After a whirlwind year of popular projects like I Love LA and Marty Supreme, viral red-carpet looks, winning the Cannes Film Festival “Female Revelation of the Year” award, and bring featured in music videos for the Rolling Stones and Madonna, actress Odessa A’zion is the moment. And while we may have to wait to enjoy her upcoming film Fonda, we can celebrate her artistry right now, because she just launched a campaign with Crocs, the shoe brand we unapologetically love. And she spoke to Refinery29 about it.
Tied to Crocs’ Wonderfully Unordinary campaign, which “celebrates a new generation of rule-breakers and risk-takers,” according to the brand, it only made sense that Crocs collaborated with style rule-breaker A’zion. “No one does individuality quite like Odessa — her style is cool, quirky, and completely her own, making her a natural fit for Crocs’ next chapter in self-expression,” Crocs said. (And if you’re wondering what makes her so wonderfully unordinary, we agreed that we’re both extroverted introverts with lots of contradictions.)
“I feel great about [the partnership]. I’ve loved them forever. I’ve had Crocs since I was a kid. And I still have my Crocs from elementary school,” A’Zion tells Refinery29. “I was so excited when I found out about this. Little me inside was excited.”
This partnership comes after many It girls like Paris Hilton, Saweetie, and Lola Tung have starred in recent Crocs campaigns. Now A’zion is the face, specifically for the brand’s Crafted Vegan Suede Stitch Clog. A reinterpretation of the popular Classic Crafted Clog, this iteration features a plush faux suede upper, detailed stitching, and a heel pillow for extra comfort. Truly, clogs are so back.
“I think Crocs work with everything, especially this clog because it’s smooth and really pretty too. It’s just an easy shoe. I’ve got an inside pair and an outside pair,” A’zion shares.
A’zion loves Crocs and puts an emphasis on being comfortable in every scenario, so it’s fitting that she actually styled herself for the campaign. The actress is best known, though, for styling herself for red-carpet appearances.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot along the way where I’ve found out stylists’ secrets and warehouses they go to to rent or to get a good word in from a different stylist,” A’zion shares, adding: “So, I get why styling is a full job. It’s a lot of work, even to do it just for myself. I have a lot of respect for stylists.” (She also revealed that she’d like to have a clothing line one day that uses recycled fabrics.)
The actress has even credited her fictional character Tallulah Steele from I Love LA as her styling alter ego, like for her Met Gala debut.
“I definitely think whenever I’m wearing something a little more scandalous, I’m just trying to channel Tallulah Steele because I never thought in my life I would ever wear anything like that, even a year ago,” A’zion explains. “And then I’m shooting I Love LA and all of a sudden I’m super out of my comfort zone. On carpets, I try to calm my nerves by saying: ‘Okay, this is not Odessa. This is just whoever Tallulah is.’”
Speaking on the character’s chaotically iconic personality and style, she gave a sneak peek for the style evolution in the upcoming second season. “We just did the first fitting, and I’ve learned a lot about archival pieces and designers in the last year. There’s definitely some of that in it. And I think that her style has definitely evolved, which makes me wonder if in the show she has a stylist or not. But I’m excited to see what happens,” she says.
And while she couldn’t reveal much about her character’s style in psychological thriller Fonda, which she just finished shooting, A’zion says: “Once you’re in the wardrobe, the character just comes more to life. When I’m playing Tallulah and I’m wearing little shorts and dresses and skirts, I feel more like that girl. And when I’m playing someone who I played in Fonda, it’s just a completely different style and it brings out a completely different person.”
Even more intriguing, when asked which of her characters from Marty Supreme, I Love LA, or Fonda she thinks would be most likely to wear Crocs, she quickly declared: “Fonda for sure.” And that the classic clogs would be her pick.
We agreed that while Crocs didn’t exist during Marty Supreme’s time period, with her character Rachel’s pet shop job and pregnancy, she could have worn them. “She’s got a lot to carry emotionally and physically. I think she would love Crocs if they existed back then.”
“Tallulah, I think, would love the high heel Crocs and maybe Crocs flip flops,” she also explains, agreeing that she’d have the coolest Jibbitz.
Shop the Crocs x Odessa A’zion collaboration now.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Hilary Duff On Fragrance, Nostalgia, & More
