We recently connected with Brianna White and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brianna, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?
One of my favorite things to do for my clients is to write handwritten notes when we first start working together and seal them with a wax seal stamp that has my logo on it! It feels rare to receive an actual letter in the mail nowadays, so the excitement of seeing something that isn’t a bill AND has a unique element like the wax seal is something my clients have loved and I love taking the time to make them and write a personalized letter! I also offer a loyalty program for return clients as a thank you for continuing to trust me and allowing me to support them with their style needs – and who doesn’t want more outfit ideas when you’re looking for style support?!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Brianna White, but friends call me Bri (and we’re all friends now, right?!). I’m a candle collector, coffee enthusiast, and fantasy nerd (I love RPG video games and tabletop games like DND). I get to spend my days playing dress-up, either for my own creative content, or helping clients dress up their wardrobes and learn how to have fun with fashion and become more intentional about their style.
I like to say that as a personal fashion stylist the main thing that I focus on is the “personal” aspect of it. It’s even in the name of my business, “Vostra Moda”, which is Italian and roughly translates to “your style”. That’s my biggest focus with clients, is helping them to find “their” style, whatever that is whatever stage they are in their life and their journey, my goal is to help them find what makes them feel like their best selves right now.
Style has always been an integral part of my life, so it was only a question of “when” it would become a career choice!
I spent many years modeling and through that medium found how important clothing was to inspiring my self-expression as well as boosting my confidence and allowing me to feel and look my best in different situations. Interestingly enough, it helped me while I was working at my 9 to 5 when I didn’t feel as confident in my role and taught me how to empower myself and be intentional about how I showed up each day for myself and for those around me. Going through this mindset shift about clothing myself, I started to realize how important it was for everybody to feel this way, and how essential it was to have these tools to help put themselves out there, even when they didn’t feel like they could. I focus on creating “Intentional Wardrobes” for my clients, with a focus on being more specific about what they bring into their closets and what they decide to put on their bodies. I notice clients who feel overwhelmed or have a cluttered closet space tend to feel overwhelmed and have clutter in other areas of their lives too. Taking small consistent actions and becoming more intentional about what they do with their wardrobe creates a positive impact on those other areas of life as well and usually inspires further organization or intentional choices outside of the closet, which isn’t usually expected but is needed.
I think what sets me apart from others is my experience modeling and my interest in photography and cosplay, which have all attributed to my learning the importance of how your clothing fits, how it makes you feel, and how you show up, whether it’s for a photo shoot, an event, or your day-to-day life. And as someone in the LGBTQIA+ community, I personally understand how important it is to be true to your authentic self and learn how to love yourself so you can be seen in this world and be proud to be you. I believe clothing can be a wonderful tool to support that self-expression.
A lot of people have never heard of the term “personal stylist”, or if they have, they assume that I only work with celebrities. But again, the main focus is that personal piece! I offer services like helping clients go through their closets for the current season to review what is no longer supporting their needs, be it fit, lifestyle changes, or changes in their style preferences. I also offer shopping support where we curate an intentional shopping list before we even get to the store and we make sure any items purchased are going to support this next-level version they want to show up as. And I show them how to use items they already have and combine them with intentionally shopped pieces to create new or new to them outfits that are versatile enough that they have options without having so many options they get overwhelmed. And of course, I also offer photoshoot support because even though I’m no longer modeling, I’ve always loved the energy of being on set and the creativity of collaborating with others! But no matter which service, I have so much fun working with my clients and I always appreciate the opportunity to support them and see them level up their style!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
All of us have or have had some form of imposter syndrome, whether it’s about our business, our relationships, or another aspect of our personal lives. It takes time to unlearn the stories many of us have spent our entire lives hearing whether from an external source or years of repeating them to ourselves. I think that owning your own business is truly the quickest way for self-development to happen, and I learned so much about myself by owning my own business these last couple of years! I think if I could go back in time and give myself any advice during those first couple of months it would be “don’t be afraid to ask for help or pursue mentorship, especially when it comes to things you don’t know or aren’t experienced with yourself”. And the other big thing would be don’t be afraid of “failure” – we never really fail we just learn how to do something better next time but the idea of failure stops us from even trying meaning we never know when something could have been incredibly successful because we stop short out of fear.
I am proud of myself for pushing through many of those fears, especially at the beginning when it can be the hardest to rewrite those stories. Some days you’ll still get hit with that old familiar wave of imposter syndrome so you have to keep pushing through it and knowing that what you do is so impactful and valuable to the people that you’re supporting in this world and that you are valuable and worth pursuing your goals and dreams.
I’m very grateful to have had some amazing clients who remind me of why I do this every day and the impact that we can truly make on each other when we pursue something important to us. A lot of people think that clothing and caring about how you look is frivolous, but studies have shown that we make an assessment of people within the first seven seconds of meeting them and we determine traits of trustworthiness within 1/10 of a second before they even say a word. So for a society that doesn’t want to base things on looks, we contradict ourselves and do it without even consciously thinking about it. Body language is a huge part of that and something most people don’t take into account. So if you don’t feel good about yourself it shows, and wearing something that helps you feel confident and empowers you to stand up straighter and walk taller, and speak louder, is going to add more positively to that first impression than throwing on an article of clothing that you’re trying to hide behind. As someone who experienced it firsthand, nobody should feel like they have to hide in this world, and I want to make sure that anybody that I speak to knows that they are allowed to take up space and to be seen and loved for exactly who they are and to feel good about themselves and dress in a way that makes them feel good about themselves. But it took time for me to even recognize those fears and unlearn that imposter syndrome and fear of being seen. Being on the flip side of it now where I’m helping others empower themselves and unlearn their own imposter syndrome and the stories that have held them back, I’m incredibly grateful to have gone through it myself so I can better support others in their journey.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
At Vostra Moda, our mission is to empower entrepreneurs to feel confident, competent, and uncompromised in their clothing. I love that I get to be creative on a daily basis and help my clients find their confidence through such a creative medium, like style. Each time I work with a new client, or create style-related content, I remember what it felt like to want to connect with those around me but be so afraid to be seen and to be my nerdy, cosplay-loving, queer self. Showing up as yourself is the best thing you can do not only for YOU but for those around you. Whether you are the leader of a multi-million dollar company, a leader in your community, or a leader amongst your family or friends, your actions matter because someone is looking up to you, whether you realize it or not.
As Vostra Moda grows, my goal is to create an accepting, supportive, and collaborative community where people can be inspired by one another and have a safe space to pursue their creativity and self-expression through style.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vostramoda.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vostra_moda/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VostraModa/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-white-aa3a07126/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vostra_moda
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/vostra_moda/ https://www.tiktok.com/@vostra_moda
Image Credits
Dan Minicucci Photography, Kendal J Bush Photography