Designer

Clayton Beck is a photographer and fashion designer in Reno whose work has been featured in local media and business promotion. In honor of Fashion Week, we sat down to talk with him about his own inspirations and what constitutes “Reno style.”

How did you first get involved with fashion?

I’ve been, since about 16 or 17, a creative kind of following my dreams. Moving to Los Angeles, working for a fashion celebrity photographer there, that kind of refined a lot of my skills in the photo realm. I wanted to do more photography, modeling, things of that nature, but ended up being more of an assistant, re-toucher, helping style or do makeup—whatever I needed to do to make the photo shoot happen. So that sort of shaped who I was in my craft. Then, kind of evolving into loving everything about fashion and the magic of photo shoots. Coming back to my home, Bishop, California, and then moving to Reno and becoming a hairstylist—did that—and that shaped another realm, but I realized it wasn’t my industry. It was too limiting for me. Now, eight years later, I’ve been doing photography in Reno, being that person in the art scene and making an evolutionary change. Letting things fall aside and then letting things grow, like fashion. I realized what was missing in my photographs was the epic beauty of the clothing to create the vision that I would see in my head—I never really could find what I needed.For the past two years, I’ve been kind of balancing that, and watching how the universe is kind of pushing me to become a fashion designer. Fashion is the umbrella to everything that I’ve been learning and growing into. I can speak hair, makeup, photo, retouching, designing—I can basically do everything now in the language of fashion.

Where do you find a lot of your inspiration when it comes to designing?

Mother Nature really inspires me. I feel that she’s always been there for me. … Let’s say I see a scene and then I can basically see something evolve within my vision for something for that specific spot. Sometimes I’ll make something that I don’t know where it needs to be yet until that time is to manifest. Sometimes as a creative, you just have to create and don’t question why you’re making it, just know that you’re being given a visions and gift and it’s your job to make it.

Is there a Reno “style”?

I’m not really sure. Reno has a way of capturing an individual in their own way. Everybody has their own thing. … As long as you’re not messing with anyone or hurting anyone or doing something wrong, I guess you would say, you can really do and be whoever you want. I’ve worn crazy clothing just to push the boundaries. Going to Bibo, one of my friends was a client, and she was like, “The first time I met you, you were dressed as a ninja asking for a dirty chai.” Reno has this way of—I think Burning Man has helped that—like, do whatever the fuck you want, be whoever you want to be, and just be real. Because if you’re not real, Reno will just eat you up and spit you out. So as far as Reno style, there’s subcultures in Reno that kind of have their thing. … I think the style would be, if there was a style for Reno, is just to show up and be real in whatever that looks like for you.

What are you goals?

As of right now I’m going to be moving to Bali. I got an opportunity to work for a fashion company as one of their co-creators—as a designer for male and female. That’s the thing, my destiny is very active, and I have to trust and let that become. And I think Reno has given me the tools and allowed me to see every facet of myself, and to push, to teach to grow, but also to allow the community and the culture… to call you on your shit but also empower you to grow.