Recently named one of Instagram’s Creators of Tomorrow, O'Neil is redefining what it means to disrupt fashion and culture. Blurring the lines between comedy, couture, and commentary, their work transforms humour into a form of resistance and style into a language of identity. Whether collaborating on custom looks for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour, commanding red carpets with boundary-pushing ensembles, or using sketches to balance laughter with reflections on mental health, O'Neil brings both vision and vulnerability to everything they create. Multifaceted by design, they resist easy labels-storyteller, entertainer, cultural critic-choosing instead to embody all three at once.

You’ve been described as a fashion disruptor- how do you personally define disruption in fashion, and what role does humour play in that?

Wow! One second, adding “Fashion Disruptor” to my résumé after this! [laughs]. Thank you! I easily define disruption in fashion by viewing the mould society has placed you in and boldly going against it. When I was younger, I definitely played it very safe with my Fashion choices and almost all of those times, I was never really “comfortable”. I felt like I looked like everyone else and had to overperform to be “seen”. Now my outfits do the talking for me.

Humour plays such a pivotal role in disrupting fashion. Depending on what you wear can be a conversation starter and sometimes even a good chuckle. Luckily, anyone can use humour in Fashion! It can be something as simple as a graphic tee that says “World Best T-Shirt” in the most plain font, or something bigger and riskier like Halloween, which is practically the Met Gala for Humorous Fashion. If you want to see humour playing a role in fashion, go to any NYC Gift shop in Manhattan, and I’m sure you’ll get a good laugh, haha.

Some of my favourite costumes I wore were Bigfoot, Patrick Star, and Madea. No, seriously, in college, I decided to dress up as Madea and went all out for it. Bought a wig and spray-painted it grey, bought pearls, and a beautifully loud Purple outfit and skirt and got tons of laughs from it. I even won a Costume Party contest because of it!

Your sketches often balance comedy with more profound commentary on identity and mental health. How do you decide when to lean into the laughs versus when to drive home a bigger message?

For me, I like to create the content that drives the most truth in how I’m feeling while also being mindful of the social climate we’re in today. Comedy is a driving force of pure joy and happiness for me–it’s vital that I spread that to anyone who sees it. A lot of the time, Comedy has been my escapism while going through tough mental health challenges. They calm me.

With my sketches, I’m able to lean into the laughs by the jokes that I write, knowing that my audience will love it tenfold. I can also write in scenes or characters who represent something or someone that may be battling a very real challenge in life, and remain light-hearted and funny to help bring awareness, visibility, and empathy to people who may be struggling with the same thing. 

And of course, on the days when I may not feel like being funny or laughing as much as I’d like, I love to prop my phone up, hit record, and let my audience know that I’m having a rough day today and that’s completely fine. Allow your emotions to run through because it’s your humanity speaking to you. I always tell my fans never to deny their humanity.

Being named one of Instagram’s 2024 Creators of Tomorrow is a huge milestone. How has that recognition shaped your vision for the kind of content you want to create next?

It was SUCH an honour receiving that recognition from Instagram! Honestly, it threw my Imposter Syndrome right out of my head, haha! It reminded me that what I’m doing is right and to consistently bring my A-game every time I create, film, edit, and post a video. It also challenges me to think outside of the creative box and see what other lengths I can reach. Because, as an innovator, our biggest enemy is being too comfortable.

You collaborated with stylist Mickey Freeman to create a couture look for Beyoncé’s "Cowboy Carter" Tour. Can you walk us through that creative process and what it meant to see your work on that stage?

Of course! I met Mickey at a Fashion show during New York Fashion Week in February, and the minute he walked in, I was blown away by his outfit! I knew from the minute I saw him that he knew exactly who he was, and his outfit told that story. I complimented his look, and shortly after, we connected on Instagram.

