Marsai Martin talks 'mature' style transition, child star fame and 'keeping joy'

Marsai Martin has been in her fashion era lately, and her style inspiration has come from various directions.

The former "Black-ish" star, newly 20, opened up about her influences, her new Kate Spade New York campaign and the pitfalls of child stardom.

Martin rose to fame at 9 years old on the hit ABC sitcom and has been busy ever since the show ended when she was 17 — including with the self-produced and starred comedies "Little" and "Fantasy Football" and upcoming projects like the "Good Times" animated reboot and action thriller "G20." The star has also come into her own, harnessing her personal "chill" and "laid back" style.

"I'm very comfortable (in what I wear). That's always the top priority for me, is to be able to feel comfortable within myself," she says. "And making sure that I'm flowing easily and that I can just always stay active and moving around and do my thing."

The transition from child star into adulthood is infamously tough, and fashion plays a big part in how young celebrities are perceived, for better or worse. Martin explains that it is an experience that is both relatable and foreign to most people.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

"Transition is, I think, hard for anyone to go from childhood to adulthood ... But also doing all of that in front of the camera is way more overwhelming," she says. "A lot of people don't understand unless you've been in that position before. But I think how that transition was for me was making sure I always stayed grounded."

There are specific moments for Martin where her style marked a shift in her life and career. She points to her outfit at the 2022 BET Awards — where she won the YoungStars Award for a fourth time out of five in a row — in trendy camo boots, a crop top and jacket, and a low-rise jean skirt as a notable style transition that she felt "cool" and "mature" in. "It was definitely like a statement piece for the time that I was in," she says.

Martin exudes maturity in her Kate Spade New York campaign shoot. She says the little black dress she wore for the campaign matches her comfortable, off-red carpet vibe: "I was absolutely obsessed with (it). And I think that definitely aligns with just my style and my fashion sense ... and how comfortable it was."

As a star who has come of age in the era of social media, the added pressure of fan accounts and commenters has made Martin prioritize her personal relationships with family and friends.

"It is very important to keep moving with positivity and surrounding yourself with people that you know love you for genuinely who you are," she says, "and that's definitely helped with my transition going into adulthood as well and finding myself along the way."

As an ambassador for Kate Spade (joined by Taraji P. Henson and Nicola Coughlan), the actress says her love for the brand is "generational" and has "always" been in her family. She remembers her grandmother's flourishing purse collection. Now working with Kate Spade, the majority of her shopping guide is handbags.

She was also motivated by the designer's "power of joy" messaging and its new global fund for women's mental health. The brand says the initiative aims to create "greater access to joy by advocating for and investing in mental health solutions for women around the globe," and it boasts $31 million invested in mental health to date.

"To be able to now work with them in another element of joy and promoting mental health, and making sure that is the main voice and the main message of the whole campaign, is amazing," she says.