Built With Intention: Plann Magazine’s Artist to Look Out For of the Year
SELISEISM
At the start of every year, Plann Magazine selects one artist whose vision, discipline, and purpose signal what the future of creativity should look like. For our inaugural annual recognition, there was no debate. This year’s Plann Magazine Artist to Look Out For of the Year is SELISEISM— a Detroit-bred multidisciplinary creative whose work sits at the intersection of fashion, sustainability, modeling, and self-expression.
She doesn’t chase trends. She studies history. She doesn’t create for hype. She creates with intention. And in a city overflowing with talent, she’s building something that feels honest, necessary, and deeply personal.
Rooted in Creativity
Seliseism’s creativity wasn’t discovered — it was inherited. Raised in a household where imagination was encouraged, her earliest inspiration came from her father, an artist who drew constantly, developed original story ideas, and exposed his family to films that stretched the imagination.
That creative lineage runs deep. On her father’s side, artists were everywhere — including an aunt who creates glass mosaics and paintings rarely sold outside the family. Being surrounded by art that existed for love rather than profit shaped how Seliseism understands creativity.
“For me, art was never just something you sell,” she explains. “It was something you live with.”
Fashion as Identity
Fashion didn’t begin as the focal point. Growing up, Seliseism describes herself as a tomboy — uninterested in traditional femininity and more focused on comfort and self-expression. It wasn’t until watching her older sister experiment with beauty and style that fashion began to click.
That curiosity fully took shape at Detroit’s High School for the Fine and Performing Arts (HFA), a space she now credits as foundational. There, fashion transformed from personal style into possibility. Sewing skills learned early on and reinforced through school became tools, not just hobbies.
“HFA gave me the freedom to experiment,” she says. “At the time, we didn’t realize how important it would be — but looking back, it shaped everything.”
Meaning Over Momentum
Modeling came first — organically. Photography classes turned into shoots. Friends needed subjects. Creativity circulated naturally. A pivotal moment arrived during the pandemic when prom was canceled. Instead of letting the moment pass, Seliseism organized a full photoshoot at a vintage house downtown, transforming disappointment into visibility.
But modeling was never separate from meaning. Her senior defense centered on slow fashion and sustainability, addressing fashion’s role as one of the world’s most polluting industries. From the beginning, her work questioned excess, speed, and overconsumption.
“I’ve always wanted my work to matter,” she says. “Not just look good.”
Building With Purpose in Detroit
Creating in Detroit means building before being seen. Seliseism speaks openly about the pressure of doing it largely on her own — managing ideas, finances, and execution without a clear blueprint.
“It’s nerve-wracking,” she admits. “There are so many creatives, and sometimes it feels overcrowded. But I want to stay true to who I am.”
What separates her is passion — and quality. Emotional quality. Physical quality. Conceptual quality. Her work reflects care, intention, and authenticity in a landscape often driven by shortcuts and hype.
What’s Next
Looking ahead, Seliseism is focused on elevation through execution. She’s developing new designs, mapping intentional drops, and expanding her reach — including a custom bag she hopes to personally deliver to Mona Leo at an upcoming concert.
She also believes Detroit is entering a new era, becoming a destination rather than a footnote. And she plans to grow alongside it.
“I have a really strong feeling everything is going to work out,” she says. “I just have to stop playing with myself and do it.”
That confidence — grounded, self-aware, and purposeful — is exactly why Plann Magazine chose Seliseism as our Artist to Look Out For of the Year.
Pay attention now.