What being a stylist is REALLY about

When I was around sixteen I used to think I wanted to be a stylist. Out of all the things in the world, I thought nothing was cooler than being able to put together a killer outfit as a way of manifesting something - have it be a feeling, a movement, emotions, or even just as a way of expressing how you felt in the morning.

Then, last year, I learned about the path to become a stylist - the anything-but-glamurous process of how the clothes get from the stylists' imagination, to the actual floor of where they're going to work. And let me tell you, I did not like it one bit. Especially when you think about the fact that whatever you're doing, is not really helping change the world or to do anything other than a simple shoot, video, or movie.

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Currently, I work as a closet assistant at Interview Magazine. And I've been lucky enough to work with a good amount of stylists. From Miguel Enamorado to Karl Templer - It is such a breathtaking experience to see them work and use their instinctive skills as a way to put together beautiful works of art, made out entirely of clothes and using the garments in a way one never would've thought possible.



Thanks to this experience, I've learned almost enough to understand what it entitles to be a good, well known stylist - which is why I'm able to say that I admire deeply the work of B. Åkerlund. Born in Stockholm, B moved to Los Angeles at the age of fourteen to pursue her passion in styling, after her mother kicked her out of her house because she refused to stay in school.

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Her eccentric taste in clothes got the attention of a photographer who lived near her, and who also asked for her help in a calendar he was shooting with drag queens - all from her own closet! Fast forward a few years, and now she styles the likes of Beyonce, Madonna, and Britney Spears.

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What is so amazing about her, is that she's not just a regular stylist, but she's also a whole fashion activist - who's come up with different ways to help the whole fashion community by creating an app called Who You Are which is basically a way for people in the fashion and entertainment industry to connect and network with each other, because at the end of the day, we all need a little help with everyone to survive in this crazy world.

Another movement that she started, is The Residency - "a full service public relations agency that specializes in celebrity and editorial outreach"- which is another way for designers and celebrities to network with each other and make the best use of their services.

Last but not least, she created Le Snob. A line of luxury accessories she launched last year with Robert Lussier - a creative director who's worked in Louis Vuitton and Dior advertisements.

I admire B. Åkerlund because she understands that being a stylist about more than dressing up someone, but it still isn't going to change the world - that we need to do more than that in order to leave your print. As she said in an interview with the New York Times:

 "It’s not that serious, at the end of the day, it’s just a music video, or it’s just a photo shoot, or it’s just a movie. It’s not going to change the world.”

That's all for now, come back next week for more!

Xx

Leen-da


Sources: http://www.lennyletter.com/style/interviews/a319/b-akerlund-stylist/