Today we’d like to introduce you to Glenda Maddox and Reneé Brunson, co-owners of local personal styling company, WE STYLE.
Hi Glenda and Reneé, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Sure! We met in Los Angeles while working on the daytime soap opera, All My Children, and when we discovered that we were both from Austin, we became fast friends! Working at AMC was pivotal to our careers; we were lucky enough to be guided by our mentor, David Zyla. After AMC was canceled, we went our separate ways for a bit. When the costume design position opened up, Reneé was supervising The Bold and the Beautiful; she immediately suggested they call Glenda to interview her! We were so excited to be working together again! Our professional relationship and friendship has grown over the years, and we also bonded even more after becoming moms. Being a mom in the film/television industry is not for the faint of heart, but it is gratifying at the end of the day, as long as you have a glass of wine!
Glenda’s backstory: When I was a young girl, I would sketch out clothing designs and try to create the next new trend. I was always interested in fashion and the everchanging styles that would come and go, and how these were forever captured in movies and television. I remember watching the musical Westside Story and being intrigued by how the costumes not only reflected the styles of that era, but also helped tell the story of the two different cultures as well as defined each specific character. This love of fashion and production eventually brought me to the Theatre and Dance program at The University of Texas in Austin where I received my Bachelor of Arts degree. Shortly after graduating, I packed up my small red Mini Cooper, “Candy Cane,” with as much as I could fit and headed to Hollywood. I lived in Los Angles for 18 years, working on various Film, Television, and Commercial productions. It was quite the adventure going from low-budget projects, eating buttered noodles and drinking Trader Joe’s Two Buck Chuck, to winning five Emmy awards for outstanding costume design on the international television show The Bold and the Beautiful, and having the opportunity of filming in such locations as Monte Carlo, Amsterdam, Paris, and Australia. All of this, and I managed to get married and have a beautiful boy who is now 7 years old. Two years ago, I decided to return to my roots in Austin and bring my talents and knowledge of fashion, styling, and costumes to my hometown. Since I moved back, I have had the opportunity to assist costume designed on several local productions featuring zombies and superhero kids.
Reneé’s backstory: Growing up I always loved clothing and fashion, but one of the first moments I fell in love with costume design was when I watched the movie, Mr. Holland’s Opus. He was a high school teacher, and at the start of each decade there was an establishing shot of the students walking into the school. You could easily tell which decade it was just by how they were dressed. It was really the first time I watched a movie and thought about costuming as a career. My first costume design experience was in high school. I acted in a play that was set in the 1940’s, and we helped design our character’s costume. I loved the whole process: from research, to design, to fitting and wearing the final look! It was so much fun! After studying costume design in college at the University of North Texas, I moved to New York City with my college sweetheart. My first job was as an intern at The Juilliard School in the wardrobe department. It was a dream to work in Lincoln Center every day, and the connections I made there led me to the rest of my job opportunities over the next 7 years. While navigating all of life’s challenges in New York (blizzards, blackouts, and transit strikes), I supervised various Off-Broadway shows, was a principal dresser on Broadway, and worked on the soap opera The Guiding Light. Oddly enough, that show ended the same month our lease was up, so my husband and I took that as a sign to make a big change. We relocated to Los Angeles to pursue more television and film opportunities. While in LA, I had the opportunity to design, assist designers, style talent, and friends, but the highlight was working with Glenda on The Bold and the Beautiful. It was an honor to take home Emmys for all of our hard work! After 13 years and two beautiful babies later, we moved back to Texas last year to live closer to our families. I am super excited to be back home and continue working in film/tv production and growing our styling business, WE STYLE.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?Honestly, the biggest obstacle or challenge in our careers has been moving back home to Austin. Personally, it has been wonderful, but professionally, it has been a struggle. We went from a steady flow of jobs to not knowing where our next job will come from. Very few productions are happening here, and since we have families, we can’t travel to other cities for work. The need for steady work inspired us to use our talents differently! We have tons of styling experience, but we have both focused on the costume design and production side of our talents thus far in our careers. Soon the Texas 88th Legislative Session will vote to fund the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP) and if that happens, a lot more film and television projects will come to the state of Texas. (For more info, go to www.txmpa.org.)
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
WE STYLE has all of your personal styling needs in one place! We can help you find a flawless look for a special event, refresh your current style, or come in for a complete closet overhaul. We would love to be your wedding style consultants, help you find the perfect looks for your next vacation, or even dress you for a fun-themed party! We take local clients in Austin, and have virtual clients as well! We believe that our costume design experience sets us apart from other stylists. We worked for many years on a show that required at least 25 styled looks per week, spanning over 2,000+ episodes. We styled and fit many different characters and body types throughout our time working on productions. One of our main philosophies is that fit is everything. If your clothing fits you how it’s supposed to, it makes all the difference. You can take an outfit from a “fast fashion” store like Zara, alter it to your body, and it can look like an expensive designer piece.
We love surprises, fun facts, and incredible stories. Can you share something that might surprise us?
You might be surprised to know that Glenda worked as a legal secretary for 13 years before pursuing a career in costume design! A fun fact about Reneé is that she had the honor to costume television and comedy legend Carol Burnett.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.westyleatx.com
- Instagram: @westyleatx
- Facebook:facebook.com/westyleatx
Image Credits
Production photos (wedding and runway model) by JPI Gallery. Photos by Gilles Toucas
