From TV to Tractor Supply Co., local alumna stays in style

Fashion design graduate Joellie Anderson loves to help people find their style, whether in film or on the farm.

From The Chosen to the farm, Joellie Anderson (BFA ’24) is always in style.

The 2024 fashion design graduate not only helped make the hit show The Chosen come to life as part of the costume shop in 2023, but upon graduation she shifted gears to become a designer at Tractor Supply Co. (TSC), working on the company’s Blue Mountain, Field and Stream and Ridgecut clothing lines.

Anderson grew up in Wylie, Texas, and wasn’t exactly a country girl, but she has embraced the workwear and everyday casual aesthetic of TSC, a Brentwood-based company that caters to farmers, ranchers, pet owners and landowners.

Her studies at Lipscomb not only provided her with the perfect combo of fashion design and fashion merchandising skills to work at a corporate retailer, she said, but it also helped her land a summer internship on The Chosen, where she learned more about working with films, still a sideline of hers today.

“I could not do what I am doing now without all my teachers who emphasized knowing your customer and designing for your customer,” said Anderson.

In high school, Anderson knew that she wanted to go into a creative field. She discovered Lipscomb by Googling Christian universities with fashion design degrees. Her major in fashion design taught the girl who didn’t sew much before entering college how to construct a garment, how to drape fabric and how to design to fulfill a certain purpose.

While at Lipscomb, Anderson became a go-to resource for the university’s film department when students needed to create a wardrobe for their films on a budget. On one such project, the film crew told her about an email they had received about a summer internship opportunity for The Chosen, a highly popular historical drama based on the life of Jesus.

She jumped at the opportunity and was selected to spend two months on the film sites in Texas, working in the costume department. As most of the previous costume shop interns had come from a film background, the crew was ecstatic to have someone who could sew and they took full advantage of her skills, said Anderson.

While she made a few full costumes, mostly she made repairs and added details to costumes needed for historical authenticity, a hallmark of the show. She attached many tzitzit, the ritual fringes or tassels attached to the four corners of a Judaic prayer shawl, she said.

“I had to patch so many of those,” Anderson said. “They attach them in the traditional way because it has to look like it was made during the time. It can’t look pristine, but it also can’t fall apart.

“I got to see how they make sure everything looks consistent between shots. There is a lot that goes into it that many people don’t realize,” she said. 

“The real unsung heroes of a film are the costumers who help the filmmaker bring their story to life. In The Chosen, it often came down to the littlest detail, like a broach could show wealth and abundance. They really know their history and they research everything.”

“One of my favorite things about fashion is that it is able to tell a story, and that is really true in film,” said Anderson. “The costumers of the film get to interpret a character, and what they wear will help move along the plot or what people think of her when they first see her.”

Upon graduating, a tip from Assistant Professor and Department Chair Charlotte Poling scored Anderson a temporary part-time position at TSC in the private label product development department. Anderson parlayed that into a full-time position as a design associate and then in the summer of 2025 she was promoted to designer.

At TSC, she works on a three-person team who collaborate to design pieces in the Ridgecut line, durable workwear; Blue Mountain, a men’s and women’s everyday casual line; and Field and Stream, heritage-style apparel and outerwear for hunting and fishing. This past year, she was also able to contribute to the team for the Molly Yeh branded line, fun, farm-themed clothing in the spirit of Yeh, the host of the Food Network cooking show Girl Meets Farm.

Day to day at TSC, Anderson collaborates to create sketches and pick the fabrics for around 40 pieces for a season. “Since we are so small, we are wearing many hats,” said Anderson. “This season I am working a lot with plaids and prints, and it changes every season. I enjoy getting to do a new thing every season.”

Even though she is not sewing the garments herself at TSC, the skills learned in her fashion design major help her to how designs need to change in order for the garment construction to work, she said.

Her minor in fashion merchandising included business classes that taught her the process and language of retail. Working at the company has taught her to say, “I love this idea, but how do I make this fit for my client. I may love a design, but I need to design for my customer,” she said.

She also gets to raid the company’s leftover samples for her own wardrobe. “I love wearing them and getting to tell people, ‘Oh yeah it’s from TSC and I designed it!’”

In the future, Anderson would love to move into bridal, she said, pointing to her senior capstone collection as more reflective of her personal design style.  She also had the opportunity at Lipscomb to work on an exhibit inspired by the iconic Nashville designer Manuel for the department’s annual fall Fashion Week. 

“I personally love working with individuals to create what they feel most comfortable in,” she said. “I think about our customer and how we can best tailor the garment to fulfill their purpose. I love the personal aspect of creating fashion and pieces for people. I like to help people find their style, not put a style on them.”