Brittany Xavier Reflects on Her at-Home Fashion Week
The social media star also gives advice on turning your side hobby into a full-time career.

It’s news to no one that 2020 has brought about certain limitations. But with newfound constraints comes newfound creativity; we’ve been forced to innovate and find new ways to do what we once could have done in our sleep.
For Brittany Xavier, it meant covering this past fashion week from the confines of her home rather than the runways and streets of Milan and Paris. Overall, the fashion influencer and creative director of her personal brand took the opportunity to think outside the box, taking advantage of the perks (like getting to stay at home with her daughter, Jadyn) while finding ways to work around being stuck in LA.
V caught up with social media’s favorite self-made fashion darling to talk about the shifting landscape as well as how to become your own boss, all with exclusive new images, below.
Was there anything about having to do fashion week remotely that you felt was positive?
Well the positive for me is that, being a mom, being gone is usually a little bit of a struggle during this time. Because my daughter is just getting back into school. So it’s nice to be home with her, especially because they started distance learning in September vs. in August. It was right when she was starting school. The benefit for me was just being at home and being able to work around her schedule while still covering the shows. That really worked out this time. And she was able to be a part of it more because typically, I wouldn’t let her miss school for it either. So she was really excited to be somewhat—I mean, it’s not the same experience as actually seeing it in person—but, she was understanding more, “Oh, you guys are shooting most of the time you’re going. You’re not going to museums.” So I think she understood a little more about what we do.
Was she always interested in fashion week?
I know she’s always been interested in it because she loves traveling. So, when we say we’re going to Milan or Paris, she always says “Oh, I want to go! Is there any way I can skip school and come?” But it doesn’t make sense. Doing so much, it’s so busy, and then for me to be dragging her along to meetings, it doesn’t really seem like that would be a learning experience. So, I’ve always said no.
This time, she was hoping that I was going to go in person because she was like, “Oh, now I’m home. Now I can really go with you guys.” And I told her, “No, we’re not going as well, for safety.” That’s when she was like “Well, what can I do to be a part of it somehow?” She seemed really interested. She’s doing a fashion design elective. It’s cute because she’s definitely getting more involved and more curious than she was when she was smaller.
What was the biggest challenge in terms of covering the shows this way?
I think what challenged me the most was usually when we’re in Milan and Paris, there’s this gorgeous backdrop of the venue and everything is inspired by the surroundings, and being somewhere in LA, it wasn’t the same. It didn’t feel like the typical fall weather that I normally experience during September there.
Even in LA, it’s not like everything is open. There are still restrictions in terms of where you can shoot.
We shot a lot of the TikToks in my living room, and we just changed the backdrop, so that was helpful. And because I’m not really wearing a mask out, I really had to find a place that was secluded enough. It was so much more limited with that. I wanted to make sure that we had some freedom to move around and not feel so constrained, but still stay safe. That was with the help of my living room and backdrop [laughs] and photoshop. That was helpful.
Outside of the obvious, how were the shows themselves different this time around?
I feel like it made you feel like you had to be more innovative than before, which is even challenging with just the times in general. The fact that they had to be extra innovative and get these shows together with maybe even less staff, that was so impressive to me.
Obviously, a lot of people are out of work right now. I feel like some are taking it as a chance to pursue their passions and maybe even turn them into a career, like you did with blogging and creative direction. Do you have any advice to give?
I would always say to start something on the side as a hobby, but really put it into your daily routine. Say you wanted to start selling something on the side, or even if you wanted to start taking photos, make a plan for that each week, of what you’re going to be posting, or how to manage your goal. Yeah, you may not be able to get paid for that right now, and you’re still working your 9-5 job at home via your computer, but after work, what are you doing with your hobby moving forward? Just get it going. Unless you have money saved and you can start something and not really have to work for a year. That would be ideal. For the majority of people, I would say that’s such a luxury. I also just had to really work hard on the side nights and weekends to get something going, so I couldn’t leave my full-time job. I would say really get that plan to get moving on something. Don’t have this idea that you have to have it perfect to start. Whether you’re going to start a simple website or your Instagram, or your Tiktok, don’t be so focused on the plan and the appearance. Just get the idea of content going, and experiment because you’re doing it as a hobby right now. Just have fun with it. See if you even like doing that. You might be like, “Eh, this is not for me.” That’s my main advice. Just get moving with something.







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