Meet Olivia Colley | Fashion designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Colley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, what are you inspired by?
As cliche as it might sound when people ask me this question I respond with “everything” because honestly that’s the truth. I will be out with friends and sometimes the conversations that we have allows me to visualize a piece based from it.
Few times I can listen to an album or a song that I really like and my brain will just put the pieces together and I’ll evolve off of it throughout the days to make it the best I can.

As of now though, film has been my biggest inspiration. I’ve always enjoyed watching different genres of movies even short films. Some of my favorite movies are pulp fiction,goodwill hunting,the great gatsby,and the longest week. The aesthetic‘s of a film is really where I pay attention the most,especially how the movie is paced and the small little details that truly bring it together. Evidently,to me that’s also what matters when it comes to fashion the small little details that bring it all together into a masterpiece.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
One thing I would want the world to know about me as a fashion designer and the “Colley” brand is that I’m not afraid to take risks and show the world something that they haven’t seen before yet.

And essentially that’s what my brand is about. I look at fashion like most people would at any form of art,it’s what you make of it. I love creating clothes that make women and men feel confident and sexy,yet bold and mysterious.

However as my journey is still continuing,in the very beginning it definitely wasn’t like this,I mean at one point in my life I didn’t even know how to use a sewing machine,let alone pattern making and or draping fabric on a bodice. There’s a quote that Rick Owen’s said that truly resonates with me he says “ You can’t stay in one place. If you stay in one place you die. So you have to move forward.” I realized for myself early on into my career that if I want to take this seriously I have to work my butt off,I can’t afford to be afraid and stay in my comfort zone. If I stay in one place for my whole career,I’m not reaching my full potential and I think you can apply that with any creative field.
Don’t get me wrong I’ve learned many lessons in my career especially when it comes to putting myself out there and networking with people or talking to clients…but every lesson I’ve learned only made me better.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This question is actually kinda funny to me because I have a friend who just moved here from Texas so me and some other friends have been showing him around Atlanta and certain spots.

As a week long trip,I think one of places where we would definitely have to visit is the High Museum and little 5 points to go shopping and check out all the stores.

Six flags is always a fun place to visit regardless of the season,when it comes to food in Atlanta there’s just so many options. Slutty Vegan is definitely a spot I recommend and the battery has a good variety of food to eat and nice stores to look at as well like the vintage shop.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When it comes to my success and even me still growing and learning as a fashion designer I really have to thank my parents. My mother and father have always been supportive throughout this journey and helping me with the logistics of everything and still is. They raised me to be independent,and to not be afraid to put myself out there and thanks to them I can do that.
I can’t forget my friend Dwayne who is also with me throughout this journey. I met him at the first Donda listening event at the Mercedes Benz stadium. We were talking before the concert started and he told me that he was searching for women designers for his women’s line for his brand WSD ( War Sex Drugs ). After conversing and showing him some of my work he decided to give me a shot and now I’m the women’s creative director for WSD’s women’s FW22.

Instagram: @ocolleyy