How to become a fashion stylist (2024)

This is for all you fashion fanatics. After nearly two decades working in the industry, I’m still just as passionate as when I was a teenager cutting photographs out ofi-D magazine, to plaster over my bedroom wall. Some of you might be laser-focused on becoming a fashion stylist. Many of you will know you want to bein the midst ofthe action, but maybe you aren’t sure of exactly what a stylist does?

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Stylists work with musicians, fashion designers and brands as consultants – sometimes becoming part of the design process. Stylists may work as Creative Directors pushing the vision of a project, or asFashionEditorsresponsible for the aesthetic of a publication.(networking and commissioning other stylists and creatives to contribute featuresandshoots.)

There are three key areas many stylists work across in Fashion Styling:

Editorial

Editorial styling is creating imagery for magazine shoots. These images are then used in both print and online publications.

Editorial is your creative work. It’s not created explicitly to sell and you’re not working for a brand. Instead, you are commissioned by an editor to produce imagery for a magazine or a media platform. To see this in action, pick up a magazine and skip past the advertisem*nts (these are created by brands and then the brands pay to place their campaigns in magazines, usually in the first 20-100 pages of a publication depending on how much advertising they feature.) Anything past the advertising is likely tobe editorial content – articles, still life shoots, interviews and portraits (and the most exciting editorial content for a stylist are the main fashion shoots). Infashion magazineslike Pop, Love, Self Service, Arena Homme Plus,stories can be many pages long (sometimes up to 100!).In more commercially targeted magazines like Elle, Vogue or GQ a fashion shoot tends to come in under 20 pages.

Editorial is where most stylists build their industry “portfolio”, as it’s generally an opportunity to bemore creative. It is where a stylist establishes their name within the fashionindustry andbuilds their creative and professional network.

From the slick, elegant simplicity of JoeMcKenna’sstudio shoots, Lotta Volkova’s rebellious anti-fashion visionor Patti Wilson’s extravagant and theatrical storytelling - there’s a huge scope for the kind of editorial stylist you could become. Although the editorial is oftenunpaid or badly paid, it is often where we find the most creative fulfilment and it is alsowhere we attract our commercial clients.

Commercial

Commercial styling is work thatiscreated to sell a product as part ofa wider marketing campaign. Think advertisem*nts, moving imagery, look-books, creative content for a brand’s social media… even a catwalk show. Almost all commercial gigs within the fashion industry are given to editorial stylists, and so understanding the world of fashion editorial is essential to build a successful career as a fashionstylist;balancing your “creative” work with the much better paid “commercial” jobs and clients.

Personal styling

Personal styling is about dressing an individual: helping them audit their existing wardrobe, shop for core items that they might be missing, and helping build their personal style. Although,as a stylist, you may work across editorial, commercial and personal styling (as I have),it is important to note that personal styling sits outside of the fashion industry. It’s not quite the same as styling a musician or a celebrity– (somebody in the public eye) – where you work directly with brands and the press office, just like when working on a magazine shoot or brand campaign.

So,ifyou want to be a stylist… let’s get toit.

Find your point of view

It goes beyond clothes. Styling is about aesthetics, politics, narratives, identity and creating value.

I personally don’t believe styling is a skill in the same way pattern cutting or the ability to learn a different language is. There are a lot of skills that make you a great stylist, like good research skills, being able to communicate visually, teamwork,answering a brief. But the actual styling part – it is not a skill. It’s not about one handbag matching a specific pair of shoes, or which colours must or must not go together. It’s a lot more personal. Styling can be transformative. It all depends on yourviewpoint. Some stylists follow fashion and promote catwalk trends, others create more abstract, concept-led imagery that can completely change peoples’ opinions on fashion or beauty. Styling and creative image-making within the fashion industry can be aforce for social change, visual representation or political rebellion.

Build your network

Building a network is key. Over 80% of job seekers say their network has helped with their job search. Be proactive, attend relevant events, keep up to date with the latest fashion news and be active on your social media platforms.

Here is a top tip: If you don't know models.com, it'syour new best friend. Exploring their massive digital database,you will see that many shoots – editorial and commercial - areproduced by the same teams. People build their networks and choose to work together again and again. I’ve worked with some of the same people for 15 years!

So, get your networking boots on! Find people in the same position as you who are willing to collaborate, get your name out there, reach out to people in the industry and learn from the experts.

Build a portfolio

My three golden rules for building your profile as a stylist: test shoots, networking and assisting.

Get yourself a bag of vintage clothes and a camera, or a friend with a camera. Find someone who looks interesting to model, a great location you can access for free or a blank wall in your flat. Don’t overthink it, just get started. The first shoots you do like this aren’t going to get published in magazines and you probably won’t even put them on your Instagram. It’s about practising, having fun, building your confidence. As your test shoots get more interesting and you start to create imagery you believe in, be bold and reach out to more people to collaborate with. Start showing your burgeoning portfolio to online editors, small magazines,independent brands. Remember it is a marathon not a sprint.