Today we have a Q&A with Joshua from Monogram Styling, a company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Joshua works with clients to bring out their best personal style. Read all about it below!
Tell me about what you currently do:
I’m the principal consultant at Monogram Styling.
Why did you decide to get into image consulting and styling?
People are intrinsically valuable, but sometimes they loose sight of that. Feeling well dressed can remind you that you are a powerful person, and frame you in a positive light for those you meet.
I know that you work as a stylist. What does an average day look like?
My early morning is usually phone calls. A lot of the vendors I use aren’t based in the U.S., so I have to place orders or resolve issues with them on their timezones. The rest of the morning is either research or placing domestic orders. I don’t think people realize how much time goes into research to stay current in all the different areas where I’m expected to be an expert. Clients usually want to meet in the afternoon or evening, so I’ll prep for appointments and then make house calls the rest of the day. The last thing I do each day is to unpack and sort from the appointments, organizing returns and updating client profiles to reflect their recent measurements, preferences, or upcoming purchases.
Do you only work with people face-to-face or do you also work with people over the internet?
I have done both successfully. It is far easier to have an in-person meeting first, but I have managed clients’ entire wardrobe acquisitions remotely without ever meeting them in person.
What is most important to you as a stylist?
Being a good fit with the client.
Why should someone work with a personal stylist/image consultant? What are the benefits?
Working with a stylist can be like a fast pass to the front of the line—you don’t have to do any of the research or hunting for the perfect item. So the first benefit is knowledge and the second is cost. Even though you might pay a stylist for their services, they can save you more than their fee by knowing the sales or having negotiated discounts and buying at the right time. They also save you money by preventing the purchase of items that aren’t in your best interest.
What sets you apart from your competitors?
I mentioned research a little earlier—expertise begins with knowing a lot about your craft and I spend a lot of time (and money) learning. I spend about a month each year traveling internationally to meet with vendors and manufacturers. That’s in addition to the time spent constantly reading everything from fashion historians to industry publications.
So the Monogram foundation is strong, but what makes us more competitive is our process—the way we learn about our clients and present their curated wardrobe is a luxury experience. This business is 100% relational and we are very good at understanding how our clients want to communicate in order to meet their needs.
What do you want your clients to gain from working with you?
I want them to feel well dressed. If they want to learn how to shop for themselves, it’s our pleasure to teach them. If they would rather us manage the process on their behalf, I want them to have a luxurious wardrobe for which they didn’t have to lift a finger.
What’s the difference between your image coaching services and your personal styling services?
Personal styling is more about interpreting or finding pieces when the client already has a clear vision for what they want. Image consulting is more holistic—it looks at the client’s audience and goals and defines a new vision for that client, and then creates a strategy to help them get there.
What type of experience do you want people to have when working with you?
I want our clients to feel understood—that we have provided for all of their needs and anticipated wants they haven’t even recognised themselves yet.
What type of client is your ideal client?
I get asked this question a lot. There is no socioeconomic or demographic answer. I want a client who wants positive change and is willing to trust us to help them achieve that change.
How do you think style empowers people?
People are shallow and packaging changes how we feel about an item. Unfortunately, packaging also affects how we feel about other people. The quicker you learn the tools to manage those expectations, the more powerful you become.
Fortunately wardrobe is not entirely about social expectations. Feeling good about yourself because of the clothes you choose to wear only highlights the value that exists underneath.
Where does your company name come from?
I try to help clients be the best version of themselves, rather than trying to imitate me or anyone else. Part of our client process is handwritten communication, which often includes a personalized seal, or monogram, to close each envelope. Matt Shepperd over at Telegram Agency helped me put two and two together—and named the company Monogram Styling.
What are your hopes for your company? Where would you like to take it?
I hope to grow the company into a collective of like minded stylists. I want to empower other artists who are great at their jobs with the resources to help more clients.
How did you get started in this line of work? Tell me about your background.
In high school, I used to work for a company that sold lost mail at auction. Here, I discovered that I loved the feeling of making something unwanted new and desirable again.
At college a year later, I found myself utilizing the very skills I learned at auction to take on a new endeavour, but this time, it involved buying and selling overstock designer clothing. Stacks of some of the world’s most well-known brands stood floor-to-ceiling in my tiny dorm room, overflowing from the closet, covering my bed, (and occasionally finding their way over to my roommate’s).
Before long, I possessed more than $50,000 worth of Armani, Brioni, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, and nearly every major designer brand imaginable.
Friends began to seek out my services for big events: weddings, job interviews, rehearsals, banquets, and even first dates. It was in these moments that I realised this endeavour went far beyond merely dressing my friends — I was equipping people I truly cared for with the confidence they needed to face some of life’s most important and challenging milestones.
Where and when did you discover your passion for this sort of thing?
I’ve always enjoyed making people feel good about themselves through their appearance, but I think being an image stylist goes beyond that — it’s really about making a person recognize their self worth. I realised this in college when I was helping people I cared about look and feel their best for important life events.
Outside of working with your clients, what do you like to do?
I enjoy cooking with my wife, traveling as frequently as possible, and a great Islay single malt.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for taking the time to interview me.
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