Happy Thursday!
The Breaking into Fashion Interviews have ramped up again with Prince Deonte “DEO” Nash, a celebrity stylist who has worked with Cassie, Diddy, Brandy, Ciara, and many more.
He got his start at Bad Boy, working closely with stylist Derek Roche to curate looks for Dirty Money, Cassie, and Diddy. His career has taken him from styling videos for Ciara to curating concepts for Brandy, Lala Anthony, Jason DeRulo, Nicki Minaj, and Ne-Yo.
Deonte grew up in South Central, Los Angeles, and always seemed to have a knack for knowing which pieces went with what. He said, “I didn’t know what a stylist was! But every morning before I went to school, my mom would make me approve of her work outfit. It was our morning ritual. She would wake me up, she would open my door, and say do you like this outfit? I would say yes or no, or tell her to switch up her accessories.” Even with his natural stylish senses, he still never thought about pursuing a career in fashion.
His destiny changed when he followed a relationship to New York City at the age of 19. Two weeks after settling down in the Big Apple, he responded to a Craigslist posting for an A&R position. He recalls, “When I went to the group interview [for a position at Bad Boy], Harve Pierre [President of Bad Boy records] called me out and asked me ifI thought it was appropriate to wear sneakers to an interview. I responded, ‘These aren’t sneakers, they’re designer loafers.’” Deonte’s Pucci loafers and confidence got him a call back. But instead of getting the A&R position, the Bad Boy team elected to have Deonte assist Derek Roche, Diddy’s personal stylist. And the rest is history.
Deonte hit the ground running, assisting Roche with the Sean John Fashion Show, then with A Raisin in the Sun‘s promotional tour. When Deonte moved back to California in 2008, he and Roche stayed in touch, and Roche would include Deonte in styling jobs taking place in LA. Deonte, Roche, and Marni Senofonte worked on Cassie’s Official Girl video, and became like a dream team. Working under those stylists for that video and for many projects afterwards taught Deonte a lot about the business.
He explains, “Derek and Marni are almost like my parents, lol. I owe my career to them. Derek taught me a lot of my business sense. He taught me how to pull from a store, how to get my first client on my own, how to not go on set with an attitude, and how to bite the bullet. He would tell me, ‘It’s a business, you can’t take things so personally all the time. If a client doesn’t like something, you might feel a certain kind of way. But, it’s a business: give them what they want and [move on].‘” From Marni, he learned, “the small things matter, don’t be late to set, be organized, and make sure you’re set up before your client gets there.”
Deonte had some extra words of advice for those of you looking to style. He says, “Have good credit if you want to break in. When it comes to doing pulls, you have to use your own credit card. You have to have savings. It’s an expensive career. Sometimes my expenses are $30,000 a month. That’s just working. You have to be a business person. It’s not just about walking through the mall, walking through Barney’s, and shopping.”
Just getting started? Move to a big market. He says, “Move to LA, New York, or Atlanta. [If LA and New York are too expensive], move to Atlanta, save your money, stack your chips. You’re not going to get anything sending people resumes over the internet. The way I got my job…things don’t work like that anymore. You have to have a reference. People want to see you. Go to the best of the parties. Network, but don’t be too pushy. Go to stores like H&M, Zara, Discount Stores, make friends with photographers and videographers, and put a book together. Find a camera guy on Model Mayhem. As long as you have a good camera guy, a model is going to shoot.”
When you work with stars, he advises, “Don’t be trying to Instagram pictures. These ain’t your friends. Don’t be sneaky.”
He continues, “… Don’t be a thief or a cheater. Make sure the clothes are always back to the store on time. The best way to ruin a good relationship [with a store] is to keep the tag on, let your client wear it, and take it back.”
He adds, “Have a good attitude. Don’t be sneaky. Don’t be trying to Instagram. The biggest misconception about celebs is that they’re not real, normal people. They catch tea and vibes just like everybody else.”
And when it comes to the business of styling, he says, “With somebody like Cassie, she and I collaborate. I don’t push [things] on her. Sometimes you have to give the client what they want, but put your own twist to it. I’m adamant about that. If you hire me to do a job, let me do my job. I like to communicate with whoever it is. Communication is key to being a good stylist.”
” I don’t look at the names of designers. You would laugh if you shopped with me. I’m not materialistic. You don’t have to know the name of every designer. If you know fashion and have a good business sense, you’re all good.”
His last pointed word of advice, which would work for anyone in the fashion industry, “Unless you’re on salary. You better save those checks. You’re not making [thousands] every single day. If you don’t save your checks and you blow your money, you’re gonna be broke. You’re always going to be stressed out. I did it before. I used to get a $6,000-$7,000 check and go to Barney’s and Opening Ceremony. As you get older, you realize that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I was always gonna be chasing a check. And when you’re chasing a check, you don’t work well.” True, indeed!
At any rate, that was a lot of great advice, no? The key to success in the styling business is to find a great mentor (or two), know your stuff, work with integrity, and fine tune your business skills. Sound tips for any profession!
Follow Prince Deonte on Instagram @PrinceDeonte to keep track of his stylish steps, and also keep an eye out for his forthcoming book, which promises to recount his life story (and hopefully dispense even more wisdom).
What did you think of this Breaking into Fashion interview?
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