In our series Stuff Texans Love, our state’s most stylish celebrities share their shopping lists.

Born and raised in the Texas capital, multihyphenate actor-artist-skateboarder Austin Amelio has been lucky enough to see his television and film career blossom in his hometown. 

“I’ve barely stepped foot in L.A.,” says the 36-year-old, which is fortunate, seeing as his “favorite place to create in the world is Texas.”

Amelio was a professional skateboarder and visual artist living in Austin when he booked his first big acting gig with fellow Texan Richard Linklater in the 2016 film Everybody Wants Some!!, a follow-up of sorts to the director’s beloved standout Dazed and Confused. Thanks in part to his role in the film, where he appeared alongside fellow Austinite Glen Powell for the first time, Amelio followed that success with a prime spot in the zombie thriller series The Walking Dead and its spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead.   

Despite their global appeal, those series were shot right in the heart of Central Texas, which was ultra convenient for a hometown boy made good. “That was sort of like a miracle that that happened,” says Amelio. “I got to go to work and come back home on the same day.”

More frequently, the actor’s job requires travel. To film his next big project, Hit Man, premiering in Austin on May 15, and hitting select theaters on May 24, Amelio traveled just a few hours east to New Orleans, though the set retained a Texan identity. He plays an undercover cop in the movie, which saw him reunite with Powell and Linklater to tell the story, based on a Texas Monthly article, of a fake hitman (Powell) who falls in love with a client (Adria Arjona).

“It’s a real blessing. . . It helps to have a lot of really nice and calm people from Texas on a shoot.” says Amelio. “We just took [that sensibility] to another city.”

Calling in from farther afield (Spain), where he’s currently shooting a series for HBO and renting an apartment near the beach, Amelio shared the five things that keep him tied to Texas, even when he’s far from home.

Vintage Boots From Full Circle Vintage in Lockhart

Amelio’s friend Joey Medina owns the Lockhart joint where the actor buys six pairs of vintage boots at a time and wears them until they need a sole replacement—or until he finds a new favorite pair. To complete the head-to-toe cowboy look, Amelio recently acquired a Stetson while on location in Spain. Presumably, he’ll wear it until the brim falls off. 

Cowboy Grass Scent by D.S. and Durga

Amelio first received a bottle of Cowboy Grass, the original scent that first brought attention to perfumer D.S. and Durga, as a gift from his girlfriend. The Brooklyn-based company is known for scents that provide “armchair travel,” so it tracks that Cowboy Grass’s notes of American sagebrush, white thyme, and prairie switchgrass—intended to evoke the American West—remind Amelio of home. 

Sculpting Clay 

While traveling, Amelio also makes time for his visual art practice, which features some of the same Southwestern motifs as his style aesthetic.

“I paint and make things that I personally find interesting,” he says. “Cowboys and their mystique—they’re just fun to paint.” 

Currently, the actor is experimenting with sculpting clay that he sources wherever he travels, creating cowboy-shaped ashtrays. Texas-based sculptors or hobbyists can find clay to make their own works at Jerry’s Artarama, which has locations in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

Roger Skate Co. Bluebonnet Austin Amelio Pro Model Board From No Comply Skate Shop

Between shooting for various projects, Amelio keeps up his skating bonafides. “Everywhere I go, I take a skateboard with me.” 

In addition to his success on camera, and his skill with visual art, Amelio remains a professional skateboarder represented by Roger Skate Co. His pro model board, featuring a bluebonnet design, is available at No Comply Skate Shop, the hometown store he’s hung around since the beginning of his skating career.

Cowboy Cut Wrangler Jeans

“I’m wearing them right now,” Amelio says. “I never take them off.”

Depending on the wash, Wrangler’s Cowboy Cut jeans already have a worn look about them, but, as with his longwear cowboy boots, Amelio takes the distressed denim look to extremes. “I’ll buy a pair and wear them and skate in them till they’ll look like a pair from the fifties, with holes in them, all messed up,” he says. “And maybe in a year, I’ll buy another pair.”