Love Island's Olandria Carthen Gets Ready for Off-White at NYFW

Vanity Fair

Watch 'Love Island' star Olandria Carthen prepare for her first time at New York Fashion Week, for the Off-White Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear show. Get an inside look at the process behind Olandria's look, what she eats before a show, how she met her glam team and more.  Special Thanks to The Times Square EDITION  Director: Madison Coffey Director of Photography: Shirley Chan Editor: Lika Kumoi Talent: Olandria Carthen Producer: Madison Coffey Line Producer: Natasha Soto-Albors Production Manager: Andressa Pelachi Associaye Production Manager: Elizabeth Hymes Talent Booker: Jenna Caldwell Audio Engineer: Rebecca O'Neill Production Assistant: Karla Torres Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araujo Assistant Editor: Billy Ward Special Thanks: Edition Hotel

Transcript

00:00Heels hurt so bad.

00:01I might even use some lidocaine on my feet to try to help with the pain.

00:04I know I'm too young for that, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

00:15Hi, Vanity Fair. I'm Alandria Carthen. Come and get ready with me for New York Fashion Week.

00:19Come on.

00:20As you can see, I'm already kind of dolled up.

00:22I just came back from a show, but we are about to transition into a new look.

00:26Honestly, this whole week has been glam, hair, glam, hair event.

00:31So this is my new life. I love it.

00:33Very first Fashion Week, honestly, I've been having a blast.

00:37It's so weird walking into these rooms and all these people know my name.

00:40Wanting to take pictures.

00:41The fashion industry is just welcoming me with open arms,

00:44and it's a beautiful thing to be a part of.

00:45So Fashion Week, 10 out of 10 so far.

00:48So I've always had a love for fashion and modeling and beauty and makeup.

00:52Honestly, that's the most buzz around my name at this point.

00:55So that's something I truly want to prioritize.

00:56I don't know, as far as going to shows and networking and meeting with designers

01:00and supporting upcoming Black designers is something I'm truly passionate about.

01:05So I just wanted to start there and work my way up to the big leagues for sure.

01:09So I'm getting ready for the Off-White show.

01:11Off-White actually offered to allow me to wear their collection,

01:14which I'm so grateful for.

01:15So we went and picked out a nice fit.

01:18I think y'all are going to love it.

01:20It's so funny because my fan base have already been making picks of what they want me to be in.

01:26And it's crazy because one of the fits that they've been gagging over is the fit that I'm wearing.

01:31They're too good.

01:32I don't know how that happened, but they're going to be so gagged when they see it.

01:35So yeah, shout out to them.

01:37They know me so well.

01:38I've always been such a huge fan of Off-White prior to all of this,

01:42although I wasn't able to necessarily afford it at the time.

01:44But I was like, I'm wearing it now.

01:46So that's insane.

01:47And actually being able to be front row at an Off-White show is something I never really imagined for myself.

01:53So honestly, I'm just living in the moment, taking it all in.

01:56It's like I'm dreaming, literally.

01:58When it comes to food, honestly, I am the most unhealthiest person ever.

02:03I ordered a whole burger with french fries and a Sprite.

02:05But thank goodness I have a fast metabolism because you can never see it.

02:08So this is the Dream Team, as we all know.

02:15Matthew and Reginald, they're well known now.

02:18They've been known before me, but like the fan base absolutely love them.

02:21Ah, we love the fan base.

02:23Dream Team.

02:23Yeah, I wish she had made us popular.

02:25Oh no, they've been popular way before me.

02:28I watched the show like many of America and I commented under her picture and I said,

02:33check your DM and her fans took it from there and made it go viral on TikTok.

02:37And she saw it and we connected.

02:41Now we're here for Fashion Week and we're excited.

02:43We're just like a little family and it's so warming and it's easy.

02:48Yeah, it's not.

02:49It doesn't feel like work.

02:50We just play dress up.

02:52Yeah, literally.

02:53I'm like the little Barbie doll.

02:55With our Bama Barbie.

02:57What we're looking for with this show and partnering with Off-White specifically,

03:02last spring collection really spoke to us and we kind of envisioned like hoping those pieces

03:06would be available and they were.

03:08We tried on a bunch.

03:08Without words, like you're going to know it's it.

03:10Like as soon as, and that's from Alangia's mannerisms, her face, her energy.

03:14Like as soon as we put this outfit on, there wasn't a conversation.

03:18We can tell.

03:20It's like, oh, it's this one.

03:21She has such a range.

03:22Like we can go edgy and soft and romantic and just like be all over the place with it.

03:28They've been in the fashion industry for quite some time.

03:30So it's like, you know what?

03:32If you think this is the way I should go, you know what I mean?

03:34Like, let's do it.

03:34Like, why not?

03:35And honestly, they have not steered me wrong so far.

03:39Yeah, I trust them with my absolute life.

03:42Here lately with my looks, my fan base has really been comparing me to Fran Fine,

03:47like the nanny.

03:48Absolutely loved her outfits growing up.

