There are so many young people now,
that want to be in the fashion business, and want to be stylists.
My advice would be, don’t give up.
What makes a good stylist is believing in your craft.
Someone who edits, doesn’t just pile stuff on,
no matter how tempting that can be.
We do, like, mainly admin stuff!
It’s our job to sift through all the noise,
and tell the most succinct story.
It’s not glamorous, it’s not glamorous!
It’s really not.
What is that noise? I have no idea what that noise is,
but it sounds like a big old band celebrating that maybe it’s Friday,
or maybe that it’s the i-D launch.
There’s a line to meet the Editor-in-chief of i-D magazine,
Alastair McKimm, and the model, Kaia Gerber,
and say hi, and celebrate fashion.
Oh, there it is, there it is!
My work in this issue is with photographer Tyler Kohlhoff,
he does video collage, so it’s like a lot of
really interesting video stills.
One of my biggest mentors has been Alastair, because he...
early on, when he first met me, he was like,
“You just need to go out there, and you just need to shoot.”
When I wanted to be a stylist, I didn’t understand
anything about it at all.
The day after I graduated, I moved to London. The day after that,
I walked over to Tabernacle Street with my design portfolio
and I met Edward Enninful,
who was then, the Fashion Director of i-D, and I went and showed him my
design portfolio and he was looking for an assistant.
And I ended up getting the job as second assistant, worked with him
for a couple of years and, to get the job,
you know, with no experience,
and for him to take that chance,
that was, like, huge for me.
You know, I certainly didn't grow up in a family with any kind of like
wealth or, like, fashion connection, you know?
So, I think anybody can really become part of this industry,
you know, and then it’s just all about hard work.
Getting the kit together. Strapless underwear,
strapped underwear.
I worked my way all around the industry really, like,
from the design side, to production, to helping to open a store,
to buying... Really a little bit of everything.
And then came to styling just by chance.
Styling really appealed because, as a lover of fashion and design,
you get to play with everyone else’s designs.
Always need Band-Aids. Long days, long hours,
so, taking care of each other is important too.
A lot of people are drawn to our industry for the glamorous aspects.
It’s just about getting great people together,
who are going to work really hard.
You’re growing constantly, and the process is changing constantly
and you’re trying to just get better, and better, and better
with every shoot.
People say, like, my style is quite Japanese,
but I don't find it Japanese.
I thought I wanted to be a designer.
I realized I wanted to see the final
pictures, rather than people buying and then wearing them on the street.
I quite like to be organized in the process.
If people don’t like admin stuff, like, I don’t think
they can be a stylist.
I’m styling this Japanese brand,
Mame Kurogouchi show in Paris.
Styling a show? Oh yeah, that’s totally different.
How garments move when they walk. I find it so beautiful.
I’m in Paris, there are little cars everywhere,
and we are going to Rick Owens’ house!
I had this dream of moving to New York.
My mum was like, “You should be a stylist,”
and I was like, “What’s that?”
I had to, sort of, define, like, how do I bring myself as an artist
into the fashion world?
I think I kind of come from this, like, DIY mentality, like,
who cares? Like, just rip it up!
I called my mum, and I told her Rick emailed me,
and she was like, “Oh my god!”
He’s like era-less. Undeniable punk spirit.
You know, I mean, I get quite emotional actually,
thinking about it, because
I think it’s tough to find people
that have stuck to their art.
I like to see expressions that are honest and, like,
a little bit vulnerable sometimes, but also unapologetically hedonistic.
And I think that’s kind of what you do.
I have this really fabulous mother.
She worked in fashion, she was a designer in the ’80s.
She's been a big supporter of Sedition magazine that I make.
And she emailed it to Jeff Judd, who is your Music Director.
And they went to high school together.
Jeff read it, called my mum and said,
“You have to send this to Rick.”
The magazine looked so good that I thought,
“Oh, this is great, let’s do something.”
How do you know when something is done?
You just, kind of, got to go by your gut.
- Yeah. - I always try to have
more stuff than I need. - Yeah.
And it’s really like, there’s a point in time where I feel,
OK, I have enough stuff that I can throw away
like one third of it, and I’ll still have something left.
My experiences are so limited in the industry.
I mean, I’ve just done my little thing in my corner for so long,
that I don’t have a lot of other references.
I don't know how people do stuff.
I know with stylists. they just...
I want somebody who’s going to take some chances,
go against the grain a little bit.
The fact that clothes can connect you
to the relationships to someone else, and...
- They’re an excuse. - Yeah!
Things evolve, you know, and evolving together,
as like, a crew is like, really important.
As I started to get involved in the industry,
and I started to begin to create pictures,
I understood my responsibility as a person of colour,
to be able to tell stories that perhaps aren’t being told.
