Clothing design often blurs the line between fashion and art, but designers like Caity Briare (@ca8ty) erase it altogether. Briare, 26, only started designing clothing in 2020, yet in that short time—a span of a few quick years— has developed an incredibly distinct personal design style that is completely and unapologetically her own.
Everything about Briare’s creative designs feel personal and imaginative, merging the worlds of art, design, and play. Everyday scenes—a gingham-clad person waking up from slumber, a decorative pair of brogues tap dancing, water lilies blooming—are familiarly depicted on her garments.
“I like making [garments] that feel like a little world,” Briare says. “I really get inspired by nature and everyday human life and actions.” There’s an intimacy in her art. Briare’s use of material and medium bring these quiet scenes to life, evoking a deeply humanistic sensibility that makes her designs impossible to forget.
Briare’s designs don’t just hang on the body, they participate in it. She often uses existing garments, scraps, and other materials to add a dimension beyond an illustration. On one tee, a nanny sits and knits a scarf. Briare then incorporated an actual scarf that reaches from the woman’s knitting needles, up and around her neck as if Briare herself is sitting in that little world with the character.
“I’m a very visual person,” says Briare. “Before I make (something) I have a vision of it that influences the final design.”
Collaging was an influential medium for Briare. She started collaging in the late 2010s, creating dream-like scenes that combined everyday activities, nature, and expansive landscapes. Many of her garments are directly inspired by her collaging. The process of transforming a collage of arranged, clipped images into an interactive garment —that’s where the magic really happens.
Years back, Briare made a collage of a man ironing in a valley, surrounded by mountains. “I cut him out, and put him in the mountains. There was a flat area of mountains, and it looked as though he was ironing the hills,” she said. Fast forward to 2025, Briare brought that motif to life on a button-down shirt.
“That’s what inspired my design. How do I make this motif translate to the garment?” The result was one of her most eye-catching designs. Briare sewed wrinkles into the top of an oxford shirt. On a separate scrap of fabric, she drew a character ironing. She then sewed that character onto the shirt using a free motion sewing foot that evokes the look of quilting.
Beneath the iron, the shirt was flat and smooth—as though the character themselves was ironing the shirt she wore. It’s a technique that brings a scene into our world with a sense of explicit self awareness.
“Sometimes I just think of how different textures can be used to make a scene,” she says. “You could use things like creases to represent something like waves, then add a guy surfing on top. The creases add movement to the shirt and make a little scene.”
Briare recently graduated in the inaugural class of Parsons School of Design’s Disabled Fashion Student Program. The scholarship and mentorship program was launched in 2023, and aims to cultivate a greater inclusion in an industry that has historically excluded designers with disabilities. The program helps students break into the fashion industry, connect with leaders, and ultimately help to shape the future of fashion design.
For Briare, who was a self-taught designer, the program fills in the gaps of her experience, teaching techniques like garment construction and pattern making. Briare studied communication and fine arts in undergraduate schooling, missing out on some of the foundational design techniques she’s been able to develop at Parsons.
Briare shared that she was first drawn to the program because of Sinead Burke, Founder and CEO of Tilting the Lens, an advocacy consultation firm that helped launch the Disabled Fashion Student Program at Parsons. Burke, like Briare, has dwarfism, and has experienced the frustration of not finding clothing that not only fits their smaller stature, but represents them in the way clothing should.
“The program is helping make the fashion space more accommodating,” says Briare. “The program is challenging, and I’m very grateful that I was accepted into the program, and (got to meet) so many people and make so many connections. I’m proud of myself and excited for what’s to come.”
Raised in Portland Oregon, Briare belongs to a creative family—musicians, painters, silversmiths—who have helped instill a pull of creativity. Art supplies were plentiful, music was a constant, and self-expression was encouraged from a young age. Fashion design is Briare’s latest medium, but the seeds of her artistry were sown well before first got into sewing in 2020.
Briare’s first foray into clothing design was a simple tank. She drew snakes on it. She
then used an old blanket to make a garment, and just let her creativity guide her. “Let’s do some fun cutting and see what happens,” she said. “That’s when I was like ‘okay this is kind of fun.’”
The clothes she shares on social media are often designed for her, showing off both her design prowess and personal style. Lots of her clothes are upcycled from existing garments that she altered for fit, function, and aesthetics.
“I don’t really create my [personal] garments,” she says. “I thrift a lot and just alter it. I’m a big fan of embroidery, but I also just like drawing on clothes. It’s a good way to customize. If you’re an artist, try drawing or painting on clothes because it’s a lot of fun to wear your designs on a piece of clothing. You get to share your art. Now when I shop for things I look for blank canvases.”
