P.S.

Curriculum written by myself in 2017, launched in 2018. This course provides insight into the business of styling and collaboration and shows students how to keep calm in a fast-paced industry. The course challenges students to work through real-life scenarios in which they learn to maintain budgets and inventory and how to honor the needs of clients. As the class engages with work spaces throughout the city, students are exposed to styling resources, showrooms, and professional stylists. They learn how to work in professional spaces and develop an understanding of team dynamics. Students also gain skills in adjusting their eyes and hands for the areas of on and off figure, editorial, e-commerce, and motion styling. They leave the course with portfolio-building images. 

I was brought to Parsons School of Design to work with students in the Pre-College Scholars program where I taught a 2 part workshop on the business of styling.  The first part of the workshop was a lecture, where I shared the roles and responsibilities of a stylist and walked the students through a job from start to finish.  The second part of the workshop was practice. The students were given a mock job where they had to shop looks for their assigned client.

The purpose of this workshop is to: 

-Expose styling as a career path

-Teach time management: planning, budget, deadlines

-Provide insight on how to focus ideas when shopping in a place with vast options

-Understand how to assign value to garments 

-Encourage public speaking and presentation skills

I was brought into the Studio Museum in Harlem as a teaching artist. As a stylist, I am constantly exploring the marriage between narrative and imagery. With the arrival of the "Draped Down" exhibit, I was excited to create a structured curriculum surrounding the subject of visual storytelling. This workshop/lecture series offered high school students insight into the process of creating with intention.  Curator of the "Draped Down" show, Monique Long, gave the students a personal tour of the exhibit.  I then asked the students to pick the piece that spoke to them the most. Their assignment was to dress a mannequin based on their interpretation of the title of their chosen piece. 

During the lecture series, I exposed styling as a career path.  I shared the responsibilities of a stylist, as well as my personal approach to my work. It was my goal to provide the students with a mock editorial closet so that they could freely create.  At the close of the project, the students had an opening night where they all presented their mannequins to the public. The final presentations surpassed anything I could have imagined.  Their participation fed me in a special way, allowing me to leave this experience further inspired.

*A special thank you to DKNY for sponsoring the mannequins and also to Bloomindayles, Issey Miyake, Ports 1961, Miguel Antoinne, Dr. Martens, and Alexis Bittar for providing clothing and jewelry.

This lecture/workshop series gave the students a first hand look into the process of artist collaboration. Partnered with long time collaborator and colleague, photographer Kwesi Abbensetts, we walked students through all the teamwork that goes into a collaborative project.  Students then partnered off as a photographer and stylist and produced their own photo shoot with live models.

Apart of my mission as a wardrobe stylist, is exposing this as a possible career path to students of color.  Because I had never met anyone that worked in fashion, I did not understand how to live as a stylist until after I had graduated from college with a degree in Computer Science and Math.  I have spoken at various schools across NYC where I share my personal path, I share the nature of my work, and I hope to spark interest in curious students.