Meet Ashlee Villanueva | Fashion Designer/ Costumer/ and Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashlee Villanueva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashlee, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I would definitely not be where I am at now had it not been for my decision to become sober and clean. Making this decision was absolutely life changing and propelled me head first into all of my passions. I must give credit also to my amazing support system, my friends and family who have been there for me through it all. My tribe has seen me through my ugliest most humiliating moments and picked me up, dusted me off and sent me back on my path. I also need to credit having health insurance. This sounds so weird i know, but it is a privilege in this country to have such a thing and i was very very sick both mentally and physically. I was able to use my insurance to find healing both inside and out. There was a point in my life where i was covered head to toe in psoriasis. A skin condition where people develop rough flaky patches that are very itchy and at times can burn and look extremely inflamed. This condition really ruined me mentally and physically, I quickly became suicidal with the daily struggle that was existing with burning skin every day. Had it not been for my dermatologist and my therapist i don’t think id be here. Theres a very long exhaustive list of kind humans who had empathy and held space for me to be able to find some understanding and help. I owe them all so much. My brand would not exist without this support.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Ive been sewing since i was a kid. My grandma was the one that showed me how to transform tube socks into body con dresses for my barbies. Ever since then I’ve been intrigued by draping and making things from different textiles. In high school i was head costumer for all the productions. After high school I attended FIDM in Los Angeles California, and then a couple years later I started taking pattern making classes at Fullerton College. I went on a hiatus from sewing for about 8 years though, because, and i hate to say this, I was afraid my dream would not provide for me financially…so i started going to nursing school. While i attended nursing school I slowly learned I couldn’t do it. I loved helping people and i had a weird knack for medical terminology and loved learning about all kind of conditions and medications but I did not like working in the actual field. It took one year of working as a CNA for me to get to the point where i dropped it. Then one day, freshly out of a relationship and depressed my friend essentially lit a fire under my butt and inspired me to return to my first love: clothing construction. AS i came back to the fashion and costuming universe I started to unintentionally dabble in photography. I needed good photos to build my digital portfolio for all the work I was finishing and i decided to take the task on myself. Thats how my second business grew! So now it’s Gutter Glitter Shop for my sewing endeavors and Gutter Glitter Art for all my photography and videography. I guess the lesson I learned along the way is that it’s not too late to reinvent yourself and be true to your heart. I always say that when i got sober and clean is when I finally had the audacity to dream.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love The Cellar in downtown Fullerton, they have really amazing mocktail options but also some with spirits included. I adore Long Beach, we’d definitely have to go to a show at Alex’s Bar or Supply and Demand. I’d also suggest La Descarga in Los Angeles, a speakeasy style bar from the 20s.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
None of this could be possible without my three best friends. My friend Jazmine Paniagua owner of Secret Oasis Bar Is the one who lit a fire in my heart and gave me the idea of running a photo booth and tapping into photography and also my fashion. Markie Ann Medina, singer of Stormhouse and bass player for Reverse Cowgirls, for being my muse and constantly making sure everyone knows exactly who made her outfit. And Luis Arredondo, otherwise known as Anya Body, a drag queen and illusion artist who would also become my muse but also would turn me into their personal photographer for their show and makeup series.

Website: gutterglittershop.onuniverse.com

Instagram: @gutterglitterart @gutterglittershop

Facebook: gutterglittershop