The Beginning

         Throughout my life, people have asked me, “Why did you choose the fashion industry for your career? When I think about it, there was no other choice. I knew at a very young age that this was the path for me.

Creativity is born from many things, whether it be a natural gift or out of necessity. For me, it was both. With limited hearing as a child, I created a world of beauty, nature, art, and dance, living in my head filled with imagination. Protected from hearing any criticism or judgment, I flourished, learning how to draw, paint, and twirl. My mother encouraged all these gifts with lessons and mentors, while also searching for reasons for my auditory loss. After multiple procedures, the fluid buildup in my ears was removed and my hearing was recovered. I was grateful for this, but also grateful for the ability to block out the world that this disability had granted me.

As a young artist, I worked with charcoal and pastels, watercolors, and even some acrylics. I learned from my quirky yet patient and talented mentor how to paint flowers and landscapes and finally people. Starting with faces and portraits. I loved the intricacies of capturing a person’s likeness, especially the eyes. Is the shape almond or round? Does it tilt up or down at the corner? How close or far away are they from the nose? And the color! Eyes are never one color, often a kaleidoscope of flecks of gold and green mixes with brown or blue. I learned tricks for how to make them sparkle. If you didn’t get eyes, the portrait would never be quite right. I sketched friends, family, and teachers, tirelessly creating, tweaking, and perfecting. This experience taught me persistence and observation. I learned that a gift is a gift, but without hours of practice and dedication, it may never come out of its box.

Simultaneously, I studied the art of ballet and all the movement and discipline it had to offer. First, second, third, fourth, and fifth positions. Releve, arabesque, fondu, pirouette, repeatedly, five nights a week, until it was perfect. I worked my way up to the 3rd principal in the ballet company. I was a natural jumper and turner and though my extension was not great, the fact that I was tall automatically raised my leg above the others.

Every year, my ballet company would hold a recital. Ours was not just any recital, it was as close as you could get to a professional performance, with custom-made sets and costumes following the theme that the owner and headmaster created. My art mentor also just so happened to be the designer and illustrator for those costumes. I will never forget the first time that I saw those images. The beautiful, elongated figures with the highs and lows of the watercolor chiffon and netting to complete the look. I was captivated and mesmerized and instantly knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life and from that moment on, I never looked back.

Until next time,

❤️ Olivia