Before I even had the confidence to call myself a wardrobe stylist, I was always passionate about elevating the appearance and mood of whomever entrusted me to dress them. Whether I was being tasked with making a simple suggestion or creating an entire look, I always took it extremely seriously. The first time I watched someone see themselves in a new light I discovered that I had the power to alter their self-image. That was, without a doubt, the most unique version of euphoria that I had ever experienced, and I knew that I’d found my purpose. As much as I love and appreciate a beautifully designed garment or accessory, I took great pride in finding ways to instill confidence in my clients. Whether we were in fitting room at Nordstrom, combing through the racks of a vintage boutique, backstage at a runway show or on set at a photo shoot, it was always my highest priority to make sure that whoever was styled by me felt as good as they looked. I could not bear to have one without the other and I take great pride in that.
My journey has been long and has had countless peaks and valleys which often took a toll on my confidence in my abilities. I never produced any work or styled any looks that I wasn’t comfortable standing by, but if some time had passed between projects, I would feel like I was rusty and questioned every choice that I would make. Due to the combination of the unpredictable nature of freelancing, my waning confidence and social anxiety (specifically surrounding networking) I had a sense of hopelessness looming over me for years. I never saw myself doing anything other than styling, but I felt immensely stagnant.

Toward the end of 2019, I was laid off from my safe and unfulfilling job in banking. It was clear that I had grown complacent and over time I found myself prioritizing my styling career progressively less and less. Although I was terrified of the uncertainty of my future, the fire inside of me was reignited. I was always avoidant of the concept of entrepreneurship because it felt so unsafe. I had seen the struggles of others and I didn’t think that I was cut out for it. I enjoyed having benefits, I enjoyed getting raises and knowing when my next check would be deposited. The stability and predictability were the only comfort that I had ever known since I started working when I was 16. I promised myself that I would never work a job that I didn’t care about ever again. With that promise came the longest stretch of unemployment that I had experienced in my adult life.

After 15 months of countless undesirable leads and numerous dead-end interviews, I was hired by a styling subscription service to work remotely, and I was ecstatic. I thought that my dreams were coming true and in all honestly, they had. I was being paid regularly to do what I loved. The only problem was that the position was only part time. I was under the impression that if I worked hard enough, I would be promoted to a full-time position before I knew it. Unfortunately, I was sadly mistaken. Not only did I struggle to apply my real-life styling techniques to this new digital medium, but I was failing to meet my productivity goals which would reduce my eligibility for promotion. Not only that, but said promotions were unpredictable, few and far between. I was devastated and taking it all incredibly personally.

After some unpleasant exchanges with a few of my superiors in a short span of time and some disruptive company-wide policy changes, I felt a combination of defeat, distrust and irritation. I’d felt so fortunate because for the first time in my life, I had gotten everything that I wanted. The problem was that what I wanted wasn’t what it seemed to be from the outside looking in. This was such a surreal sensation, and I was shocked to even be experiencing it. That familiar sense of hopelessness slowly started to wash over me and on top of that, I felt trapped. I still intended to keep my promise of only working in my desired field and I didn’t want to backtrack. As I’d observed during my little sabbatical, those positions were rarities in my city. Relocating was still a goal of mine but uprooting my entire life would require some major funding and it just wasn’t feasible. At that moment, I arrived at a fork in the road. I was being faced with a new set of challenges and I needed some novel solutions.

At the dawn of 2022, my back pressed up against a proverbial wall and I knew that my path needed to change. After I unpacked my frustration with my current situation, I understood that I had no right to be upset or try to disrupt someone else’s business model. I channeled my frustrations into innovation. It was time to face the very thing that I had been running from for the last decade: entrepreneurship. If I wanted to reach my ideal clientele and service them in the ways that I knew were tried and true, I had to do it on my own terms. I was finally ready to walk in my purpose and change more lives with the skills that I had been honing up until that point.

On 2/22/22, I took a major leap of faith and established Styled By Imani LLC and reintroduced myself as a Holistic Wardrobe Stylist. I proudly offer a range of services that provide my clients with the luxury of being styled from the inside out. Whether it’s a Wardrobe Overhaul where I assist a client with evaluating their closets piece by piece or a Holistic Style Coaching Session where I offer free-form guidance on untangling and reprograming their personal styling behaviors, my overarching goal is to help my clients look good and feel better. Finding a way to combine my love for fashion, my gift of styling, my interest in mental health and my devotion to uplifting others has brought me enough joy and fulfillment to face any challenge that business ownership will bring to my doorstep.

