We recently connected with Alexia Hill and have shared our conversation below.
Alexia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
After attending a handful of fashion shows as media, and even working behind the scenes for many of them, I realized that the production can truly make or break the experience. In 2023, I knew I wanted to plan my own show that was themed, planned to a T, and created an incredible experience for the viewers. As it came time to begin my senior year thesis at university, the idea came to me instinctively: Planet Chic. The theme was inspired by designers that have stuck with me, such as Mugler, but also childhood and nostalgic culture references, including films such as The Matrix or Interstella5555, artists like Vangel Naumovski, and early science fiction book illustrations and zines such as Janus & Aurora.
The idea came early, which gave me an entire year in advance to plan and create. Actually getting started can sometimes be the hardest part, but for me I was so beyond excited to understand the pulse of fashion show production, and how best to enhance my own show, that starting the research was easy. I analyzed not only the experiences of previous shows, but interviewed women who previously and currently produce runways, as well as looking at the social media metrics and promotion of these shows. As someone who studied Journalism and PR, I knew I needed to make a timeline to be able to know when I’d be creating media lists, when I would direct promotional photoshoots, when designers and models would cast, so on and so forth. It’s so funny because the year equally seemed to fly by and go so slow, but every minute of it was spent digging deeper into the idea of Planet Chic, learning what copy I liked and what messages I want to convey, how the photos and videos we created were interacting with the world, and who was interested in it. In the end, I spent probably hundreds of hours making Planet Chic what it was: a fashion show produced completely by students, with 12 student designers and stylists, about 75 models, raising over $1,200 for a local non-profit, over 350 guests in attendance, one TV news segment, several digital earned media hits, and over 104K online impressions. I think the biggest advice I could share in response to making this possible: stick to your vision, but don’t be close-minded. Start early. Plan as much as humanly possible, and be kind, patient, and appreciative to those around you when things don’t go according to plan, because something is always going to happen. All you can do is prepare for it, and show love for the community that’s building this with you.
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.
My name is Alexia Hill, and I am a Fashion and Culture Journalist, as well as a Public Relations Specialist. I’m a recent graduate from Arizona State University with my BA in Journalism and Mass Communications, with an emphasis in Public Relations, a minor in Fashion, and a part of Barrett, The Honors College. I have always loved writing, and it will continue to be a passion of mine, but PR gives me the opportunity to challenge and improve my skills in all things storytelling, from brand identity to copy, from graphic design to press releases and collaborations. On my journalistic side of work, I have written freelance for a variety of publications, including: 303 Magazine, The Chic Daily, Style Line Magazine, Fabulous Arizona, Daily Independent, Mesa Tribune, East Valley Tribune, The Glendale Star, Downtown Devil, Her Campus, Stuck In Notes, Lux Magazine, UNIA Magazine, and more. I’ve done Media Relations/Public Relations/Social media management for a variety of clients including Arizona Fashion Week, Resale Therapy, Pedro Gomez Scholarship Foundation, and more.
I love what I do because I love the people behind every creative endeavor. Learning about the human side of things, what inspires someone and seeing them light up about their own work makes storytelling unfold naturally, drives people to understand and feel sentimental toward a brand or person naturally. I’m proud of one of my most recent profile pieces on Miss Mesa Arizona, Kimberly Covert because I could feel that she understands how important human connection is. Our interview went on past the time the cafe closed, and continued into my car, a genuine memory I look back on now with joy. For her (and her husband, later on) to share all of her story, the good and bad, with me is a special thing. For me to get the opportunity to write that piece and get it published was an honor, and I hope to continue covering shining souls like her.
Authenticity, human connection, and creativity are the three values I base my work on. Regardless what company I work for, these are core traits that I think make a difference in any piece and help me as an individual understand why I’m writing, or why I’m working toward a shared end goal for a client. More values can go into it depending on the project, but understanding that it can never just be about sales or views or clicks, it’s an unsustainable mindset.
Outside of my professional work, I also publish poetry and art under a pseudonym. I love to create mixed media collages, draw, and am currently learning the drums and working on a collaborative animation piece with my boyfriend. I love to hike, travel, see my friends, take photos and style. Creative direction interests me. I love learning, and do online courses for fun, including Italian, Linguistics, Luxury Fashion Management, Fashion Supply Chain, and Digital PR. For me, in this part of my journey, creation and open-mindedness is key to connection. Exploration can mean so many different things, but it truly is discovery, and discovery is something always worth sharing.
