Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rio Warner . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Rio, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

For styling and design I’d say honestly the best way to learn is just to practice and experiment and dive right in. I always tell young creatives that want to get started to just jump right in and go for it. Style yourself or your friends up and do a little photo shoot, create some fun content, get creative, just go for it, it’s less scary than it seems. I also recommend collabing with as many other artists as possible… reach out to people who’s work you like and see if they’d be interested in working on a shoot together or if you can lend them a hand on an upcoming shoot, you might be surprised how many people are receptive!

As far as skills go I’d say a very important one is being resourceful. Fashion is a high stress/fast paced industry. There will always be obstacles you’ll need to navigate and efficiently handle, don’t take no for an answer or feel defeated there are always solutions if you’re resourceful.

There are NO obstacles to learning more. As fashion changes and evolves you need to as well. Never ever stop learning and growing. Never think you know it all, because you never will and that’s the beauty of it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Rio Warner. I’m a costume designer/maker, stylist and creative director. I love everything colorful and creating a vibrant playful overall look. I’m based in Hollywood and have been working in the fashion industry well over ten years now. I’ve toured with Ariana Grande and Melanie Martinez doing costumes and have styled or made costumes for talents including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Doja Cat, Usher, Rihanna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gwen Stefani and many more.

I have created many stage looks for performers over the years and prefer to do the over the top, fun, full fantasy looks. Nothing is too over the top for me, the bigger the challenge the more exciting! I love to work closely with the clients to bring their vision to life.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Today I drove down Sunset Blvd and saw a billboard of Bella Poarch from a recent project I styled and creative directed and even after all these years nothing tops that feeling. Seeing the beauty of a final product after all the sweat and tears you put into creating a piece of art you’re genuinely proud of is the most rewarding feeling. I give every project my 100% love and attention so they’re very close to my heart and intimate.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I spent my entire life growing up very dedicated to my schooling and aspired go become a lawyer. Art & fashion was just a hobby and I never considered it could be more. I graduated with honors and got a scholarship to start my law studies at Loyola Marymount University and was on my way to my “dream job.”

On the side to help pay my bills I made clothes to sell to friends and a couple
stores carried them, but I noticed people were really liking them and the demand was growing. I was asked to make costumes for some parties at the Playboy Mansion and other random
clients started popping up and I started to take it more serious.

I made the very hard decision to take a year leave from LMU to work on projects that were starting to present themselves and I never looked back, that was over ten years ago. I’ve dedicated myself to my art and truly created the dream job for myself and I couldn’t be happier.

Contact Info:

• Website: Shopglitterdeath.com
• Instagram: @RioWarner