Marsai Martin has recently entered her fashion age and her style inspirations have come from different directions.
The former “Black-ish” star, who just turned 20, talked about her influences, her new Kate Spade New York campaign and the pitfalls of being a child star.
Martin rose to fame on the hit ABC sitcom at age nine and has been very busy since the show ended when she was 17, including self-producing and starring in the comedies “Little” and “Fantasy Football,” as well as upcoming projects like the animated “Good Times” reboot and the action thriller “G20.” The star has also come into her own, developing her own personal “relaxed” and “easy-going” style.
“I feel very comfortable (in what I wear). That’s always the number one priority for me, to feel comfortable in my own skin,” she says. “And making sure that I can move freely and just always stay active and move and do my thing.”
The transition from child star to adult is notoriously difficult, and fashion plays a huge role in how young celebrities are perceived, for better or for worse. Martin explains that it’s an experience that’s both relatable and alien to most people.
“I think the transition from childhood to adulthood is hard for anyone… But to do it all on camera is much more overwhelming,” she says. “A lot of people don’t understand that unless you’ve been in that situation before. But I think for me, that transition was about staying grounded.”
There are specific moments for Martin when her style marked a turning point in her life and career. She points to her outfit at the 2022 BET Awards – where she won the YoungStars Award for the fourth of five years in a row – in trendy camouflage boots, a crop top and jacket, and a low-slung denim skirt as a notable style shift that made her feel “cool” and “mature.” “It was definitely like a statement piece for the times I was living in,” she says.
Martin exudes maturity in her photoshoot for the Kate Spade New York campaign. She says the little black dress she wore for the campaign matches her comfortable vibe off the red carpet: “I was absolutely obsessed with it. And I think that definitely matches my style and my fashion sense… and how comfortable it was.”
As a star who has come of age in the age of social media, the added pressure of fan accounts and commentators has led Martin to prioritize her personal relationships with family and friends.
“It’s very important to stay positive and surround yourself with people who you know love you for who you really are,” she says. “That definitely helped me transition into adulthood and help me find myself.”
As an ambassador for Kate Spade (along with Taraji P. Henson and Nicola Coughlan), the actress says her love for the brand is “cross-generational” and has “always” been in her family. She recalls her grandmother’s thriving handbag collection. Now that she’s partnered with Kate Spade, her shopping guide consists primarily of handbags.
She was also motivated by the designer’s “Power of Joy” message and his new global fund for women’s mental health. The brand says the initiative aims to “create greater access to joy by advocating for and investing in mental health solutions for women around the world,” and it boasts of having invested $31 million in mental health to date.
“To now be able to work with them on another element of joy and mental health promotion and make sure that is the main voice and the main message of the whole campaign is great,” she says.