Talking L.A. Nightlife, Bespoke Fashion And Coachella With Dawn Ngo

Dawn Ngo is a Canadian creative powerhouse who is currently taking L.A. and Instagram by storm with her stunning looks, phenomenal aesthetic and new clothing line, AVILA. We got a chance to ask Dawn a few questions about the most important things in life: Instagram, fashion and Coachella, so that us average humans could learn a thing or two about what life is like as one of Instagram’s new generation of young celebs. Here’s what Dawn had to say.

Last year, you moved from Toronto to L.A. by yourself to study; that’s a pretty big change in more ways than one. What helped you successfully adjust to a completely different lifestyle in a completely different part of the world than you were used to? 

I think a lot of people think that when you move another city, your entire world flips upside down and everything completely changes, but I never really felt that it was like that. At the end of the day, LA is just another city… the only real difference is that the weather is so much better! I think just finding good friends to spend time with and rolling with the flow is the key to settling in, instead of trying too hard to change in order to fit in or to make things the same as they were in Toronto. It kind of just happened over time.

Right now, you have over 42,000 followers on Instagram, all watching, supporting and judging everything you post online. How do you feel this large and devoted following has affected the way you view yourself? How do you think your social media fame has impacted your confidence? 

I don’t consider it ‘fame’ at all! I don’t really think it’s affected me much. I’ve always been comfortable with myself and who I am. I acquired a large social media following when I was pretty young; I think I had 10,000 followers when I was a freshman in high school; and that’s when Instagram became popular, so I don’t really remember much before having a larger than average following. I’ve never let a mean comment affect me or anything like that, and all of my followers are really supportive of me, so it hasn’t done anything but help my confidence if anything. It’s just important to keep your head above the water and not to take social media too seriously.

You’re a pretty motivated lady: in between balancing school and social media fame, you’ve also started your own fashion label, AVILA. What do you do for fun when you find spare time in between the responsibilities of your hectic day-to-day life?

I love partying! Nightlife in L.A. is so crazy, but it’s so fun at the same time! I’m glad I can experience it now, when I’m young. It’s so different from partying in Toronto: the parties in general are just so much more fun, even the day parties. Plus, I have really good friends, so just spending time with them, getting brunch and shopping keeps me sane. I honestly just really love having good company with me, so even if I’m not doing something super exciting with my friends, we can have the best time cooking pasta and watching movies in my apartment.

AVILA offers a carefully curated range of clothing and jewelry, as well as a bespoke atelier collection. What made you decide to offer an atelier collection in addition to AVILA’s standard clothing and jewelry line? 

Fashion obviously can be something that’s very personal for someone, and I feel like nowadays fast fashion has really changed the industry and made it so much easier and appealing for consumers [like us] to buy a cheap piece of clothing that ten other people we know probably own, wear a couple times and then throw away. This is not what I think fashion should be about. I feel that people have forgotten the luxury of having a bespoke item that’s made by hand from start to finish with immaculate attention to detail and made just for you. I think it’s something that everyone should experience: it’s so special, and it has so much more value than a ten dollar shirt made in a sweatshop. I want to be able to offer that experience at AVILA, which is why I’ve introduced AVILA Atelier to the brand in addition to the ready to wear. Every atelier piece that’s designed and created remains confidential between AVILA and the customer, unless the client requests otherwise. It’s a different, very special kind of luxury that has honestly become a lost art. I really think it’s something that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. 

Finally, here’s a question we've been dying to ask: how did you decide what to wear to Coachella this year? You were clearly serving looks left right and centre! 

Honestly, I got so much stuff that I didn’t end up wearing because I’m so indecisive. The day we left to go to Palm Springs, I literally took a bunch of clothes that I felt had the Coachella vibe, threw it in a suitcase along with a shit ton of glitter and got in my uber. When we got there, I just kept trying on different outfits until one felt right: I’m a very instinctual person, so whenever something feels right, I just go with it. I spent days hand sewing a dress for Coachella that I didn’t even end up wearing because I just didn’t think it felt perfect. I was definitely super stressed out, so thankfully everything worked out perfectly and I had the most magical Coachella experience ever! I don’t think I’ve ever been any happier than I was at Coachella. Reading about how amazing Coachella is is one thing, but experiencing it is something so different I can’t even put it into words. The experience is something else and if you haven’t been before, I definitely recommend it. 

Follow Dawn on Instagram @dawnngo