Ashley Clark, formerly Miss Cape Cod, was recently crowned Miss New Bedford and we caught up with her.

We met Ashley Clark earlier this year at a Driven Women's event, then again at Signed Management's Fashion Week of Cape Cod fashion show at The Barley Neck in Orleans. We caught up with the stunning beauty queen. Check out our conversation below. 

As a little girl I was naturally drawn to unique clothes and shoes, I was extremely particular about the outfits my family put together for me and always had an eye for details. When I was around 8 years old, I began watching shows like America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway. I even asked my nana if I could reach out to Tyra Banks to see if she would start a junior version of ANTM. In high school I went to a vocational school that offered Fashion Design as a trade, once I started sewing, I never wanted to stop.

Being mixed race, it took me a long time to accept and love the way that I look. When I started modeling, I was in my early teens and still straightened my hair on a weekly basis. Over time I have grown to love my natural hair and protective styles such as box braids. I think this has motivated me to continue modeling and embracing myself, to show other girls like me that being true to yourself is the most beautiful way to be.

I think that one of the biggest challenges I have faced in the fashion industry is rejection and learning to be okay with it. In school for fashion, we often critiqued each other’s work. Learning to not take all things to heart while still being able to understand, change and adapt but not stray away from my personal ideas for my artwork has been a challenge. I know that this challenge has helped me in a lot of ways. It taught me that not everyone is going to have the same perspective and view as you do. Everyone has a different taste, and you can’t take it to heart when someone doesn’t choose you to model for them or understand your work.

Being crowned Miss New Bedford at the beginning of October was actually such an unreal feeling. To this day I still have to pinch myself when I put on my crown and sash to go to an appearance. Knowing that I was given the opportunity to represent the city I am from for an entire year, with such a special platform, is truly humbling and special. New Bedford is such a diverse city with around 41% of residents identifying as a race other than white, so being able to represent so many young girls and boys who look like me throughout my community is amazing. I believe representation is so important and my goal has always been to promote diversity throughout the Miss America Opportunity. 

I have always liked to think of my personal style as classy and sleek. Overtime I have really began to enjoy 70’s silhouettes and colors, also leaning towards clothing items in my own closet and my designs that are sustainable. 

Wearing bright colors that compliment my skin today rather than take away from it are really important to me. I think a key part of my cultural heritage that I use to play into my style, is how I style my hair. Whether it's a fro, cornrows, or box braids. I find it important to wear my hair in these natural styles to bring awareness to the fact that these hair styles are professional, although they have been deemed unprofessional in the past.

I have always leaned more towards local and small businesses over fast fashion and big-name brands. I was truly inspired by a lot of the Cape Cod brands I got to work with while emceeing for Cape Cod Fashion Week. Zavia Walker gave me such confidence, as I was styled by her in her work for this event. A lot of the designers brought such uniqueness to the runway whether it be from thrifted, vintage clothes or high-fashion and chic artwork-based designs, everyone had a great look and feel to their work. After working with them, I left feeling very inspired.

A trend I feel especially connected to if the comeback of flared pants. I was personally ready to see skinny jeans in the rearview and being on the thinner side I feel as though 70’s style flares compliment my body more than most pant shapes. I also love all 70’s Esque fashion, so that’s definitely a contributing factor to my love for this trend.

I think diversity in the modeling industry is extremely important. Within this industry there is a lot of ageism, size discrimination, and a lack of cultural diversity. I think that it’s important when designing I am being inclusive and making sure my models feel comfortable in what they are doing and wearing. Understanding that fashion and modeling is for everyone is important, there will always be a need for difference within this industry and I believe brands should lean into this rather than pull away from it.

Within the industry, someone I have looked up to from a very young age is Zendaya. She has always been a voice for people in the industry and is a great role model for any and every one to look up to. She is filled with elegance and grace no matter what outfit or designer she is wearing for any and every event or modeling job. I like to take inspiration from Zendaya’s hairstyles and poses when it comes to her modeling approach.

One of the points of the crown as a titleholder in the Miss America Opportunity stands for ‘style’. This point resonates with me a lot, as most of my career has been revolved around style. When showing up to appearances or doing work with other titleholders I make sure to dress my best because I believe your style is a reflection of you. I enjoy using my platform to chat with other young people, and even older adults, about their aspirations. When I tell people that I have a BFA in Fashion Design, I’ve often received questions about how to get involved in either the fashion or modeling industry. I always offer up suggestions, agencies to contact, and some resources I have used to get where I am. I think it’s fun to encourage others to get involved in these industries. But I am always honest about how these are not easy industries and the challenges I have and am facing within them.

The advice I would give to young people looking to pursue a career in modeling is to just do it. If they come from an underrepresented background, I would let them know that it may be harder for them to create that path for themselves, but in the end it would be so worth it as long as they always stay true to themselves and never fall into standards that do not serve them.

I am actively working on creating a completely sustainably based clothing line. This line will be focused on the yoga community and people who are looking for clothing meant for movement that do not contribute to waste and bad practices. I hope to do some collaborations with local designers and have my brand featured in community-based fashion shows. Eventually, I would love the opportunity to showcase some of my work in New York Fashion week, which has always been a long-term goal of mine.

Beauty and style are such broad concepts and mean something different to everyone. I have always been taught that beauty comes from within, personally, I believe that if you are a kind human your beauty radiates from within you and kindness is not something you can fake. I believe that style is an outward reflection of you. How you showcase yourself on the outside can say a lot about you as a person. It is so fun to play with your style or match your style to your mood or feelings, as it will give others a glimpse on who you are and how you’re doing. Over time, I have learned that I should just wear what makes me happy and what I think is cool. Not everyone will always like the same things as you and that's okay, if you like it and feel confident in it then there’s no reason you shouldn’t rock it proudly!