Alex Olson
the LA-BASED ARTIST SHARES how Fashion INFORMS HER WORK and why neon pink chiffon is so versatile
JeUne Otte: What's your relationship with fashion? And how has it presented itself in your work?
ALEX: Fashion has always been an important form of creativity and expression for me, but I’ve been somewhat hesitant to admit how much of a part it plays in my work. I’ve only just started to embrace it and discuss it in relation to my paintings. I expect fashion to become more active and open in my work in the future as I continue to allow it in.
One of my most formative aesthetic experiences growing up was bargain hunting with my family at Filene’s Basement in Boston. There were bins and racks of everyday items and brands, but also high-end designer clothes. It was an education to see these well-made objects that offered alternatives to what I knew clothes could be and to imagine the roles they could play in people’s lives.
My work focuses on surfaces and how we read them, both perceptually and socially, and fashion relates to the social read. While I don’t cite specific fashion outright, I do allude to certain aesthetic connections. But even more so, I think about how it functions as exterior signage and a cover to hide or enhance information beneath. I’m also drawn to palettes that have fashion associations to me, and those tend to be personally aspirational—they reflect my tastes in the moment, which in turn reflect a slice of cultural time. 
JO: During our photoshoot, you looked amazing in the Luca dress (bright pink, twirls like a dream). How did you like it?
ALEX: It’s my favorite piece in the new collection! The color first drew me in because it’s such a strong, sharp color of pink. The sheerness counterbalances the color and makes it very versatile. It could be an accent over just about anything: pants, a dress, shorts. I could imagine wearing it casually on a hot day or dressing it up.JO: What struck you about Jeune Otte? What pieces felt like you?
ALEX: I absolutely love that Jeune Otte uses mainly deadstock fabric and is produced locally in Chicago. I admire its initial vision of being for tweens and teens, which are such tricky years for navigating self-representation. And I’m excited they’ve begun an adult line! I went to the trunk show in LA and noticed that each piece has this ability to transform on whomever is wearing it. The clothing doesn’t dictate the wearer so much as it has this design sophistication that allows the wearer to make it their own. My personal choices would be of course the Luca dress, but also the Reed pants, the Conte coat and the Theo tank. There’s so much nuance in the materials and details that don’t jump out at you at first but that give each piece a touch of personality and uniqueness.
JO: Finally, we'd love to hear a few recommendations. What are you consuming, reading, loving right now?
ALEX: Oooooh, too many things. This is going to be a very LA compilation: The first that comes to mind that I can’t stop recommending is the LA Review of Books Radio Hour podcast. A warning though: it’ll make you buy lots of books. They do superb interviews with writers and ask excellent questions while giving the interviewee ample time to flesh out a response. Two of my favorite recent ones were The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein and Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman. I’m a huge fan of the record label Small World run by artist LeRoy Stevens, and one of my favorite albums he’s put out is by his partner, Lisa Williamson, Pump Suck, in which she ‘plays’ breast pumps through a mixing board. While I love the idea, it also surprisingly catchy; Lisa also has an exceptional show up right now in LA.I’m totally tickled by the ceramic collaboration by artist Max Maskansky and fashion designer Nancy Stella Soto. Especially this. And I’m coveting furniture by Waka Waka, designed by Shin Okuda. As well as pillows and cord-covers by Rowena Sartin at Iko Iko, designed by Kristin Dickson-Okuda.photos by EMMA LoUISE SWANSON
Thanks Alex! SEE BELOW FOR MORE OF ALEX’s LA art show recs.
