Kolin Ekeocha is Boosting Confidence and Saving Lives Through Fashion
We recently sat down with Kolin Ekeocha a personal stylist who is using fashion to empower his clients and give consumers a voice. Speaking to Kolin it has reiterated in our minds the importance of fashion and has further highlighted that no matter who you are, or at what stage you are at in your life, you are a part of fashion, and your clothes speak volume. We got into the Devil Wears Prada and Balenciaga and the whole mud situation.
Noreen: Thank you for taking the time to speak to us. So, start from the beginning, how did you get into styling people and being a personal stylist?
Kolin: I’ve always been into fashion or interested in fashion. As a teenager, I used to buy loads of Vogue Magazines, ID magazines and Face. I’ve always been inspired by styling and how people put looks together, and I’ve gravitated towards that. When I finished my GCSE’s, I went on to do my A-levels at the London College of Fashion and studied a Foundation course; before completing my menswear degree, I was at the London College of Fashion for three years and graduated as a menswear designer. I worked in fashion for about five to six years designing and working for different brands in China and New York. Styling has always been in my DNA. I love styling, and I often give people unsolicited opinions about how good or bad they look, and people tend to come to me for fashion advice. All my friends were fashion designers, editors, stylists, and photographers, so we always did something primarily creative in fashion and art. I wanted to use my industry experience, style and ability to help people who need to gain knowledge or styling skills or are not interested in fashion. I wanted to give them a voice and provide them with that confidence through personal styling.
Styling editorials and fashion stylists for photographers or campaigns is brilliant and creative. However, I wanted to use my talent to empower and uplift people. So many individuals are significantly afraid of fashion and trends unless you’re coming from a creative background. People need help discovering their real personality through styling, trends and the colours that suit them. I had a light bulb moment when I realised there was a niche in that market. I felt the need to tap into that and help people, especially young mothers, who’ve just had a baby or going through postpartum depression or are in the maternity stage. They’ve lost confidence, gained weight or are breastfeeding, but they still have to take care of the family and return to work. Oftentimes, moms will develop panic attacks or anxiety because of the pressure
Noreen: In terms of like you say, helping people sort of like express themselves through fashion, how can you do that with fashion?
Kolin: I think there’s no one way of doing that. I always first discuss with my clients, giving them an hour’s consultation to discover what they need and where they’re struggling. Many people have challenges with, i.e. “I don’t have a clue what to wear”, kind of the thing, and they don’t understand their body figure or silhouette, and some of them are afraid to find out what they like, and some are even afraid to take the risk. It just depends on where you are in life. People who used to be fabulous at some point will go through a life event, and then suddenly, they’ll lose that. They get into a rut that becomes routine, and they become too lazy. Some have pictures from Instagram for inspiration, but they still wear the same thing. They are scared of being judged or scrutinized.
Other individuals need the financial ability to achieve their dream style. Most people don’t really know the industry, but I tell you what, fashion is style and also essential. It’s like food. We all wear clothes to get warm, work, school uniforms, and be part of society. We use fashion to allow others to put us in an identifiable category, consciously or unconsciously. Whether you dress well or not, people will see you as a particular demographic and somewhat sane individual. Some people would complain, “I don’t care about trends or fashion”, and ultimately feel exempt. Are you not putting yourself in a category not to be judged? But people are judging you.
If you spend money buying clothes, you might as well buy good clothes that suit you, make you feel better, bring you confidence, and make you feel like you’re in a society where you belong. So when you are walking, your face is lifted with pride. You’re this person because that’s people’s first judgment of you. We are judgmental; we judge people based on appearances, and fashion’s the first thing, then the hair and the makeup. Many of my clients would like to, especially when they have reached a certain age; they want people to view them in a certain way. They want to be respected within the community. They want people not to judge them based on how lazy or floppy they look, or whatever the case may be. People need to understand that fashion is the most important thing. Suppose you want to have self-confidence, if you want to feel happy, going to the shops and meetings and restaurants and events. It’s the first thing that people see of you. For instance, if you go on a date, the person you see will sit there judging you when you walk through the door. They look at your handbag and your clothing, and immediately, they put you in a specific category, either rich, poor, fashionable, or whatever the case may be.
Noreen : This reminds of a scene from the Devil wears Prada, how some people don’t appreciate how important fashion is. So, when you consult your clients about the sort of look that they’re going for, and then you present something to them, and then you say, “Okay, I sort of suggest this style for you”, how do you deal with any sort of conflict?
