Meet Laser Kitten, Your Favorite Rapper's Bling Designer
Marisa Ravel talks about art theft, the power of nostalgia and working with Ice Spice.
Marisa Ravel may not be a household name, but if you’ve seen Ice Spice flaunting that dazzling Barbie diamond necklace in the “Barbie World” music video, you’ve already witnessed her brilliance.
Founded in 2007, Ravel started her brand, Laser Kitten as a playful experiment in laser-cut jewelry, creating custom acrylic necklaces as unique as the people who wore them. Although she was always passionate about fashion and made jewelry on the side, it was never her full-time focus. After moving to LA, Ravel personalized a Nasty Gal jacket with Laser Kitten pins, which caught the attention of Nasty Gal’s founder, Sophia Amoruso. When she shared it on Instagram, Ravel’s following grew by 30,000. Before long, she was stocked at Nasty Gal and other major retailers like Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom. As her brand gained momentum, high-profile stylists for stars like Christina Aguilera and Ariana Grande reached out, cementing Laser Kitten’s presence in pop culture.
Ravel lived a different life before this venture, directing TV commercials, working in graphic design and even teaching art at a university. What started as a creative side project, making pop culture enamel pins and patches, evolved into crafting custom pieces and selling to mass retailers, ultimately turning Laser Kitten into a thriving, full-time business.
Below, Ravel talks about nostalgia, art theft, her love for female rappers and what’s in store for Laser Kitten.
What inspires you?
Honestly, the stuff I grew up with — just nostalgia. Truly, all of those little things that make me feel warm and fuzzy and bring me back to my childhood like troll dolls and Hello Kitty. Also, a lot of internet pop culture like meme culture, my space, scene culture and indie sleaze. I like to have fun and all my inspiration comes from my own life experiences.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an independent brand?
Art theft. Once you are ripped off, it’s hard to want to keep going because it’s such a violating feeling. Artists should be paid for their work and I think it would be just so much cooler and better if the companies just went to the artists directly and collaborated with them. But unfortunately, there’s no avoiding it in this day and age. And if you’re going to be in this industry and put yourself out there in any way, shape or form, you will be ripped off. You can also fight for yourself and get into class action lawsuits by joining forces with other artists. But after being in this business, I’m so used to it and just move forward.
Upcycling is at the core of your brand, too. Why?
Everything I make is upcycled — I love using old materials to create new things and give them a new life. For my upcoming project, I sourced deadstock magazine clippings from eBay and cut them out of the magazine pages, which I’d then framed and bedazzled.
Your work spans across different generations. How do you make it relevant to so many?
The thing is, I really don’t and that’s what makes me authentic. I don’t have to do much shifting of who I am or what I make. I think it’s just how it was when I was a teenager in the ’90s, we were wearing bell bottoms and wearing vintage ’70s pieces. Now in 2024 a lot of the Gen-Z’s are doing Y2K. So I’m still being authentic and sticking to what I grew up with. It’s interesting seeing younger audiences wearing and listening to things I grew up with, like the Deftones. My boyfriend’s daughters are in their early 20s and they listen and wear what I used to.
I’m not on TikTok because it’s too overwhelming for me, but I have a shop on Melrose in Los Angeles and the people that work there are all Gen Z and they are my link to that culture. They allow me to be me and do my thing. They take care of the young crowd now and that’s a new thing for me as of this year.
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What’s been your favorite collaboration to date?
Working with Ice Spice was a dream come true. Seeing my pieces in music videos feels like the perfect fit. It’s like a fantasy come to life. A year before the movie came out, I was making Barbie stuff and so I think I was on the radar of Ice Spice’s stylist. Then they ended up reaching out to me and used my piece for the music video, which was the biggest song ever when I was in high school – Aqua’s version of Barbie Girl, though. So it was so special for me to be in this new version. I love Ice spice, Doja and Saweetie – I love all of these rappers. It’s such an honor to have my items on these amazing artists, it’s iconic that she’s wearing a bra covered in little Barbie shoes and dripping in diamonds — it was just so much fun.
What’s next for Laser Kitten?
I’m working on a Paris Hilton collection next. I still find Paris to be incredibly relevant and The Simple Life is also doing a reboot. So I thought, what better time to do a Paris Hilton collection than now? I’ve done a whole icon collection with Anna Nicole Smith, Dolly Parton and Britney Spears, so it just makes sense.
I also love sewing and thrifting, so I’d like the next step in my business to focus more on upcycling clothing. My pieces could be seen as gallery art, which I love, but it makes them less practical. For instance, necklaces with a Tamagotchi are much easier to wear than a jewel-encrusted bra. Lately, I’ve felt drawn to creating more clothing and softer items rather than just metal pieces. So you’ll likely see more fabric clothing from Laser Kitten, reworked with that same nostalgic vibe. But I’ll always continue creating jewelry and accessories as well.
For more interviews, read our chat with Chappell Roan’s creative director, Ramisha Sattar.
