Lily Smith sews and designs flattering swimwear and garments under the brand Merrick Maria out of Olympia, Washington. Smith grew up near Squaxin Park in Olympia and remembers, “I was definitely the kid–even if it was November–like-oh my shoes are off. Now my pants are wet. Now I’m all the way in.” She made ferry boats and bridges across the creek in her backyard and has always loved to swim in Puget Sound. She sails with local friends and friends overseas. The ocean made her the artist she is.
Smith has Scottish and Irish roots, and travels often to Ireland, where she learned the rhythm of cold-water swimming. Smith’s adult body arrived early and temporarily hindered her relationship with the water.
“Like a lot of women, I had pretty severe body image issues, and not finding a swimsuit that fit was not helping,” says Smith. While abroad in 2017, she made her first suit. She had access to a sewing machine and her mom mailed a box of fabric, which included some spandex. She sewed herself a suit and she loved the way it fit and felt. Her design allowed her to return to swimming with the uninhibited joy she felt as a kid. “There’s something about when you feel good in your body, then you feel even better being in the water,” she notes. Now Smith makes swimwear and clothing full time. Her suits feature substantial fabric with a decadent suede liner. They feel a bit wetsuit-like, which pairs perfectly with cold water.
Smith is a master of several trades outside of sewing. She worked as a builder after attending Evergreen State College, where she studied building, furniture, and photography. She built a charming tiny home in 2016. In 2018 she worked at a pizza place and began to build the Merrick Maria brand. In 2019 she built her studio. Smith also hosts vegetarian dinners in her garden.
“I’ve always loved cooking, but then for years I basically didn’t cook,” says Smith. “I was just doing this all the time… definitely subsisting on crackers and popcorn… Doing these dinners has felt like a really fun creative outlet.” Her meals feature produce from friends’ farms in the PNW. We talked about the challenge of making friends in your thirties. “It’s rare that you would come and sit next to a stranger for three hours,” but word of mouth advertising provides a space where kind, like-minded people can meet.
Smith says she doesn’t really have a creative routine, but she spends nearly every day in the studio. “I have an alarm that goes off at 8:30 PM that says ‘stop working,’ and I do try to obey that.” She sews on a black vintage Necchi. The machine is compact and well-constructed. “The first time I used it, I put on the pedal, and just the noise it made…A lot of machines are clicky or plasticky or like rattling around. This was just like a hum. It just sounds so smooth.”
Learn More
You can find Lily Smith on Instagram @lilyajsmith or by visiting her website: https://www.merrickmaria.com.