The intention behind all that I do is to, sort of, give a platform to
those who maybe you haven’t seen be beautiful, or chic,
or look important, or heroic.
And so, I think that’s why I do what I do.
So, today we’re going to do a little photo shoot with Deirdre Lewis.
Deirdre’s actually a friend, and as soon as I met her,
I was like...
before I even saw her work. I think that’s the best way,
when you just go with the feeling, and it works out.
These are the looks I think we want to start with.
That’s the best way to start your day.
- Face massage? - Just a casual massage.
I have Sydney and stylists as, kind of like, collaborating forces.
You know, it’s like another person to, like, push you,
maybe more creatively?
We've like sat down a few times,
looked at the clothes talked about the models, and then
when you get here, and you see everything, everything changes,
and then you just, like, go with it.
So, today we’re shooting up-and-coming designers.
It’s so important to feature them, to really show what they’re doing,
and use the resources that we have, to give them exposure.
I don’t think stylists get enough credit for starting designers’,
starting models’ careers.
Just being a stylist, you sort of have to have
your, like, ear to the ground, sort of, just be open to new things.
I think a stylist sort of, sews together everyone,
making sure everything is one cohesive image.
They have to do so much groundwork, so much research. They have to know
so many different elements of the creative process.
Like an octopus, kind of, situation, you know, lot of different arms.
Sweating all the time.
I’m working on Mame Kurogouchi show today.
This look, I think, is really beautiful.
This is her first on-schedule runway,
so they’re super excited. This is the backstage.
We’re going to dress all the models, and
we’re going to start rehearsals soon.
I usually work on the looks very instinctively first.
I try to add some interesting silhouettes or add some, like,
simpler looks that are easy to sell.
That’s why I always want to understand the collection,
and the reason behind it.
I met with Ai, I think, 2 years ago,
So she was already famous in the [fashion] world.
Very strong opinion.
Yeah. We are very good friends. I feel super good in it.
I came this morning, did the casting,
got the show, here I am.
I feel like a woman and fierce. I feel super good in it.
All the girls are super beautiful,
and have become like a huge energy ball,
and it’s really exciting.
I have seen the rehearsal, and, you know,
I have checked all the looks, and outfits, as well.
Now we’re going to do the show, so
I'm just going to make sure everything is correct.
I'm very positive about this show. It's going to be a super beautiful.
I am also taking photos. When the clothes finally get here,
it’s more of, like, understanding who your models are,
what is their character? What kind of hair would they actually have?
I can’t just take any model, and be like,
“I’m going to make her a punk.”
- I’ll dress you in here. - Yeah? OK.
My first downfalls in styling were like, I was told to do things like,
“Refine yourself, cut it down,
Just do shoots that are only so you can make money.”
I also struggled with that too,
that, sort of like, comparing. You’re despairing, looking at
other stylists, being like, “Well if I make shoots that look like this,
maybe I will be successful.” But, it just never worked.
All right, now I officially have worked up a sweat.
This is a knife, and I think that it works as a really cool accessory.
David is really cool because he is like a punk/emo kid.
At this point, anything can happen. I’m just like, “All right.
What new shit am I going to get into today?”
For me, a good stylist is somebody that
knows how to dress a body.
Put that shit on, and know that it looks good.
And I’ve been like inspired by it too, like, I want to shoot.
I want to put my friends in clothes. I want to make clothes.
What worked for me is to just go for it.
Like, if you want to put clothes on people
then just put clothes on people.
Put them on your friends, use your closet, go to the thrift store.
Then if you don’t know a photographer, just shoot it yourself.
There’s 2 minutes left!
I just love seeing the beautiful girls, like, they look so happy,
in the beautiful garments.
With stylists, as a job, like, you need to establish your taste.
The goal is always to create an image that’s timeless,
but also, on a day like today, it’s really about capturing the energy
that these collections are bringing.
- Look these are beautiful, no? - Love! Love, love, love, love, love!
I think because my journey was very much like, one step at a time,
working my way up the ladder, like, I’m a big believer in assisting,
but also you have to, kind of like, find your own way,
and like, find your own vision.
I think this generation will be defined by our ability to respond to
what's going on in the world.
Yeah, I’m looking forward to looking back, and seeing what becomes,
sort of, the defining voice.
You’ll find your collaborators, and that’s how you build.
It’s all about the community, it’s all about the collaboration.
None of us can do this by ourselves,
it’s really about the team.
I just feel so lucky to have a snippet in this book.
My last and final dying wish is that we all rip it up.
We go for our dreams and just make art.
F**k it!
If you, like, keep working on what you want to become,
I feel like it will always happen.
Find someone who’s work you admire, work really hard,
and care a lot.