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How to become a stylist
They say that when you love your job you never have to work a day in your life, and 24/7 Girl’s fashion editor, Rebecca Flavell, agrees. She works her dream job every day, and while it wasn’t easy getting there, she’s loved every single minute of the journey. Here she fills you in on how she landed her job as a stylist, and how you can become one too.
I get asked how I started styling quite a bit and I never get any better at giving an answer. Like all things in life, I kind of just fell into it. But that’s not very helpful for all of you dreaming to be stylists out there, so I will try my best to elaborate.
This might be something I could do
While I was studying for my degree in Public Relations I worked as an intern in the PR wing at DDB advertising. Quickly, they recognized my love of fashion and my hatred for paperwork and soon enough I was in charge of my own cupboard, The Bendon Lingerie cupboard. What an honour it was to have my very own cupboard, pretty big news as far as interning goes. My job was to manage the garments being sent to stylists for magazine features, working to their briefs, sending them the right product and chasing up returns. I got to deal with a few stylists directly and thought, “hey, this might be something I could do”. So I set about finding someone who would help me.
An opportunity
An opportunity presented itself at the Bendon Range day where the media are invited to look at next seasons lingerie ranges and then go home with a bag full of incredible lingerie - tough job! Emma Aubin was styling the show. Instead of doing my work (I can’t even remember what my job was that day, probably paperwork) I helped her dress and undress the models, lace and tape shoes, accessorize and send the models down the catwalk. After the show was over I finally plucked up the courage to ask her, as I was loading her ironing board into the car, if I could assist her sometime. I stared at my feet and went completely red convinced she’d say “no, bugger off. I have the best job in the world and you can’t have it” but she was lovely and suggested I help on a fashion show she had coming up. That was about three years ago. Now I am out on my own, working for fabulous websites like this one and great publications like Remix, M2 Woman, Pulp and NZ Weddings, to name a few.
Get your foot in the door
I really can’t stress how valuable work experience is. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. Yes, you work for free but if it is in an industry that you love and that you are truly passionate about the money doesn’t mean anything anyway. I still work for free now and again, it’s your only way to get your foot in the door with some companies, and they usually start paying you pretty quickly when you prove yourself. The one thing I will say is, it’s hard to make a living as a stylist when you’re first starting out, so make sure you have a flexible job that will pay your bills and take care of the rent, or you could just live at home!
Do what you love
As far as qualifications go, there really isn’t one in New Zealand that will take you down the right path. Overseas there are plenty, Central St Martins and FIDM (where Lauren Conrad went) have styling courses but the international student fees are ridiculous. Think carefully about what exactly it is about fashion that you love, is it about looking at the seams to see how something is made, is it about the evolution of fashion over time, or is it that you can visualize the perfect composition in your head? Fashion design, costume design, art history, photography, journalism, they’re all related. Choose something you truly love to do and the doors will open.
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being a stylist sounds fun Posted by 54328 "on" 08/27 "at"05:30 PM |
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Wow totally would love a day in her shoes. Posted by POWERBALLIN25 "on" 08/12 "at"11:17 PM |
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when you love your job you never have to work a day in your life SO true! Posted by Xxc0rtxX "on" 08/12 "at"02:51 PM |
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I just wanted to say, thanks for this. It’s totally helpful  Posted by Island Barbie "on" 04/16 "at"05:40 PM |
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