University of Boulder Colorado student and one of Roam Boulder's current modeling directors, Olivia Overton has always been an artist. She feels “unrestricted” when designing, able to execute whatever her imagination draws up; “It makes the confounding parts of my brain tangible.” She’s been designing for as long as she can remember, starting off with smaller pieces, creating on paper and with fabric. Overton has been working her way up to bigger pieces, including those she designed for Roam’s Revelation Act Three. “Regardless of the medium, I’ve always expressed my experiences and feelings through my art.”
Overton’s love for elegant fashion meshed perfectly with the celestial elements of Act Three. Act Three and Revelation as a whole are grand in scope, something Overton was drawn to when deciding to partake in the project. “My pieces were inspired by the grandiosity of religious architecture, whether that be temples or cathedrals. I wanted each piece to grab the viewer’s attention with its careful construction and attention to detail.”
Overton wanted to play with complexity in her designs, working to create contrast between the way she approached each piece: “One of my pieces emphasizes texture by layering finer details and materials, and the other focuses on an intricate structure through the draping of fabric.” She found that Revelation “used color to convey messages about power dynamics” and was particularly enticed by red. “I saw this as an opportunity to express the intensity and power that comes with the color.
Beyond the stark whites and blood reds, Overton connected to Revelation on a personal level. “I grew up in a religious setting that had implications affecting who I loved and how I perceived myself.” Overton wanted to reflect this sentiment in her designs: “There is divine elegance that comes with religion, and within that, there is power that can shape a person for better or worse.”
One of Overton’s biggest struggles was choosing what ideas to follow through with. She’s been drawn to manipulating shapes and textures and loves the ability to create without the limits of a box. That said, with time limits, she was forced to make sometimes hard cuts. “I had many ideas, so choosing was difficult for me. Cutting the fabric is the hardest part because it means I’ve committed myself to that particular idea.” While Overton claims her creative process isn’t always consistent, she’s learned what she needs to do to fully invest herself in her projects. “I like having a plan going into a project, but also having room to make changes along the way.”
Overton notes the importance of fashion: “[it’s] a big part of our lives and has been historically; it affects how we’re perceived, whether this is good or bad.” As a designer, she has worked to weave this idea of perception through fashion into her pieces. Whether it’s the way religious institutions impact our perceptions of ourselves or the grandiosity of the divine, Overton’s devotion to shedding light on these nuances and contrasts has led to a complex and intricate set of designs—designs that truly encapsulate the different emotions, power dynamics and ideas Revelation seeks to portray.
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