Kolin: Well, it’s a two-way collaborative job that we do. I’m not going there to tell you off. I’m not trying to make you feel a certain way. I will understand your price point; how much are you willing to spend? What do you think about certain things, such as sustainability? For example, some people care about the earth, so they want to wear clothes that are made humanely. I establish your needs and expectations. Then I will give you my feedback based on what you’d like. I’ll provide loads of options to choose from, and then we’ll narrow it down to what is your favourite. If I suggest something to you and you don’t like it, I’ll ask why you don’t like it.
When they say no, they don’t like it, you need to ask why. People usually say, “Oh no, I don’t like it because, you know, my neck will show or my arms will show”. We need to explain the effect of why that dress or the item will be beneficial for them to buy. Explain the trend, the colours, and the benefits of purchasing that item, so it makes sense to them. We also put the styling together; we put looks together, and then you can see a clearer picture of what it’s supposed to look like. It’s always important to go in with an open mind, and you also need to remind them to have an open mind to try different things that they have never tried before. Because, you know, it’s hard to picture things when you are first experiencing them. When you have an open mind and willingness to try something, you are essentially working as a team. You have to understand the journey and the process, and they’ll be more relaxed to try more things later. But if they keep saying no, no, no, we’ll never get anywhere. You need to understand your client’s lifestyles, needs, where they work, and who their friends are to create something they’ll be happy to try and push the envelope. That’s how I work with my clients.
Noreen :Once you‘‘ve’re working with them and you’ve introduced them to this new style, how long do you normally stay with them?
Kolin: You try to build a relationship as a continuous thing, but you can’t let them rely on you for too long. If you go to the doctor or hospital, you want the doctor to cure you for that disease and then move on. Essentially, I would like to spend a day with them, giving them all the tools, advice, material, and resources they need to help them go through that new journey and transition. I’m always available if you need to call me or text me. I like to ensure they’re learning from me the whole way. So I send them some lookbooks. I can give them the names of places to shop, you know. They are more than welcome to speak to me if they’re stuck on decision-making when shopping independently. I say to them, I’m happy for you to take a picture, send it to me, and we can have a look and a little discussion about it and let’s see if that works for you. Or I could say you can buy five hours of time with me for six months and use it however you wish. You can text me, WhatsApp, or call me if you get stuck. But the whole idea of me working with you is to give you the tools and resources so you can move on and do it yourself. It’s the best way to do it because when you start creating looks for yourself, the confidence is crazy. It’s major, and you feel happy doing it because your friends will compliment you on your work, and you feel really proud of yourself for putting that together where before you couldn’t have done it.
Noreen :There is like a misconception that the fashion industry and the fashion world is exclusive and is sort of only reserved to people of a certain calibre. How do you convince people that they can be part of the fashion world?
Kolin: Specifically, my male clients don’t see fashion’s importance. They don’t know how fashion is helping them to keep warm, get jobs, have relationships and to enable them to assimilate into this society without being isolated or an outcast. I say that if you go into Primark to buy something, you are paying for fashion. Suppose you spend money on clothes once a year or two months. In that case, you are buying into style because fashion, like in The Devil Wears Prada, fashion trendsetters will forecast trends for the upcoming seasons, and designers will design runway clothes. It will trickle down to the high street. Even though you’re not buying Tom Ford or the runway, you are still buying clothes inspired by runway trends. High streets obviously copy and make it affordable and reachable to everybody. So if you’re going to invest in fashion, maybe you should buy things that are better quality and suit you better because you cannot escape the fashion industry. Everyone is involved, even like in Catholic Church; the Popes wear fashion, and the priests wear something to represent their role in society and the church.
At the end of the day, they’re like, “Oh no, I don’t believe in fashion”, and then they go on and spend about £20 on high street clothing, and they will never wear it because it doesn’t suit them. You’re actually spending more because you don’t know what you like and don’t know what works for you. Knowledge is power, and fashion is essential for our society and every living person. Even if you’re buying vintage or second-hand, or charity, you are using your money to purchase something that’s clothing. You might as well look good doing it so you feel better. I know some of my clients, their wardrobe has loads of clothes, but they only wear one thing. They will spend thousands but only wear one t-shirt, one pair of jeans, and that’s it. All that is just your money is lying there, not being utilized. It’s crazy to me because you have spent that money already. Why are you not wearing it? Then with time, you’re getting a bit bigger, and you don’t like that colour anymore, or it doesn’t excite you, but you only wore it once. Just be smart and invest in things you can wear multiple times.
Noreen: We’ve just had fashion week season recently. Do you try and sort of incorporate, current trends into your work when you’re working with your clients?
