Alyssa Blair Cawthon has helped dress characters in major film and television projects, including “Reservation Dogs,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Stillwater.”
Now working on Season 2 of FX’s “The Lowdown,” the Choctaw costume designer continues to build a career centered on storytelling, authenticity and collaboration.
“I had always been interested in filmmaking from a young age and went to college for Film Production. And despite growing up in Oklahoma, I had a passion for all things film and Hollywood,” Cawthon said.
“I started my career in the Art Department, and thought that’s where I would stay forever,” she said. “But I helped a buddy of mine with a costume job in 2014, and immediately felt like I was ‘home’, as cheesy as that sounds.”
That single experience reshaped her direction in the industry.
Though Cawthon did not attend school for costume design, she learned early skills that shaped her career.
Her great-grandmother taught her how to sew, and she later built on that foundation while working on sets.
Over time, she developed a style focused less on technical perfection and more on how clothing can reveal who a character is and what they have lived through.
“But it’s not all about the technical aspects when it comes to design, it’s about vision and storytelling,” Cawthon said.
Cawthon credits her Choctaw heritage for shaping how she approaches her work.
She said Native people carry a long tradition of storytelling, and that history influences her love for costume design.
“I think Native people have a lot of grit and tenacity, and it definitely takes those things to make it in this industry,” she said.
Her career has spanned a wide range of projects, from historical films to modern television series.
Each new job requires research, teamwork and flexibility.
Before creating wardrobes, she meets with directors, production designers and cinematographers to discuss tone, setting, and how the visual elements will fit together.
“I get a lot of guidance from the director or show runner of what they are wanting the tone of the film to be, etc. But I like to have meetings with the other department heads, like the Production Designer or Cinematographer and make sure we’re all on the same page, and creating a cohesive work of art together,” Cawthon said.
No matter the genre, Cawthon focuses on realism and wants clothing to feel lived-in rather than staged.
“Different jobs call for different designs and skills, but a signature of my work will always be that I like things to look as real as they can,” she said.
Her creative process always starts with the script.
She studies each character and imagines how they move, shop and choose colors. From there, she builds mood boards filled with photos, fabrics and shades to help directors and actors picture who the character is before the camera rolls.
“I begin by reading the script and just letting my imagination run wild,” said Cawthon.
One of the most meaningful projects of her career was her work on “Reservation Dogs.”
Cawthon helped shape the characters’ everyday style and highlighted Native designers by using their jewelry and designs throughout the show.
“I’m very proud of Cheese’s graphic tee collection,” she said.
Season 3’s “Deer Lady” episode was especially significant to her, and she said she is most proud of her work on this episode.
Cawthon designed uniforms for a 1950s Indian boarding school, a task that required careful research and emotional strength from the Native crew members involved.
While acknowledging the painful history of these institutions, recreating these uniforms offered a unique opportunity to reclaim part of their narrative.
The experience, she added, became unexpectedly healing for those on set.
“To get to create these beautiful costumes and work on them together as a team, and then dress these sweet native kids in them and watch them run around and play and chase bugs and pick flowers in between the takes,” Cawthon said. “It was healing.”
According to Cawthon, opportunities for Native professionals in Hollywood have grown, but she hopes the industry continues to move forward.
Too often, she said, Indigenous artists are called only for historical or traditional projects rather than modern stories as well.
“I do think a challenge I, and many others, have faced is getting pigeon-holed for ‘native only’ projects,” she said.
She is currently working on Season 2 of FX’s “The Lowdown,” and calls it a dream assignment.
Looking ahead, Cawthon hopes to keep taking on projects that challenge her and increase Native representation on screen, and one day design costumes for a Choctaw-centered production.
She also encourages young Native artists to take chances and reach out to people already working in the industry.
For Cawthon, persistence matters as much as talent.
“We have overcome so much as a culture,” she said, “and I think that resilience and ‘can-do’ spirit will get you farther in this industry than anything else.”
You can see more about Cawthon and her work, visit alyssablaircawthon.com or follow her on Instagram @alyssablairrr.