Morning readers!
As you may know I have a friend who is from France and he happens to be a Stylist and previously a Visual Merchandiser.
This is Teddy, he’s really lovely and we met on Instagram about a year ago and we talk basically every week whenever we can! I asked him if he was happy to do an interview for my blog, to give information of the role as a Stylist as a whole and guidance on how to style unisex clothing and his opinions.
So, please read through the interview we had over FaceTime which I have transcribed below, and I will tag his @ in this post also so you can give him a little follow if you wish!
What did you do on a day to day basis as a Stylist?
I worked for an agency when I was a stylist, there was also hair and make-up stylists as part of our agency. We would meet our clients, they may have come to us before but usually they are new customers. We would discuss what they were looking for and what we thought would suit them based on their body type, skin tones, hair colours and many other factors which could either flatter a garment or make it not look as good as it could.
The customer would let us know what brands they would like, these can be luxury, high-end, high-street or a combination of all. It would cost for a full day (a complete look) between €300-€500 but this of course depends on the brands they decide to work with. A full makeover alone would cost around €50.
How long was you a Stylist for?
I was a stylist for one year, prior to that I was a visual merchandiser for two years.
What did you enjoy most about being a Stylist?
My favourite part of being a Stylist was the before and after results, it’s always positive seeing he clients faces when they have a hard time recognising themselves and that’s when you know you have done a good job.
Is there anything you didn’t like about being a Stylist?
I found it difficult to work with some clients, purely because they wouldn’t trust our judgement even though it is our jobs to know what suits certain people.
Did you create good customer relationships and were customers loyal to the Styling agency you worked for?
Yes, we do make good customer relationships, but the clients do not usually come back for a full styling day again. They usually spend the money on a full day, learn about what suits them from us professionals and then will buy stuff of that style in the future. The plus of us doing hair and makeup at our agency means they will regularly come back for haircuts and makeovers. Clients tend to spend out on another full package day when they have events such as weddings.
Do you think unisex clothes are easy to style?
Yes, much easier than gender specific clothing. As a stylist however, it does depend on the customer a some are still set in the ways that they do not want to wear clothing that women would wear and the same the other way round. If you are talking about the clothes themselves and their shapes I think it’s much easier and gives a comfier and more interesting look.
What is your next job?
I am going to be an image coordinator. It is very similar to my role as a stylist but I will be trained in psychology more and in makeup and hair to be fluent across all platforms in the agency.
Do you think stylists play a crucial role in the fashion retail industry?
Yes, definitely! They should take more place. Stylists, Personal Shoppers and Visual Merchandisers are only just becoming a real thing. I think stylists are making fashion less intimidating.
Did you have any specific training for your role?
When I was a visual merchandiser I had 2 days training and then I learned the rest on the job. Then when I gained the job as a stylist I had two months of training which was completely learning based.
Did you work closely with anyone in different roles?
I worked as a stylist for a fashion show for a local shopping mall in which I had to work with designers, directors and photographers closely. When in my usual agency we work on our own rather a lot.
“Stylists, Personal Shoppers and Visual Merchandisers are only just becoming a real thing” – Teddy Pia
I hope you find this interview helpful! Please feel free to follow Teddy on social media, a link to his Instagram is at the top of the post. If you have any questions you’d like me to ask Teddy you can email me or direct message me on social media and I’ll try my best to get back to you ASAP!
I’m always really grateful for feedback as well, if you like interviews and would like to see more of these, let me know! It’s always lovely hearing what you guys think.
On that note, have a fabulous day people,
Mitch x
Universal Style 