A native Angeleno with a penchant for unearthing people’s life stories, Ivy first realized the power of clothing as identity early on in life. Her favorite musicians in kindergarten being Adam Ant and Boy George most likely contributed to this understanding, although it wasn’t until her preteen years that Ivy started experimenting personally with different looks and how people perceived her. This led to a life-long fascination with the story behind identity, which is why she graduated from University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in History and a Minor in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Design.

Upon graduating, Ivy landed in the fashion industry, first as a Line Builder for both Young Women and Men’s Shoes, and then as a Buyer for Young Women’s Clothing and Accessories. Yet she felt unfulfilled, leaving the fashion industry to pursue an MFA in Theatre and Film Design at University of California at San Diego (UCSD). A recipient of the UCSD Center for Humanities Special Project Grant, Ivy utilized the grant to produce and direct her year-long research project A Stinking Weird as a participant in the Joint Stanford-UCSD PhD Conference on the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Trained and molded by Tony Award winner Judith Dolan at both UC Berkeley and at UCSD, after graduation Ivy has primarily designed for theatre, film, dance, and opera companies dedicated to equality, culture, and representation.