I grew up in a working-class family that always supported my many artistic interests. I was plus sized for as long as I could remember and being able to dress like my friends became more and more difficult. In the late 90s and early 00s, the plus sized clothing options for young women were extremely limited, so I taught myself how to maximize the impact of my accessories. Although I’ve spent the better part of my life in art school, I began my journey studying creative writing and theatre. I decided to devote my life to fashion shortly before I graduated high school and I never looked back. I volunteered with Dress for Success then began my retail career at the Gap. I attended the now shuttered Art Institute of Ohio-Cincinnati and although I was unable to complete my Fashion Merchandising program, I forged several valuable relationships and gained tons of knowledge about all of my favorite things. From there I interned at a vintage boutique then once that business transitioned, I ventured off on my own. Through it all, I maintained a presence on social media and continued to practice my craft any way that I could. I would style my friends in thrift store find then partner with local photographers or other friends with cameras to shoot the looks. It’s something that helped me to stay sharp and relevant between clients. If I couldn’t afford to produce a shoot, I made sure to document my own personal style. No matter what, I wanted to maintain my visibility and highlight my skillset. At its core, my process remains the same. I create personal style content as often as I can, and I probably always will. I have an undying love for editorial styling, and I have integrated a periodical lookbook into my business model for the sake of advertising. I still style, creatively direct and shoot my own content.

I am most proud of my tenacity. I have faced countless challenges on my path, and I am fully aware that there are more to come. My determination to create has always outweighed the magnitude of my hardships. That tenacity and dedication shines through in the interactions that I have with my clients. I stop at nothing to deliver the best possible results and experiences for anyone who allows me to guide them on their intentional style journey- whether it’s long or short term.

Clients can turn to me for surface-level style help, but they’re also offered the option to dig deeper and examine the motivations behind their style choices. I’m a talented wardrobe stylist who strives to curate the most captivating and timeless looks that I can. I have several years of experience under my belt, and I am an eternal student of fashion and I make it a point to stay updated on current trends. On the holistic side, I’m instinctively intuitive and empathetic with a longtime appreciation for psychology. I will never present myself as a mental health professional, but I always go the extra mile to keep the humanity at the forefront of my work. When a client is willing to open themselves up to making changes to their habits, they are handled with care. Style runs so much deeper that what meets the eye and I make sure that my clients feel seen, heard and respected throughout the entirety of their contact with me.

As a plus sized Black woman, I am under constant unrelenting scrutiny for my mere existence on every level, on and offline. I understand the value of confidence and how imperative it is to armor ourselves with it in the face of adversity. My favorite way to armor myself also happens to be my favorite form creative expression. I weave my personhood and all the lessons that I have learned into each of the services that I provide. I want my clients to look and feel their absolute best! A higher self-image can improve the quality of your life and I want to extend that to my clients.

For as long as I can remember I have always had the propensity to create. From drawing and painting to writing and acting, I’ve always been an artist. I couldn’t imagine living my life in any other way because it’s just so deeply engrained in who I am. Over the years, I’ve learned the true value of all my gifts. I think it’s magnificent to be able to turn an idea or an emotion into a tangible work or art. It’s not something that everyone has the capacity to do and I’m so thankful that I am able. Finding the beauty in everyday life brings me so much joy and if I can cultivate beauty out of thin air or help someone find the beauty in themselves, I am completely fulfilled.

Although I’ve been fortunate enough to have had tons of support and encouragement along the way, living the life of a creative isn’t for the faint of heart. It can be incredibly difficult to handle the unsolicited criticism, direct competition and the bold personalities of others you may have to work with. It’s no small feat to separate yourself from your work when your work is of such a personal nature. The highs are delightful. You feel unstoppable and larger than life. The lows- those days when the projects and paychecks are few and far between or when your work isn’t as well received as anticipated- make you feel like your entire life has been a waste of time. I wany my fellow creatives to understand that although your work is an extension of everything that you are, you are still so much more than that. Everything isn’t for everybody and everybody who has the pleasure of encountering your creativity may not be impressed but that’s okay! For non-creatives, I think that it’s important to remember that just because we’re skilled and highly trained individuals, we’re not machines. Just because we may make the things that we do look easy doesn’t mean that they are. Art is everywhere and it needs to be respected as the all encompassing entity that it truly is and so do the creators. I also think that it should be mentioned that we require lost compassion, rest. Not to mention appropriate and timely compensation for all of our hard work.