Ocean County Resident Design Takes The Runway At NY Fashion Week

Barnegat As a tomboy who grew up in the mountains of Pennsylvania, Barnegat resident Marcia Arnsparger Santiago doesn’t pay much attention to style. Even her mother is now amazed at the fact that Santiago’s designs earned her a recurring spot on the runway at NY Fashion Week.

When I come home to visit, I drive a four-wheel drive, and all I do now is go out the window, says Santiago, 42. My mother reminded me of what I was like when I was a child and said she never expected me to be in her place. me today.

Although he is still a grumpy one of a different kind, Santiago’s transition from a tomboy to a famous designer is not straightforward. Instead, he took classes to become a surgical technician and moved to New Jersey when he was 19 years old.

Santiago’s position in a hospital in Pomona lasted nearly a decade. She and her husband, Jamaal Jackson, moved to Barnegat in 2013. Then, in 2014, Santiago took maternity leave. The new mother was hesitant to return to her job at the hospital, as she found it difficult to stand for ten hours.

A friend’s granddaughter enters the Miss Teen New Jersey pageant and enlists Santiago’s help to complete it. At this time, she really values ​​clothes and accepts the challenge of making something special for the young contestants.

When I was asked to help design the dress, I decided designing was something I could learn from, Santiago said. At this point, it’s not a sewing thing for me, although I can sew. I have a tailor working with me now.”

My thing is more about selecting all the fabrics and crafting my vision, continued Santiago. I sketched everything on paper and then asked the people who put it together to make it work.

Santiago admits he has no artistic training but is able to combine the basics to come up with interesting designs. However, her big breakthrough came when one of her designs made it into the Missd America Contest hosted by Carson Kressley. The contest features a drag queen dressed in nine.

One of the show’s producers learned of Santiago’s talent from a friend Santiago knew from a nightclub. The producer asked the new designer to make a jacket for him. Kressley himself is a fashion designer who is also a judge on the RuPauls Drag Race.

I got a request for a design, and my husband said I should turn the whole thing into a business, Santiago explains. I got to the point where I was very busy.

As Santiago considered the changes, KlosetSlayer seemed like the perfect name for his new venture. After reflection, he concluded that those in the know were referring to clothes that looked good as good kills.

Santiago’s designs range from casual to couture, such as the Jackie O jacket he designed in honor of the former first lady. She currently works from her home in Barnegat and travels to New York City for shows and photo shoots. Several fashion magazines have featured his work.

My casual wear is on a TV show and it’s very affordable, says Santiago. It will be featured in Season 10 of Black Ink Crewl on VH-1. There’s also a new reality show on Netflix featuring someone wearing my design. I can’t really talk about it, but it debuted in January.

According to Santiago, his company has also equipped several reality TV stars, famous rappers, and soccer players. Klosetslayers’ participation at this year’s NY Fashion Week wasn’t the first but it did come with some extra notoriety.

Santiago collects all of his models in Time Square to highlight his other achievements. Klosetslayer took center stage with a huge billboard on Broadway, showcasing the company’s work and models.

I love pushing the boundaries a bit and showing this during Fashion Week, Santiago shares. We made a suit with a long train for one of our gay models. It was a huge hit and I already have fifteen orders for it.

One of the things that makes Santiagos design unique is its universal appeal. It was one of the things he was most proud of.

“I think the best part of everything is trying to make people feel good,” Santiago said. We don’t do regular models on our runways. We included a plus size because that’s what’s realistic. Not everyone is a size zero.

The decision to move from the operating room to the design world came at a difficult time. When their son Baylon was just six months old, Jamaal received a diagnosis of non-Hodgins lymphoma. Jamaal owns a business called IC FireStop that does foam work for the protection of commercial buildings in New York City.

Already making daily trips to New York City from Barnegat, Jamaal found himself in for another reason. For the time being, the young father was hospitalized at Memorial Sloan Kettering. He also returned for regular treatment before going into remission for several years.

He’s a great person, Santiago said. He even coached our boys’ baseball team, and for a while, it seemed that everything was back to normal.

It’s just not – the drugs used in clinical trials are causing new cancers. Jamaal, 41, is scheduled to return to Memorial Sloan Kettering as an inpatient in the coming week. He will be there a month to continue his struggle with stem cell transplants.

New York Fashion Week continues to stand out as one of the most famous Fashion Weeks in the world. Although this is the fourth time Santiago’s designs have appeared on the runway, he feels something important needs to be part of his success.

My husband and I do a lot to get back, Santiago said. We do the feeding and do whatever we can to donate and give others the help they need.