Marissa Vosper: Co-Founder of Negative Underwear

Marissa Vosper is the co-founder of the cult-favorite intimates brand Negative Underwear. She studied political science and Spanish in college and started off her career in brand consulting. Vosper worked at two prestigious global branding agencies, learning the ins and outs of building a successful brand identity. But after eight years in the industry, she knew it wasn’t where she wanted to stay. She and her college friend—and eventual co-founder—Lauren Schwab began to think: What if they could pursue careers in fashion, an industry they had always loved but never felt was accessible or possible for them? They began taking classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and soon realized that the lingerie industry was ripe for disruption. After four years of research and development, they launched Negative Underwear in 2014—a line of high-quality, minimalist intimates without all the bells and whistles that were popular at the time. The brand was an instant hit; their first run sold out in two weeks. Over the last 10 years, Marissa has grown the brand without any outside investment, expanding into new categories like sleepwear and loungewear.