Making The Invisible Visible: The Plastician
In a world where recognition is often reserved for the loudest voices, Making the Invisible Visible exists for those who feel unseen. This series isn’t just about highlighting niche creatives in fashion, art, music, tech, and culture—it’s about all of us. At some point, everyone has felt overlooked, underestimated, or unheard. By telling the stories of those working behind the scenes, we’re not just celebrating their contributions; we’re holding up a mirror to anyone who has ever questioned their impact. These stories remind us that brilliance isn’t measured by visibility and that the most powerful forces shaping culture often exist in the shadows. Making the Invisible Visible restores value to what the world has ignored because everyone deserves to be seen, no matter how hidden.
Bryan Trésor/Laseve: Alizee Quitman
“It is a moment to not only give them their flowers but also glimpse the juxtaposition between their untiring commitment to their craft and why they’re often invisible despite their contributions.”
What if jewelry could challenge tradition, tell stories, and redefine identity? Paris-based plastician artist and artisan Alizee Quitman doesn’t just ask this question—she answers it with every bold, unapologetic piece she creates.
I used to see jewelry through narrow lenses. Women’s pieces were delicate and elegant, symbols of royalty and refinement. Men’s jewelry was raw and bold, tied to strength and hip-hop culture. These stereotypes boxed jewelry into categories that felt rigid and limiting. Then I discovered Alizee’s work, and it changed how I thought about jewelry forever.
Her approach transforms jewelry into something far more powerful: wearable art that blends delicacy with rawness, elegance with disruption. Inspired by her Caribbean roots, Afrofuturistic aesthetics, and a deep commitment to sustainability, her pieces feel like armor for the soul. They embody protection, resilience, and power, challenging traditional notions of femininity and masculinity. Alizee doesn’t just make jewelry; she creates statements—unique objects of affection that push boundaries and expand possibilities.
For Making the Invisible Visible, she is the perfect muse. Alizee disrupts norms, reimagines craft, and amplifies stories that are often overlooked, showing us what happens when tradition meets innovation.
Alizee’s journey began at La Cambre, the prestigious art school in Brussels, where she spent eight years mastering both two- and three-dimensional practices. A workshop in Antwerp ignited her passion for metal casting. Using camping stoves to melt tin and molds to shape pewter, she reimagined utilitarian objects like modern cutlery, turning them into symbols of empowerment.
Her studio in Paris is a reflection of this experimental spirit. She scours local markets for discarded tinware, breathing new life into overlooked materials. Each piece she creates carries a story—of resilience, sustainability, and cultural heritage. Her work bridges history and possibility, honoring the past while daring to imagine bold futures.
Alizee’s designs defy easy categorization. Influenced by military aesthetics, BDSM, and digital-age technology, her pieces wrap the body like exoskeletons, protective yet provocative. They challenge the idea that femininity is soft or subdued, instead redefining it as dangerous, assertive, and unapologetically powerful.
She credits much of this ethos to her grandmother, a woman of strength and resilience who inspired the “chic, powerful, dangerous woman” Alizee envisions through her work. Her ongoing collaboration with Marine Serre, a leader in upcycled fashion, amplifies this vision. Together, they elevate everyday materials into wearable symbols of empowerment.
I met Alizee more than a decade ago, her electric-red Kangol furgora cap cutting through the gray London clouds like a lightning bolt. I was documenting personal style for my blog, Hatabouttown, and her bold presence stopped me in my tracks. I introduced myself, and we bonded instantly over our shared love for craft and creativity.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of watching her evolve. Alizee approaches her work with relentless curiosity and adaptability, always willing to push boundaries. Whether she’s melting metals in a makeshift setup or navigating creative challenges, she operates with a kind of urgency that’s hard to ignore. Even her self-described impatience fuels her drive to experiment and innovate.
Recently, she’s been making waves in the U.S., collaborating during New York Fashion Week and shooting campaigns in Los Angeles and Mexico. When she returned to Paris, she channeled that same energy into hosting workshops and completing a campaign with i-D Magazine. Despite the miles between us, we still exchange ideas and discoveries, inspiring each other to stay true to our visions.
At the heart of Alizee’s work is a deep interrogation of technology and its impact on the human body. Her designs, steeped in Afrofuturism and speculative fiction, imagine augmented bodies and new forms of strength. She transforms materials and narratives, connecting the past to the future in ways that feel both timeless and groundbreaking.
Her philosophy mirrors the mission of Making the Invisible Visible. Like Alizee, I believe in uncovering hidden potential, redefining beauty, and reclaiming discarded materials, overlooked traditions, and underrepresented stories. Her work is more than jewelry—it’s expression, protection, and power.
Alizee’s pieces remind us that even the discarded can carry untold futures. They challenge us to rethink what we value, what we save, and what we choose to transform. Her story leaves me wondering: What stories will you reclaim? What possibilities will you imagine?
