What has been the most challenging thing
that you faced so far?
One of the most challenging things is getting
full-fledged freelance stylists to recognize you
need those coins and can’t be an intern for
forever. Styling takes a lot of practice and
experience. Sometimes, not always, stylists
who have been in the industry for many years
take advantage of new up and coming stylists
who want to gain more knowledge of this line
of work. Freelancing is hard but I love it
because you work with different talented
people and everyone does things a little
differently, which helps you in growing and
learning what works for you and what does
not. But there gets to a point when you have to
put your foot down and in a polite way let
them know you need to know the budget, tell
them your budget, and/or be credited for
assisting them. It’s only right because people
are going to be constantly asking to see your
previous work that you’ve done. You have to
build your portfolio somehow!
When you break into the fashion industry
fully, is there anything you hope to change?
Yes, one thing I would like to change is that
stylists get more credit for what we do,
especially when it comes to styling celebrities.
I don’t like a crazy amount of attention but
sometimes people tend to forget or have no
idea how much work stylists have to put in to
make sure their client looks amazing! Whether
I’ve done celebrity, editorial, or commercial
I’ve had a hand full of 12-14 hr days prepping
for a shoot/event or even long hours like that
on the actual day. Don’t get me wrong, I love it!
I’m super tired but those days give me a crazy
adrenaline rush and it’s a great feeling to see
all your hard work pay off. But there have been
times where I’ll see people mention how well
put together a celeb looks and how much of
great style they have, which could be very true,
but let’s also acknowledge the stylist and/or
designer who helped put that look together.
Another thing I would like to change is people
thinking everyone is their competition and
that you can’t help introduce other dope,
talented people to new opportunities because
it’ll dim your light. That’s not cool, at all. I have
friends and associates who work in PR,
marketing, photography, graphic design, a wide
variety of fields that I could easily bring in their
talents onto a job that I’m woking on and
introduce them to new people. Networking and
building new connections is so important. Any
chance I get, if I know they are a reliable source,
I will try to put on people I know onto jobs that
could be beneficial to us both. I want to see
everyone around me win. There’s enough room
to grow, opportunities, and money for us all so
let’s get it!
"Without
having to
say a word,
you are
giving people
a glimpse of
your
personality."