Kolin: It’s a tricky question because current trends are inevitable because they are what the stores have. Trends will come and go, and it’s not a good investment for my clients. For example, if you go into Zara, do not buy anything with prints. Please do not buy anything with recognizable patterns on it because you will see multiple people wearing it simultaneously, as that’s the trend. Next season you will never wear it again because everyone’s going to see you like you’re a bit too late or you’re repeating the trend. So buy things that are non-conspicuous in a way it can be non-identifiable. People are not going to know where you got it. That’s how we stay in trend.
Buy things that make you feel great and good and purposefully serve you, hence why you’re buying them. But do not buy high street trends or even luxury trends, i.e. Everyone was wearing the IT Bottega green bag for a season and the following season, Bottega has moved on from that trend; as I mentioned before, trends are very fleeting. You should continually replenish things seasonally or yearly based on the condition of what you have already, but try to avoid print or graphics that are easy to identify if you don’t know how to style them together. If you go into a store and you like something, buy it, but don’t buy it just because everyone else is having it or because there’s a famous Instagram influencer buying it – they will ruin it. Unless you start at the beginning of that trend, that’s fine. But if you’re not a fashionista, you never know when trends start.
If you want something, you can purchase it from a cross-gendered brand as an option. If you’re a male, maybe go to a female department or like gender-neutral brands. For example, I sometimes go into the women’s department or like a gender-neutral or genderless brand, and that’s the only way to be uniquely different rather than just following the trend. That will allow you to be unique and special in a way.
Noreen :Were there any sort of collections that stood out for you during fashion week?
Kolin: There was a lot, you know, New York, Paris, London, Milan, and now they did the Frieze Art Fair show for McQueen and Roksanda. I’m dyslexic, so it’s hard for me to like one thing. I’ve always liked something from here, something from there and off my head, I’m delighted with many black designers in Milan and Paris. Maximilian Davis for Ferragamo was excellent for me; Botter Paris had all the model’s hands inside a liquid condom, and Ibrahim for Off-White. Richard Quinn was really good. Dreamy and colourful at the same time. He did a homage to the Queen. It was brilliant. I wouldn’t say I liked Balenciaga, though.
Noreen :That was going to be my next question. Looking at their mud pit show that they had, do you feel like it’s sort of getting out of hand or do you think that’s just them being creative? What are your thoughts?
Kolin: Well, I grew up in an era where you had John Galliano doing incredible shows. McQueen would do spectacular, breath-taking out of this world shows that blew your mind for weeks on end. For me, that was amazing. Chanel would do something quite colourful, like designing some incredible shows in a supermarket or forests or whatever. I’m struggling to really grasp the concept with Balenciaga, I don’t get it, I don’t know. It’s like I woke up in the morning and had a crazy idea, but they made it a reality. The creative director at Balenciaga was seen eating crisps in a fashion show; fast forward to the next season, and he created a bag that replicates the same as a Lay’s crisp bag. It may be a joke at this point. I’m not Y2K, and I need help understanding the hype. This style doesn’t work for me, and many people are complaining. Then again, they made $2.5 billion in revenue. So, it’s doing something unique. It’s going downhill. Nicolas Ghesquière did such a fantastic job when he was designing for Balenciaga. Since then, I’m not sure what’s going on. He (Demna Gvasalia) needs to get fired pronto. It’s a mess, and for sure – It’s not my cup of tea. I’m not vibing it.
Noreen: Last question. If you could use any fashion item or accessory to describe yourself, what item would you pick to describe your personality and why?
Kolin: It’s got to be a bag, and I think because it completes a look. A bag is present in every woman’s wardrobe and personality and styling. People fall in love with handbags, they might hate clothes, but people will fall in love with a bag. You remember when you bought your first bag. A bag for me is the drip. Obviously, shoes are another one as well because shoes are essential. Shoes are appropriate to your personality because if they are clean, people love you. If you wear a worn-out pair of shoes, people will think, “oh my god, who are you”. People pay respect to what you’re wearing. Your footwear is important. If you’re not wearing the right pair of shoes, there are even some places you’re not going to get into, like the club, or you’re not going to get into a restaurant. Your shoe is your personal ID, pretty much your social security. So, the cleaner, the better. You have got to be tidy, polished and in good condition, and then everything else will fall in place. I think for me, it’s the shoes and bags.
Photographer: Stevan Borthwick
Clothing: Burberry, ReligionClothing, COS
Models. Leo Hill, Akrxm
You can find out more about Kolin’s services on his website and follow Kolin on Instagram @stylewithKolin
