Marisa has two pervading passions - socio/economic development and contemporary craft and design. She pursued them through a BA Honours Degree in Politics and Fine Art at University of Natal and a Fashion Design Diploma at Natal Technikon.

After a six month stint at the Cite International des Arts in Paris, her involvement in design and craft development started in 1991, when she started African Legacy, a range of clothing which incorporated Zulu beadwork in a modern way. In 1995 she founded The BAT Shop in Durban. Her interest in transitional craft forms led to the start of a telephone wire weaving project, fusing traditional techniques with cutting edge design. The zenzulu tm telephone wire vessels have become a South African design classic, receiving diverse accolades including an Elle Decoration International Design Award in 2002, DESIGN Made in Africa laureate in 2004, and selected for Li Edelkoort's North meets South and The Conran Shop's Harare to Higgovale exhibitions in 2005.

In addition to numerous BAT Shop projects, Marisa has worked as a designer and product development consultant locally and in Zanzibar, Zambia and Rwanda. She has served on the Create SA panel for Art, Craft and Design, judged the Elle Decoration WOW Awards, and has served on the curator panel for Design Indaba Expo since 2004.