From Farm Girl to Fashion: The Rise of Holly Stocks

Model, mother, entrepreneur. Holly Stocks rarely has time to slow down and take stock, but when she does, it usually involves heading out into the great outdoors.

Hook & Barrel interviewed Holly to learn more about who she is and where she came from.

Summary

A rural Florida farm childhood sparked her deep love for the outdoors, horses, and fishing.
A viral hammock photo during the pandemic jump-started her modeling career after she relocated to Nashville.
She handles her own styling and cosmetics to add custom, high-fashion flair to traditional Western wear.
She operates a successful photography business, which she launched shortly after her nine-year-old son was born.
She is partnering with American Bonfire Co. and plans to launch her own signature line of custom cowboy hats.

Meet Holly Stocks

Hook & Barrel: Tell us about your childhood and where you are from.

Holly Stocks: I was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, but I’ve moved all over. In middle school, I moved to Palm Desert, California, but I only lived there for about a year.

Then I moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where I graduated high school and made some great friends. From there, we moved to Alabama to be close to my great grandmother. It wasn’t supposed to be permanent, but I was in a relationship and had my son. I ended up staying.

In Florida, I grew up on a farm. My mom had a horse, and she raised ducks. I was never indoors. We had a barn and a creek.

I would use my imagination and make my own fishing poles and try to catch crawfish. My cousins moved in next door, and there were three boys, so they had go-carts and dirt bikes we would ride.

I grew up fishing too; my dad took me. I’m not one of those girls who’s scared to bait my hook—I love fishing! Even today, I would much rather be outside than inside watching Netflix.

H&B: What do you do now?

I was living in Alabama, and I just saw myself taking a different path and doing more. I wanted to be somewhere where there were more creatives, more entrepreneurs, and people chasing their dreams.

I’ve been a photographer for nine years; I started when my son was three months old. I didn’t know it would take off, but it did, and I love my clients! So I moved to Franklin, Tennessee, outside of Nashville two years ago.

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After I moved to Nashville, I felt like I could be myself, but then the pandemic hit. During the pandemic, I took a picture of myself lying on a hammock and posted it. That picture got a ton of likes and followers.

People started encouraging me to model. I have a best friend who inspired me to follow my dreams, so we’ve been doing shoots about once a month since the pandemic started. She’s a cowgirl and grew up that way, so she has really pushed me to keep going.

I do my own styling—my own makeup and hair. I’m not a plain Jane girl; that’s not who I am.

When I was little, my parents called me the bag lady because I would put on every hat, every necklace, grab all the purses, and play dress-up. I’ve always liked accessories and always wanted to dress myself and do my own thing.

I like Western fashion, and I like to add a little flair to the Western wear. It may not be for everybody, and that’s ok. Everyone has their own style, but this is just who I am.

H&B: I’ve seen pictures of you on horseback. Do you ride?

I do ride horses, it’s so relaxing. I hope to have my own horse one day in Nashville.

H&B: You have a son—what kind of mom are you?

My son is nine years old. I’m a single mom, and he’s my top priority. I try to work around his schedule. When he’s out of school, I focus on him. I want to give him the best childhood possible. I try to balance things the right way.

You’re in fantastic shape. What is your fitness regimen?

I have always been small, petite, and I drink mainly water. I don’t eat past a certain time; I’m not a big snacker. I'm into intermittent fasting, and I recently started on free weights, so we’ll see how this goes.

H&B: What are your Western wear go-to's?

I only wear American Bonfire Co. sunglasses. It’s my friend’s business, but even before we were friends, they were all I wore. And I’m working with Dan Post Boots.

H&B: What are your future goals and plans?

I’m going to be making a line of cowboy hats with my signature inside the band. I’m coming up with the design, so I’m excited about that.

I really love fashion and have dabbled with the idea of doing my own line. Adding my own touch to an outfit is a lot of fun. I want to work on growing my brand, and I say go big or go home!

H&B: How does Instagram fit into your life?

I don’t really share much personal stuff at all. I choose to keep my personal life private, and the business side is business. It’s me and my personality, but I like to keep my personal life personal.