Finally, I will share (for the first time, like ever) that I am launching my own publication. Founded by me and co-directed by Autumn Schieferstein, Camryn McLen and I, Obscura Zine will be a digital publication format focused on honest, accurate, fashion coverage, and reporting on untouched or taboo topics in the creative industry. Obscura is unswayed by big brands, the hub for true fashion news and aberrant views. Check us on IG @Obscura.Zine and our website will be launching soon! I’m so excited as we begin to embark on this journey of running a publication, and feel confident in our ability to create forward-thinking content I’m not necessarily seeing elsewhere.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
The journey of building a career as a creative and supporting the creative industry, specifically as a student leader was not always an easy task. As a student at ASU, I was lucky to be able to find The Chic Daily, ASU’s fashion journalism club where I grew my love for fashion and learned so much about writing, culture and magazine creation. Women like Lauren Lippert, Megan Barbera, Autumn Schieferstein, Ella Ho Ching and Maja Peirce all inspired me deeply during my first and second years in university and showed me what I can do with my career trajectory. As I climbed the executive team ladder from general reporter to Magazine Creative Director to Vice President and ultimately, to President, I had to learn how to be a leader. As an introvert, this took a lot of ‘faking it ’til I make it’ and learning how to put on my best face even if I was exhausted because I’m not just representing myself as a person, I’m now representing The Chic and everything it stands for. If I come across as tired or stressed out, I’m going to put negative energy out toward the rest of our team and that’s not what we need. It takes resilience, but also creativity and discipline to be able to “save face” for lack of a better term and force myself into an inspirational, confident, extroverted mindset. But, it was always so worth it when students would come up to me after meetings and tell me their ideas, or ask questions about upcoming events. I felt it in my heart and in my stomach how special and full-circle it was to now be the person who people looked up to during meetings when at one point, I was in their shoes.
The other side of this though, is the resilience it takes to help people understand that fashion journalism is a real and credible job option for the future generation. At our university, it felt like The Chic as a student organization was not always taken seriously. During my time in leadership, not only was I focused on creating an inspirational environment, but on cultivating enriching academic opportunities for the members and for the school to see what we’re accomplishing. An example of pushing through, despite no initial support from the school, is getting 8 press passes for a team of writers, photographers and social media specialists to cover Los Angeles Fashion Week (LAFW). After coming back to Arizona reporters from Cronkite News reached out to me to write about our experience and how the club is giving students real-world experience. We also mentioned in the University’s email newsletter. It’s funny because it felt like, “wow finally, some recognition!” but it also felt a little like the school was bragging on what we’ve done, despite not supporting our vision initially. We didn’t get to where we are because of them, but because of what we did as a team and being dedicated to paving our own future paths. Other major accomplishments were: getting Elle Magazine’s Fashion Features Editor to speak to our club members about her role, being able to move our magazines from digital format to print, alongside hosting an annual launch party for each issue. Overall, I think that fashion journalism deserves its own spot as a program or major, but the credibility and understanding will come in all due time. The Chic’s growth as a club and publication is just the beginning, and I’m so excited to see where it goes now that I’ve graduated. I hope I’ve left a sense of resiliency and dedication with the future leaders and creatives.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Virtually all of it. The art. The creative process, the good and the ugly. The people. The people who inspire me and the feeling of inspiring others. It’s important (and at some levels, rare in this industry) to hold yourself with a sense of humility and let go of your ego in order to truly listen, collaborate and be open-minded in the creative process. For me, that’s so so crucial, and I think it pays off. I put my best foot forward with every opportunity I get, respectfully bust my ass in every project, and it’s unbelievably rewarding to hear from others reaffirmations that the work I put in has paid off or that I’m on the right track. On the other side of that, praising and supporting others who are under-rated in the industry but thriving or pushing forward with their work makes my heart feel so warm and fuzzy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alexiamhill.wixsite.com/alexia-hill
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaalexia23/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexia-hill/
- Twitter: https://x.com/alexiamhill
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alexiamhill
Image Credits
Caroline Tiffany, Ian Taylor, Misplaced Surfer, Ariauni Noelle.