Editor’s notice: This interview was accomplished earlier than and printed through the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023. The work being reviewed wouldn’t exist with out the labor of writers and actors.
“I’m a New Yorker and I needed it to really feel like actual New York.” –
Keia Bounds
It’s one thing about seeing style on a plus measurement physique that thrills me probably the most at any time when I’m watching a selected film or tv sequence. Having seen the trailer for Netflix’s “Survival of the Thickest,” I used to be instantly intrigued with how nicely the sequence’ lead, Michelle Buteau, was styled all through the 30 second clip.
New York’s personal, Keia Bounds (and her styling/design crew), delivered stylishly with every episode of the sequence, bringing an edgy, city-inspired theme. One which captured the essence of the vitality, tradition, creativity and individuality, and intercourse attraction typically seen strolling the runway sidewalks of the totally different boroughs of New York.
When given the duty off interviewing Bounds, I jumped on the chance IMMEDIATELY! Having watched the sequence and being a wardrobe stylist myself, pleasure ran via my “Single Black Feminine Hooked on Retail” veins seeing totally different manufacturers like Eloquii, Brandon Blackwood, Selkie (I’m such a fan of The Puff Costume within the cowl), and plus athleisure put on like Adidas, I couldn’t wait to ask Bounds these questions that fashion lovers would ask.
In makes an attempt to calm my nerves and calm down the urge to enter a full anxiousness stuffed episode, I placed on my pink lipstick, entered the Zoom chat room, and had a one-on-one girlfriend chat with the lead stylist of “Survival of the Thickest.” TCF supporters, followers, and viewers members, I current to you, Keia Bounds.
Get to Know Keia Bounds, the Costume Designer for Survival of the Thickest!
Coming into the chat with such warmness and a chill-relaxed vibe, Bounds (alongside her publicist), (with ardour in her eyes) gave me the inspiration to dive deep into asking questions not solely pertaining to the movie, however her profession as a fashion-designer-turned-wardrobe-stylist.
We puzzled, as a Costume Designer, what was her inspiration for every episode with every character. Having the ability to put her genius into play, in an effort to ensure that the style was so superb and so New York, and so ahead? We needed to know; what was the inspiration behind that?
Keia shares “So I suppose the inspiration behind it was that I’m a New Yorker, and I needed it to really feel like actual New York, in addition to to get what they needed me to get off of the web page (the script).”
Listening to, “the true New York,” introduced me again a time of the early 2000s and watching nighttime tv with reveals like Intercourse and the Metropolis. Being a local of the town, Bounds appeared to haven’t solely grasped the imaginative and prescient of the movie’s manufacturing, however she was capable of fashion Michelle Buteau in such a method that made me need to strive on the attire and add them into my closet.
Out of curiosity, I requested her about her time working with Michelle Buteau.
On working with Michele Buteau, Keia Bounds shares, “She’s AMAZING! To work together with her as a girl, as a Black lady, as a curvy lady! Like all these items, Michelle is hilarious! She’s not the form of hilarious that you simply want they’d flip off both. She’s simply herself and simply naturally humorous and naturally good. It was enjoyable!”
All through every episode, I observed acquainted manufacturers and types that I had not been launched to but. With every forged member having their very own stylistic attraction, I typically puzzled if the styling crew had any challenges with discovering totally different style manufacturers desirous to collaborate with the movie.
Though the style trade has developed and continues to evolve with measurement inclusivity and physique kind inclusivity, whereas additionally creating supportive and classy ahead environments for the members of the LGBTQIA+ community, there are nonetheless manufacturers who aren’t as on board with making clothes for the ever-changing society that we dwell in.
Realizing that the movie excitedly highlighted a lot of the plus measurement AND LGBTQ group, we puzzled about Keia Bounds’ experiences or challenges with accessing plus measurement style for the forged members.
Keia shares, “I feel that, as a result of as we all know, it’s arduous to search out fashionably items (particularly designer items) in plus sizes, for curvy ladies. For the style trade to nonetheless not be on top of things on what is occurring in the true world made it arduous for me to search out loads of the issues that had been wanted.”
Understanding her challenges, Bounds utilized her artistic {and professional} contact all through the sequence with creating items that had been wanted to be created, reached out to totally different designers to obtain specialised unique clothes, and took the treasure of discovering unfamiliar manufacturers to ensure the crew had been styled to the T.
Though not shocking, Bounds’ empathy in direction of not having as many accessible plus measurement designer manufacturers to select from for this challenge helped me to need to ask myself, “What’s the maintain up with the style trade?”
With a career that has stylishly stretched from the early 2000s, Keia Bounds has labored with actors similar to Jack Black, Dave Chapelle, and Edie Falco, and tv sequence like “The Get Down” and “BMF.”
“I’d love my legacy to be about impacting the tradition in a optimistic method. Whether or not the tradition be the tradition of style or the tradition of individuals of coloration, I’d love to have the ability to have a stamp in there someplace.”
Keia Bounds
Getting a sneak peek in her background was shocking. Having turned from being a clothier to turning into a stylist, then to costume designing, Keia Bounds has a flexibility together with her creativity that has not solely made her a pioneer but in addition given herself the flexibility to proceed with the legacy of serving to others make an impression, working in style and elegance inside the tv and movie trade.
Be open to the probabilities and be keen to study the entire totally different processes in an effort to work out what that one factor is that you simply need to do. ”
Keia Bounds
Bounds spoke passionately on the challenges and successes of being a dressing up designer within the movie/tv trade, whereas additionally mentioning how refreshing it will be to have extra higher-ups respect and recognize the artwork of costume and wardrobe styling and compensating extra for the career and expertise inside the movie/tv trade.
When you haven’t already, please watch Netflix’s “Survival of the Thickest” and tell us what you considered the style!
With such tv tasks as “Survival of the Thickest,” we hope to see extra indie plus size designer brands featured and included, to serve the ever-changing society that we’re at present residing in.
Stylishly signing off, I’m D. Ni’Cole!
