Monday, July 15, 2013

Styled By The Kokonut Stylist - Article 8

The (un)Necessary Job Of A Fashion Stylist


Someone once said: "Stylists are the people who push celebrities to make the best-dressed list." Whether they were right or not is totally up to whoever the target audience is. Ever since the birth of this column, I have received several emails requesting style tips, offering styling jobs and most recently, asking how one can become a fashion stylist and if fashion stylist make good money.



A fashion stylist is a creative mastermind  who helps set trends in the fashion industry. In major fashion capitals of this world, fashion stylists rank among the highest paid people in the entertainment industry. In Africa, the inclination to use fashion stylists is not at very advanced stage but one can definitely make a decent living as a stylist as the entertainment industry in general, is always in need of stylist. Styling jobs vary from personal styling (where one can style celebrities, respectable public figures or even general members of the public) to selecting clothing for magazine editorials and picking wardrobe styles for print advertising. Fashion stylist also work mostly as wardrobe consultants for TV programmes such as soapies. Stylist dress our favourite soapie actors on set according to the actor's role in such a way that the way the actor dresses as you watch your TV makes you believe that their acting life is their real-life.


There are several places where one can train to be a fashion stylist but above everything, you need to be; creative, passionate about clothing, be a people's person, have crafty eye for detail and be innately stylish yourself. In South Africa, Gauteng to be particular, there are several places to get formal training on a number of fashion courses, including fashion styling. These places include: Tshwane University of Technology- Arts Campus, University of Johannesburg as well as LISOF Fashion School. By far the best way to get training is if you shadow a well known stylist or apply for internship in fashion houses. Nothing can beat the experience one gets from learning while on the job.

As a full-time, independent stylist one can make +/- E25,000.00 on average, per month and more during fashion week season. This varies in that you may not always get styling jobs so it is an extremely fickle work environment and one definitely needs a good income back-up especially while still starting out. It takes years and years of experience to be the designated fashion stylist for a fashion house where one can earn a steady income. On grassroots level, while a stylist is still starting out, you need to be very willing to take any and every styling job that will provide income and help you build a solid styling portfolio. Think of it as being a businessman, every styling job you do and what you wear is an extension of your brand. The more you do a good job at styling people and look good yourself, the more people will want to be associated with your brand.



There is a very common myth that people who use stylists have no style and this tends to make people shy away from using stylist for their personal wardrobe styling. Being a part-time stylist myself, I can say that nothing is further from the truth that than myth. Stylist can help enhance your personal style, they can be a new (creative) set of eyes for you to view your existing wardrobe differently. When I style an individual, I work based on their existing wardrobe, body figure, lifestyle and budget and all this has nothing to do with whether the person is already deemed stylish or not.  You see, style is a very personal thing as I have mentioned in previous articles and it can only be harnessed and enhanced. Being a stylist has opened a number of doors for me and has introduced me to people I would not have ordinarily met. I get invited to fashion shows (such as the 46664 Fashion shows), fashion launches and fashion weeks and I do sometimes live some of my fashion dreams. 



I always put an unyielding emphasis on education. Whether you want to pursue your fashion passion formally or on the side, it is always important that you get an education as that is what will always empower you. Hopefully all you young, aspirant fashion stylists here in Swaziland will one day work for The Kokonut Stylist fashion house, in the near future.

You decide, do you think being a fashion stylist is a necessary or unnecessary job? Can jobs in any creative field provide sustainable living for us? Do we always have to work for someone else to make a decent living? I do not have the answers to that but what I know for sure is that we must live our passions, whatever they may be, pursue them strongly because I believe good quality living is about living one's passion. "If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you. -  Alan Armstrong


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For feedback, email: kokonutstylist@observer.org.sz
Written By: Koko Shabangu

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