Karissa was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest during the grunge era of the 90s, leading to exposure to fashion as a creative outlet from a young age. She went to university in Santa Barbara, CA before moving to Brooklyn, NY, where she began her career as a stylist over a decade ago. Eventually splitting time between New York City and Venice, CA, she has styled projects for clients including Mercedes-Benz, Apple, Nike, Meta, Red Bull, BBVA, Instagram, the USA Winter Olympic Team, GAP, Fidelity Investments and more.

She currently resides on a small farm in the PNW with her partner, two dogs, and ducks.