I had my Cowboy Carter idea in mind for months, but not the exact outfit. THAT was my biggest obstacle. Once I brought up the idea to Mickey, he was instantly ready and excited to bring this collaborative process to life. He sent me one rough sketch of an outfit, and my jaw hit the floor. Without giving him any direction on what I wanted, he designed the most incredible cow print custom couture outfit I’ve ever seen. From that moment, I knew we were a good team.

Both of the two custom couture looks Mickey sketched and Jovana Louis designed were also featured on Beyoncé’s website, Beyonce.com (photographed by Julian Dakdouk), which was a peak fashion moment for me this year. Beyoncé seeing and loving my outfits means the project was a success, haha.

Many people know you for your bold red carpet looks. What’s your philosophy when it comes to using fashion as both personal expression and cultural commentary?

My philosophy is to also show up as the best version of yourself while paying respect to the event you’re attending. For the longest time, I’ve seen so many red carpet looks of men showing up to blockbuster premieres in a black suit and tie. And don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that… but we couldn’t add a broach somewhere? Haha!

I’m all for comfort on red carpets as they can be pretty hectic and anxiety-inducing, but for me personally, I would have LOVED to see some men have fun with fashion and make a bold choice on red carpets. That’s where I decided to go against the norm and do it myself. 

One of my favourite red carpet looks this year, for both personal expression and cultural commentary, was my Met Gala look. The theme was Black Dandyism, and it was right up my alley, stylistically. I got to work with my stylist, Mickey Freeman, on this project, and he pulled this beautiful suit from an African designer brand, Ofuure, which was a sharp black suit covered head to toe in sequins. The shoulders were sharp, and the waist hugged me just right. The silhouette alone made me feel the most dandy, and my audience and I loved it!

Your content often pushes conversations forward while still being entertaining. What topics do you feel most compelled to explore in the next chapter of your work?

I’ve always had a love for deep conversation and discovering the ‘why’ in everything we do. I notice there’s a large number of people who have dreams and aspirations, but immediately shoot them down without even trying. I’m really compelled to explore a way to motivate and inspire people to pursue what they want in life, truly, and to reignite that passion they extinguished too early due to fear of being perceived. I really do believe that we were all put on this planet for a purpose, and working towards that has always been the most rewarding feeling ever.

In an era where digital culture is constantly evolving, how do you stay authentic while also innovating in ways that keep people engaged?

What a fantastic question. For me, to remain as authentic as possible is to drown out the noise ironically. I say this ironically because this digital age that we’re in can easily be quite noisy, depending on how you consume the mass media. If I scroll for a few hours too long, I definitely lose sight and sense of myself and my individuality, so it’s essential for me to remember my ‘why’ and to ignore any chance of losing myself in the algorithm.

As for keeping people engaged, I constantly strive to take risks with the content that I make, and my audience notices immediately. They love the effort I put into expanding my horizons because it gives them something new and fresh to look forward to. We’re in the age of our attention spans being cut much shorter, so I do my best to keep my audience as engaged and entertained as quickly and as long as possible!

Your work blurs the lines between comedy, fashion, and cultural critique. Do you see yourself more as an entertainer, a storyteller, or a cultural commentator - or all three at once?

As the indecisive Libra that I am, I definitely see myself as all three. For the longest time, I’ve always felt terrified of putting myself in 1 category because it conditions me to only think and excel at one thing. I’m a firm believer that we, not only creatives, but human beings in general, are multifaceted in who we are, and I love that! 

I have a love for storytelling, entertaining, and engaging in cultural discussion because if you really think about it, they’re all connected in one way or another with a common ground… building community.

Looking ahead, what’s one boundary you haven’t yet broken—whether in fashion, acting, or digital media—that you’re eager to disrupt next?

I’ve been really eager to start creating music! I’ve always had a love for singing and songwriting, but overthinking has led me to keep that talent to myself, haha! Lately, I’ve been able to incorporate musical episodes into my series, and thousands of people have been widely receptive to my singing voice, as it is a distinctly different sound. I’m excited to break down another boundary and see how I can incorporate my love for music into my passion for acting, fashion, and digital media!