (Amsterdam and France) but I’m originally from The Dominican Republic.
Q: What’s been the highlight of your career to date?
Just being able to work in what I really love is an amazing feeling, so there’s nothing in specific that I can highlight.
Julissa Martich
She by JMartich
Q: What are you hoping to achieve over the next 12 months?
I’m working on a beautiful project called “She Is a Princess Foundation”. This is a foundation that will provide free education to little girls of low income in my country The Dominican Republic, hopefully becomes a reality this year. I’m also working on expanding internationally my styling company “Fleur de Lys Fashion Group”
Q: What do you do to relax?
Whenever I get time to relax I just put some music, open a bottle of wine and jump in my bed.
Q: Where would your favourite holiday (vacation) be and why?
I’m from the Caribbean so anywhere with Ocean, Sand and Sun makes me happy.
Q: What songs are on your iPod at the moment?
Too many!!! I have almost every song of Sade, Lauryn Hill, Adele, Telepopmusik, John Legend, Moloko, Massive Attack and the list goes on and on, I can’t live without music.
Julissa Martich
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to let our readers know about?
I would like to tell everybody that with passion, dedication, and being true to one’s self anything is attainable in life.
Editor’s Note: Julissa Martich is someone who is passionate about everything she does in life. When combined with her intrinsic talent to create visually and emotionally appealing pieces of work, we’re sure that Julissa will continue to create incredible pieces of work and enjoy creative success in the coming months and years.
If you’d like to contact or learn more about Julissa Martich just follow the links below:
twitter link: http://twitter.com/#!/shebyjmartich
facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/She-By-JMartich/146616545355875
fashion magazine link: http://www.shebyjmartich.com
personal website link: http://www.julissamartich.com
vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/shebyjmartich
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