Designer Interview: Olivia Overton Masters the Circus of Design
- Rhett Kaya and Rue Murray
- May 16
- 3 min read
Olivia Overton is a third-year Neuroscience major and one of Roam Boulder’s Modeling Directors. While Overton is unsure of what she wants to do post-graduation, she plans on continuing to create art and fashion.
Overton found the theme, Ringmaster, to be a trove of opportunities; it’s the circus, after all. For her looks, she is honing in on the circus part of the theme rather than the militaristic, which opened up her options a lot.
“There aren’t rules that you need to stick to. I get to really lean into that avant-garde style of fashion, and I love that so much. It gives me an opportunity to showcase some of my work, which, as a student designer, I don’t always get that opportunity.”
Despite her designs falling under the circus category of the theme, Overton found that militaristic design is an inherent element of circus wear. She tried her best to honor that history and keep her designs accurate and authentic by referencing well-known circus figures like clowns or ringmasters.
“Typically, in the circus, there are characters that you see a lot. I tried creating looks that were loosely inspired by those characters and pulling colors or shapes or different pieces of those characters into my designs while adding my own touch.”
Overton utilized mood boards and her personal observations as inspiration for her designs.
“I love observing things [and] pulling from my environment. Going for walks and seeing a cool flower and deciding, you know what, that’s a really cool shape, and taking a picture of it. Then later, putting it into a mood board.”
As a Modeling Director, Overton has played a vital role in crafting not just the looks but also the movements of the models. During weekly Roam meetings, she is committed to guiding and helping models look and walk their best. Overton believes part of that requires clothes that foster the desired movement, something she paid close attention to in her design and research process.
“One thing I was really looking for when [researching] was [the way] the model walks. That’s something that is really important within my designs. It’s about understanding the structure well. I’ve seen the evolution of the models, from where they started, when they were cast in their walks and their poses, to where they are now. It’s cool seeing the evolution, and I’m really excited to see their walks because I know they’ve put a lot of time into that.”
While the design process can be strenuous and often hard to commit to, when she does, Overton finds a sweet spot that is extremely appealing.
“I get into the zone where I’m just working for hours, and I don’t realize it. The time is just flying by. It’s a really nice feeling because in that moment, nothing else matters.
Overton finds fashion design to be a complex process full of nuances and intricacies. She pays careful attention to detail, ultimately finding the process satisfying.
“I love that it feels like a puzzle that I have to solve, and sometimes I spend hours working on a plan, creating the step-by-step process [involving] what I’m going to do, and it’s fun. One of the best feelings ever is when I see a finished piece where everything’s done and it looks good. Although it can be frustrating and demoralizing when you’ve put in all this time and then it’s not great, even in that moment, there’s still a bit of pride I feel because I put time into something and I worked on it for a long time, even if it didn’t turn out good.”
When she is in the zone, she is feeling the effects of the creative process; the good, the bad, the effort—it all comes together, and ultimately, that final element of creation, perfect or not, represents her hard work, dedication, and unique perspective.
You can see Olivia Overton’s designs in Roam’s 2025 fashion show, Ringmaster, or by following her on Instagram @oliviaaa047.
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