If you want to be a celebrity stylist, you must first master a variety of skills. You’ll need a good sense of color, fashion, and hairstyles. This is only the beginning; you must also be extremely self-assured, skilled at selling yourself and your services, and capable of dealing with people from all walks of life. You’ll need to make contacts in the entertainment and fashion industries, network like crazy, and be blessed with more than a little luck.
Those aspiring to be celebrity stylists used to be limited to hair colors and styles, but that is no longer the case. Most of the time, the celebrity stylist acts as an overseer for all of the personal services that a celebrity may require, hiring people like hair stylists, fashion consultants, and even public relations personnel. You could be dealing with actors and actresses, politicians, agents, film and television studios, clothing designers, make-up artists, and fine jewelry purveyors. This is on top of the one-on-one meetings with the celebrity in question.
As with many careers, your path to becoming a celebrity stylist will most likely start at the bottom. Assuming you have the necessary tools, skills, and knowledge to be considered a style expert, your best bet is to work for others. You should look for work at a well-known hair salon or a large fashion conglomerate. If you’ve been successful in your quest, you might want to try working as a hair or fashion artist in movies, television, or stage shows to gain experience and notoriety. It would also help if you were hired by a celebrity representation agency, even if the position was only an internship.
Keep in mind that the majority of people who aspire to be celebrity stylists never succeed. Expertise isn’t enough because you’ll be joining an exclusive and cliquish community. Always remember that you are promoting your own image and attempting to be noticed by those who might be interested in your services. Your goal is to establish your own brand, develop your own mystique, and gain acceptance as a member of a small fraternity.
If you’ve jumped through all of these hoops and made a significant number of personal contacts, now is the time to put up your shingle and try your hand at becoming a celebrity stylist. If you only get one celebrity client and he likes your work, you’ve succeeded in getting your foot in a very important door. Word of mouth is the most common way for a celebrity stylist’s fame and abilities to spread, and one satisfied client should lead to more.