03:51To be compared to that fashion icon, I'm like, oh my gosh, like I see it.

03:55You know, 90s supermodel, definitely for sure.

03:58Naomi, that's my girl.

04:00Loved her growing up.

04:02Seeing like a dark skinned, beautiful black woman.

04:04I always could see myself in her.

04:05Like, oh, I wish I was that beautiful.

04:07It's like now, it's like I'm just morphing.

04:09Well, I would hope to say I'm morphing into my inner Naomi.

04:12Like, I always try to channel her.

04:14It's so funny because even as a kid, I've always had great posture.

04:17I would never forget.

04:17I was in a fourth grade.

04:19Substitute teacher literally called in another teacher to the classroom.

04:21Like, look at this kid.

04:22Like, what is going on?

04:24Like, how is she sitting up straight?

04:25And I was like, what is it?

04:26And I'm sure they were just staring at me.

04:28I was like, well, how is your posture so good?

04:29I'm like, it hurts my back to bend.

04:31Like, all the other students would be like bending down and doing homework.

04:34I'm just sitting up straight, like doing my little work like that.

04:37It's just something I've always done.

04:38People always ask like, did you do dance?

04:40Did you do this?

04:40I'm like, no.

04:41I just always sat up straight.

04:43Always keeping that core engaged.

04:44Maybe that's why my stomach is flat.

04:46Maybe that's why my stomach is flat.

04:51My hair grew 30 inches.

04:53At first, I had like a light, like angelic look with the white shadow with the glitter.

05:00But now we're all big and bold.

05:02So we have like a smoky eye, as you can see.

05:07Total switch up.

05:08Because the outfit that I'm wearing for off-white is more on the black side.

05:12Black, stark, chic.

05:14Had to have the lids matched to outfit.

05:16A lot of people use me as like their role model in today's age,

05:18I guess with knowing me in the media.

05:21Just someone that just had big dreams.

05:23Small town, small town girl with big dreams and just followed her dreams.

05:26Always believed in herself.

05:28I truly felt like growing up with me having parents that had me in the 10th grade.

05:32Obviously, I was a mistake.

05:35There's no question about that.

05:36I was not playing at all.

05:38But I always like told myself, I want to be like the best mistake my parents ever made.

05:41So I think that really pushed me to be the best person I can actually be.

05:45And especially knowing that siblings are looking up to me and things like that.

05:48I could say like it was points in my life where I felt like I had more reasons to give up

05:52than to keep going.

05:53But in those moments in time, I just kept reminding myself like,

05:56you know what, you know where you come from.

05:57Try to be better than that.

05:58I think that just keeps me going for the most part.

06:04This is my girl, Cy.

06:05She's been on the hair all week.

06:07She's based in Brooklyn.

06:08Tonight, we are going with a jet black bust down.

06:12Her fans are going to be so happy because they have been begging me for this.

06:16So we're doing a black bust down middle part, jet black straight, super classy.

06:23Clean cut.

06:23This is my makeup artist, Kenya.

06:26Kenya.

06:26Hi guys.

06:27I was obviously a fan of the show.

06:29And me and Matthew and Reggie actually had like a watch party at my house.

06:35And we were talking about the girls that we wanted to work with.

06:37And obviously it was Alandria.

06:39Aww.

06:40And we were just like literally brainstorming how we were going to manifest this to happen.

06:45And we both got in the DMs.

06:47And then she did the interview with Kiki Palmer.

06:50And she mentioned me during the interview.

06:52And then I was texting her.

06:53And then it just worked out perfectly.

06:56I feel like she's known for her under eye.

06:58So definitely want to keep the bright under eye.

07:00She's known for her blush and her lip liner, her lip combo.

07:05And so I want to embrace all of those things that she likes to do.

07:09But then just make it, you know, my style.

07:11And kind of make it, you know, a collab of what we both like.

07:14I use two different shades for concealer.

07:17I use one that's kind of like closer to my skin tone.

07:19I also use one that's like kind of a few shades lighter to kind of like giving that bright under eye.

07:24I really love UK glam and the UK girl is always with a bright under eye.

07:28So that's kind of where that inspiration came from.

07:30And besides that, powders, translucent powders.

07:34Powders that's just like a few shades brighter than me to try to like bring that out.

07:38I really feel like the bright under eye kind of makes my cheekbones stand out.

07:41It's probably one of my best features on my face.

07:50Oh, this door is so heavy.

07:52What the ?

07:54Okay, what do I say?

07:56Getting ready to change this for my outfit.

07:58Stay tuned.

08:08I love this outfit.

08:09Honestly, I feel so confident.

08:11The deep cut is definitely my favorite part.

08:13It's so young, sexy.

08:15It speaks to me.

08:22All right, it's time for me to leave.

08:23I'll see you on the carpet.

08:24I'm clear.

08:25I'll be closing your .

08:27Shut up.

08:28Come on, y'all.

08:28Let's go.

08:29See you on the carpet.

08:33Thank you, Vanity Fair, for getting ready with me.

08:34I had the best time.

08:36See you later.

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