Should I Become a Celebrity Stylist?
Celebrity fashion stylists are responsible for outfitting and accessorizing celebrities, often in conjunction with makeup artists, hair stylists, photographers, and other creative professionals. Although employers may not require these professionals to hold a certificate or degree, completing some postsecondary education provides stylists with specific career skills, such as forecasting trends, identifying designers, and understanding clothing design and textiles.
| Degree Level | Certificate and undergraduate degree |
| Degree Field | Fashion styling, design, merchandising or similar field |
| Experience | Work experience or internship; Portfolio is also a must |
| Key Skills | Researching design styles, blending fashions, selecting fabrics, marketing new looks, coordinating with industry professionals, and running a business |
| Salary | Many of these professionals work in Los Angeles and other entertainment hubs, and salary can depend greatly on one's location. While the salary statistics specifically for celebrity stylists are not available, the median yearly salary for fashion stylists in general was $72,720 as of May 2018 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Step 1: Take Fashion Styling Classes
Several colleges and universities offer fashion styling certificate programs. These programs teach students to create looks for specific types of media and prepare merchandise. The coursework may include fashion forecasting, clothing and accessory design, color theory, and fashion business practices.
Some stylists choose to earn an undergraduate degree in fashion design or fashion merchandising. These programs tend to include coursework in history of fashion, trend forecasting, fashion show production, computer-aided fashion design, textiles, and fashion promotion.
Step 2: Gain Industry Experience
Most professionals in the fashion design industry learn about the business through internships or entry-level positions. That's why fashion styling certificate and degree programs require students to complete work experiences or internships with professional stylists, designers, or fashion retailers. Such positions provide real-world training in communicating with celebrities, designing new styles, coordinating with other industry professionals, and running a celebrity stylist business.
Step 3: Build a Portfolio
Workers in the fashion design industry use portfolios as a way to impress and attract potential clients. Celebrity stylist portfolios include pictures of the stylist's work. A beginner stylist's portfolio may include photos of work completed in school, though it should evolve as the stylist's career develops. Students may learn how to compile a portfolio during postsecondary training.
Step 4: Keep Up With Style Trends
The celebrity fashion industry is highly influenced by changes in the economy, politics and technology, and celebrity stylists must stay on top of changing industry trends to dress clients in the latest styles. To keep up with changes, professionals have to conduct continual research, which includes reading fashion-related articles, examining celebrity photos, attending fashion shows, and watching entertainment awards shows.
Celebrity stylists generally complete a postsecondary certificate or degree program in fashion design or fashion merchandising, and they also need industry experience, as well as a strong portfolio to attract celebrity clients.