As Briare put it, she’s always been one who figures things out by doing them, because the “joy of creation,”—as she calls it—has always been her focus.
“It’s definitely my purpose,” she says about bringing her art to life through clothing. “It’s made me feel more confident because I struggled with confidence finding clothes that felt like me before I learned how to sew or draw. I felt like it was already hard to find my own style. And then I just became free with it, ‘oh, let me draw on this,’ ‘oh, let me make it mine,’ because nothing out there is for me. Let me make this special. This is for me.”
Social media has been a big part of Briare’s fashion journey. She started sharing her art—photography, collage—in 2018, and her socials document her experimentation into clothing design. Drawing, applique, experimentation with shape and material—it was all shared with the world, a decision that has connected the designer with a global audience inspired by her creativity.
“It’s been really fun making a community,” she states. “I think my favorite comments are the ones who say ‘you’ve inspired me to start painting again’ or ‘now I’m gonna draw after I saw your videos’ or ‘I’m gonna do something creative.’ It’s really cool to see these little moments, because I find so much joy in creating, and if somebody gets that spark from seeing [my work] that’s really really fun.”
TikTok and Instagram have also been a catalyst for the designer’s career. In fact, one of Briare’s career highs was all thanks to a DM. Briare’s work was shown in the Louvre at the KidSuper Spring/Summer 2026 collection, “The Boy Who Jumped the Moon,” after designer Colm Dillane of KidSuper DM’d her to collaborate.
“We did a few meetings and he had these ideas for a hat,” said Briare. “I did some embroidery on the hats, a jacket and made a tie. It was really cool because my work has been compared to his before. We both kind of share a whimsical kind of art-on-clothing vibe. It was a really cool experience just to have something I made on the runway.”
At the time of our call, Briare was working on her thesis for graduation. Like her other work, there was an endearing sentimentality to this capstone project. She needed to make seven outfits, and decided on a theme that captured a piece of her childhood with her grandparents.
“I’m reflecting on the games I played with my cousins and the environment of the house to inspire each look,” she shared. She’s designing a snow jacket with felted characters in a snowy day scene, representing her family members.
Each character will be “interacting” with the jacket in some capacity, as she does with so many of her designs. Other thesis garments will be inspired by her grandma’s china set, and other nostalgic motifs that allow her to reflect on her life, family, and experiences growing up in Oregon.
But like all post-grads, Briare is now facing the big question: what comes next? The designer has a growing interest in working with brands like Thom Brown and Sciaparelli. “I love the hand-sewn fine details, and all the nature motifs” she says of the Sciaparelli designs.
However, percolating in the back of her mind, is the development of her own brand, Ca8ty Designs. Like her existing work, it’s infused with the personal whimsy that defines everything she touches. Now, it’s a matter of figuring out how to share it fully with the world.
“I feel so soulfully connected to my art,” says Briare. “It’s a piece of me that I can display into the universe.”
Copycat Outfit Breakdown
Hat
“I thrifted this hat in New York over the summer,” says Briare. “I got really into newsboy hats and flatcaps, and used to wear them backward.” Briare adorns her hat with a vintage zebra broach that she thrifted not once, but twice, after losing the original.
Underlayer
New York springs can get quite cold. Briare wears a Uniqlo Turtleneck T-Shirt to keep things nice and toasty.
Dress
A classic denim dress can be worn in many ways, making it a great staple in one’s wardrobe. “I love this piece,” says Briare of her thrifted dress .” I don’t have many long sleeve dresses, baggy enough to be an outer layer as well.”
Vest
The vest is one of Braire’s own creations, inspired by the vintage cord tradition where seniors would color on shirts, vests, and jackets as a form of a yearbook. Braire’s own illustrations dot the garment, with plenty of whimsical characters. Bode has a collection inspired by the tradition.
Pants
Briare spray painted a tae kwon doe set with black and silver spray paint, then detailed with blue fabric marker. A similar effect could be made with a stretchy pair of white cotton or linen pants.
Boots
Briare wears a black set of Doc Marten boots with plenty of “shoe bling,” as she calls it. The metal accessory was custom made out of a fork, and attached through the shoe laces. Similar designs can be found on Etsy.
Rings
Briare wears the same rings every day, a collection of beautiful pieces she’s acquired through the years. Her brother Gabe is a silversmith, and has made several pieces she wears everyday. His rings can be ordered on his website, Merlux Jewelry.
Get the look
Want to wear one of Briare’s own designs? Keep an eye on Briare’s website for future drops of ties, sweatshirts, shirts, and accessories.
