Conversations with the Inspiring Alexia Avey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexia Avey.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Alexia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Thank you for having me! I suppose it would be best to start from the beginning. Growing up being involved in theatre definitely exposed me to the arts at a young age. However, never in a million years did I think that theatre would be my major in college and part of my future career. As much as I loved performing on stage, I was always a science girl at heart. I traveled across the country competing in various science competitions and even worked in the UA mycology lab in high school. I decided to dabble back in theatre for a short time during my junior and senior years of high school. However, it wasn’t until I took some film classes in community college that my love for entertainment really re-emerged. I discovered then that my passion was in the production/design aspect of entertainment.

The decision to become a costume designer evolved from many variables, but ultimately, it boils down to my adoration for the history of clothing and my interest in psychology (the science girl never really left). I absolutely love the use of psychology in costume design that is used to subconsciously make people feel certain ways about characters before they even speak a word. Personally, I think costumes are so effective for character identity because clothing is something that every audience member can relate to. Everyone chooses what they wear for some reason or another; comfort, style, occasion, statement, etc. Part of my job is to understand what and why a character is wearing a certain garment (much like the way someone would choose an outfit to wear each day). I could go on and on talking about what I do and what I love about costume design because the character/audience relationship through clothing is something I find fascinating.

I’ve been given the opportunity the past few years to really discover who I am as a designer and what my capabilities are through various theatre productions and short films. I’ve worked on projects involving abstract masks, copycat costumes, ambiguity, and historical figures; each of which required a different understanding of the correlation between character and costume. I love having variety in my work, it keeps me from becoming static with one way of designing.

As I move forward with my career, I hope to do more work with film and television specifically because of the intense amount of detail that is required when the camera is only inches away. Every subtle choice and detail can be seen and tells a larger story about the character.

And that’s something I find truly intriguing.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The self-discovery that I have experienced so far on my journey has not always been easy. However, through every challenge that has come my way I have chosen to see it as a way to understand more about myself and who I am as a person.

I’ve spent many long days and nights (as I’m sure many people have) balancing multiple projects, homework, work, and self-care. It has not been easy; some weeks I remember coming home from school at midnight just to discover I had another five hours of homework and extracurricular projects to finish. As hard and tiring as it was, I always reminded myself that if I could overcome my challenges at that very moment, I’d know I’d have the strength to do it again in the future.

Through all of this, I was finding that I would often overthink about the future. Will I succeed? Will people like my work? What if I fail? The list goes on. I’ve come to the realization that life is kind of like driving a car. You have where you currently are, and you have where you want to go (your goal). The best way to start is by moving forward, and you may find that you have to take detours or u-turns along your way; but if you are persistent enough, you will eventually obtain your goal. So, when I feel like I’m going the opposite direction from where I want to be, I reorient myself and set a new course to get where I want to go.

What should we know about you? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At the moment, I am a BFA candidate studying costume design at the University of Arizona. However, being in school does not stop me from utilizing as many opportunities as I can when they come my way. I have worked on many short films over the past few years in a variety of genres from comedy to fantasy. Within the costuming program itself, I have been making costumes for an array of repertory shows as well as assisting and designing others. My most recent work was as an assistant costume designer and draper for ‘Richard III’. I am currently in the process of designing the costumes for Arizona Repertory Theatre’s production of ‘The Last Night of Ballyhoo’ as my senior capstone. Upon graduating in the Fall of 2019, I plan to work as a costume design assistant in film and television in order to further expand my knowledge and experience by assisting those already in the industry. My long-term goal is to eventually work on films as a costume designer myself and to be a part of a collaborative artist team by communicating a message about who the character is to the audience using wardrobe.

It is one of my ambitions to experience and experiment in many different mediums and styles of costume design to avoid becoming static in my creativity and work ethic. Currently, I am a subcontractor for The Crooked Feather where I am actively involved in the production of several types of articulating costume wings for clients internationally. In addition to being a subcontractor, I also do commission work making and designing costumes for various projects. I personally love receiving commission work because I view it as an opportunity to widen the scope of skills that I obtain through this craft.

Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
Hands down, my biggest inspiration is my mom. She is such a courageous and kind-hearted woman who is the embodiment of the balance between strength and gentleness to me. She’s always put my siblings and me before herself and nurtured our ambitions (even when they seemed crazy). She took on the seemingly impossible task of educating the three of us from home at some point in our lives, in addition to starting a community group for home educators. She puts the needs of other people before her own and never seeks the glory for it. She is my inspiration and motivation to keep moving forward, even when my task seems impossible.

I’ve been blessed to have been surrounded by so many amazing women over the years, all of whom I have drawn inspiration from. I have learned so many things from them and am in awe of all that they continue to accomplish. I could sit and name them all, but the list would never end; for every day, I encounter a new person with a story or a dream, and I fall in love with my ambitions all over again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alexiaavey.weebly.com
• Phone: 5208156685
• Email: alexiaavey@email.arizona.edu
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexiaavey/

                                          Image Credit:
Kylie Avey, Hannah Akins, Amy Bailey, The Crooked Feather, Griffin Riley

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