I wanted [his clothes to resonate with] kids like Fraser, who would watch the show to get his style and even recognize some of the designers. But at the same time, I wanted to make sure his personality would show through to someone who doesn’t care about fashion.
Throughout the show’s first three episodes, Fraser’s wardrobe features a lot of vintage styles and references. Did you do a lot of vintage shopping for that character?
Yes, a lot of vintage research was made. I bought a lot of Japanese brands, sportswear brands better known [and] lesser known: Carhartt, Palace, Kapital, Aries, Human Made. And high fashion brands like Comme des Garçons, Raf Simons, Junya Watanabe and Yohji Yamamoto.
When we are first introduced to Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamón), she’s in this great cropped, striped polo and basketball shorts. What did you want that look to convey about her character?
For Caitlin’s costumes, I wanted to layer her clothes to create proportions that would show different sides to her while she tries to find herself. She has a strong personality, yet her body is so petite and young. I wanted the fragility of her young age and her feminine nature to show beyond the tougher, baggier wardrobe choices.
Was there any one costume particularly challenging to envision?
I really enjoy dressing young characters. Even in my fashion work, this is whom I most enjoy designing for. There are no characters I find challenging, as I always find a way to put a little of me in them to understand them better.
The show takes place in early to mid 2016, but the clothing seems very relevant to how young adults are dressing now. Can you expound on that?
I think the way kids approached fashion in 2016 is still relevant today. Internet and social media make it possible to have fast access to trends, and even high fashion has become more accessible to younger people who can now find platforms on which to buy at lower price—or even exchange or resell with other devotees—iconic fashion pieces that a pre-internet kid, like me when I was a young Fraser, would never have had easy access to. Even after just one episode, kids reach out to me and write to ask who designed this or that piece or what season it is from.
Can you speak to the color palettes of characters this season? Does each character’s palette represent something for you?