"An Interview with Olivia Carpenter" By Brianna Mottey

Olivia Carpenter is a first-year student at Ithaca College who is designing her own clothing line from her dorm room. I interviewed her on her inspirations, process, impact and how she balances that along with school, work and her social life.

When did you begin designing your own clothes and what inspired you?

At age 10, I would always sew things with my grandma and make clothes for my stuffed animals. Before I left Ohio to attend Ithaca College, I would always draw on things and paint and tear shirts to make them more stylish. When I got to IC, things shifted into a fashion perspective and I took what I’ve  learned to the next level. I would sew different pieces of clothing together and instead of drawing, I started working with paint as a medium and things took off from there.

What inspires your designs?

I am inspired by everything. Nature and people and their outfits influence my ideas and approaches. Aside from what looks cool, the words and images I have painted onto my clothing symbolize communities in society, both black and white.

With working at the Marriott as a part time waitress, your internship at a radio station, being a model for distinct and high fashion magazine as well as being an MLK Scholar, how do you make time for your clothing line?

Time is difficult. School work always comes first. I makes goals for myself by setting aside a portion of time to work on homework, an essay or study for a test. Once I finish that, my reward is to work on my clothing. Because I’m an artist, I have fun expressing myself through my designs. I will try to get all of my school work done on the days that I do work before I leave so that the days I have off are reserved for my designing.

On November 18, 2018 you coordinated a fashion show in New York. What were the steps you took to be able to put the event together?

I’ve hosted parties in the past, but a fashion show is nothing like a party! There is so much that needs to go into it. First thing is the venue. Nothing is going to happen without the venue. I’ve been working really hard at the Marriott so that I’d be able to pay for an event like this. Once you have the venue, all you need are the people. People will step forward to be models, to be a dj or designers to promote their work and attract more people. Luckily, I have two close friends who live in New York City that have helped with coordinating the event. We’ve made and sent out invitations that were dropped off at offices and corporations such as Cosmopolitan, so interns could attend.  

What are you most looking forward to with your clothing line?

Whether I’m designing in bigger industries or designing for companies, I’m looking forward to impacting society because you don’t see clothing like this. You can kind of call it street wear but it’s not exactly that. As I grow, I just want people to find a deeper meaning in it. My goal is to change the way people think about this and once I’ve gained the traction I want to further give back to communities and make a difference in the faults of society that my clothing symbolically approaches.

What is your advice for students who are also aspiring fashion designers?

Definitely set aside time to design and think. Look at everything and gain inspiration from all that you see. And you really have to enjoy your work because it takes time and effort to craft your best work.