Making Your Mark – 7 Tips For Standing Out As A Stylist

Making Your Mark – 7 Tips For Standing Out As A Stylist

We hate to break it to you, but being a stylist isn’t always as glamorous as it sounds.  Sure, eventually you might just find yourself rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. But, that will never eventuate without you being seriously ‘switched on’.

There’s a lot more to standing out as a stylist than meets the eye. Here are 7 tips on how to make your mark in the fashion world.

  1. Learn from the best

 Any stylist worth his/her salt has 100 percent put in the hard yards – and, you better believe it! This includes formal education and practical experience. You can learn how to become a stylist at Professional Styling Academy. Training is so integral in developing not only the requisite skills, but also the confidence and flair to understand your role as a fashion stylist in the commercial world. Education and a qualification really is the first stitch in the finely woven thread that is your career.

  1. Leave your ego at the door

 Once you have some experience under your belt (or tape measure) it’s important to not let things get to your head. Always check your ego at the door. Take the advice of stylist Joey Maalouf (whose clients include Jessica Alba, Rachel Zoe and Diane Von Furstenberg) and always work with your nose close to the grindstone. It’s about managing a team and the end goal is to make sure your client feels confident in their body.

  1. Communicate effectively

 To really stand out as a stylist you’ll need to have to go further than just the basic skills of the trade. A lot of your job is about communicating effectively and developing a rapport and high trust level with your clients. Your vision needs to translate into a tangible reality for your client – one that they are completely comfortable with. Being on the same page is so important at all times.

  1. Multitask like a pro

 So, you’ll need to work hard to be responsive and to multitask under pressure.

Things will undeniably get hectic, especially during shoots –  it’s all about coordinating with other members of a creative team. It comes down to understanding your client’s unique needs and meeting (and hopefully exceeding) their expectations on a daily basis. This takes team work, commitment and juggling competing demands with a cool head and some serious poise.

  1. Network and outreach

 No in-demand stylist can sit in a corner quietly and expect the work to come to them. It’s all about developing a reputation as one of the best.  This comes from making in-roads with designers, influencers and those ‘movers and shakers’ in the fashion world. However, you don’t have to go as far as ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and sell your soul in the process. That being said, you will have to be prepared (at the very least) to know how to strike up a conversation in a social setting and to clock some considerable time spent networking.

  1. Develop a strong online presence

 Standing out as a stylist in the modern world is going to take a fair bit of social media management. Whether you choose to do it yourself or hire a professional will come down how much time you have on your hands. You’ll need to make sure you share as high profile events and happenings in order to create enough hype and momentum to generate a thriving potential client base.

  1. Stay true to your craft, and to yourself

 We’ve already touched on just how important networking is when you are a stylist. Always remember that this aspect of your work is a delicate balance. You will find yourself having fun –  and, at times letting your hair down a fair bit. However, the key to success is keeping your ‘game face’ on at all times. You are a professional and you should never blur the lines between work and play.

Making your mark

Really standing out as a stylist is much more than hobnobbing with the glitterati and attending fashionable soirees. A dedicated work ethic is always the ultimate calling card to ensure that you stay the course as a successful stylist and make your mark in the field.

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