Meet Alexandria Onuoha | Developmental scientist, fashion stylist, dance artist

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

Hi Alexandria, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I thought about my childhood, I thought about the ways in which my mother instilled in me confidence and being okay with solitude. One thing that my childhood has was dance and culture, I come from a Jamaican family and the way in which we connect and create community is through dance. I wanted my culture to be more accessible, dance classes and workshops aren’t always inclusive, so I thought “I want to create a nurturing space”. But it did not stop at just dance, I’m a lover of fashion and I believe both fashion and dance are treated as art. Fashion was a way that I built community among women and specifically Black women. When I got to college and now as a Ph.D. student in psychology, it made sense how to connect these mediums. Using movement and fashion to improve the lives of women of color and youth of color. That is what ACO STYLES is.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m different and ACO STYLES is different because I’m a researcher first. I’m currently getting a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and I focus on positive youth development and what that looks like for youth of color. My approach to fashion styling, creative direction, and dance making is to promote well-being. Fashion and style aren’t just about fabrics and designers, but the person in the garment must feel connected to whatever the project is through their mind, body, and spirit. Dance is the same way. I offer Afro-Caribbean dance workshops as well and this also is used to promote well-being because many of our thoughts cannot be vocalized. As humans, we need other ways to express ourselves. Afro-Caribbean dance is freeing, it’s edgy, it’s dope. Developmental science is an interdisciplinary field that integrates different perspectives in efforts to understand the human experience. I’m using fashion and dance to do so in this particular space. The goal is to create a nurturing ecosystem through dance and fashion as those two mediums are interconnected. I’m proud of the lives I’ve already impacted using dance and fashion. I started this in high school and I was just figuring out my talents. But as I progressed in life and went to college, I was able to understand what makes me happy and also what has the most impact. In college, I was a dance and psychology, double major. But I was styling my friends in high school (for free)! I went to college and I started creating dance works that represented the women in my community, and shadowed local fashion designers, and was studying developmental psychology. I decided to create a framework that solves an issue, and that is how ACO STYLES came to be. It was not easy because many people told me I had to pick one idea for a business. In theory, yes. But I realized that I did have one idea and that was making people of color feel good about themselves using two streams of art. I want the world to know that ACO STYLES is a space that will foster change and a space where young people of color can create and just exist. My goal is to get a physical space where youth of color and Black women can be creative and have materials to help them do so.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In Boston, there are some cute places! One of my favorite spots in Boston Seaport which has tons of food options and many of them are near the water. I would also take them to the Museum of Fine Arts, this museum constantly has thought-provoking art and events. I would also take them to my favorite restaurant right now which is Lolita, it’s Mexican food, and the drinks there are amazing. Lastly, I would take them to Darryl’s Corner Bar and Kitchen on Columbus Ave. They have live Jazz music, great soul food, and the service is so good.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people I could thank, but there is a specific group of women who have pushed me to launch ACO STYLES and have inspired me to just go for it. They are the Harambee Collective. This is a community of women of color who affirm one another and also create opportunities to gain knowledge across a plethora of topics. This community uniquely curated and it is a safe space where I can tell other women who love me what my goals are, no matter how big I think they are. With them any idea in my mind is possible, and in order to be successful in business, you need people who push you. They are my rock.

Website: acostyles.com

Instagram: acostyles

Image Credits:
V.L. Kaiser Photography Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College
Frantz Jr. Bernadotte