Chat With A Stylist
Idyllyn Frimpong is a talented stylist based in the UK who styled Svosva's Juxtaposition campaign. Starting off in 2018 as a personal shopper for family and friends, Idyllyn Frimpong found her feet during this past year styling fashion shoots. Her passion, drive and love for styling resulted in her being the fashion assistant for Alicai Harley’s cover of Notion 89 and then styling our very own Svosva Campaign.
1. How did you get into styling? Where did your love for fashion come from?
My interest in styling came from watching music videos. I’ve always been obsessed with watching music videos and looking at the cool outfits in the videos. I’ve also always been intrigued by looks from the red carpet, photoshoots and magazine covers. This inspires how I style. I like to think about how I can do this job [styling] in a way that will make people wonder how I did it.
Before that, my love for styling very much came from my mum. My mum likes nice things and always had nice clothes, bags and shoes. That also inspired my sense of style.
2. Did you always know you would want to become a stylist or work in the fashion industry?
I didn’t know that I wanted to do styling but I always knew that I wanted to work in the fashion industry. Before styling became a big part of my life, I used to do a lot of drawing like fashion illustrations and fashion designs- I even designed my prom dress. At GCSE, I did textiles too. So, I’ve always been really interested in design and fashion.
But, I just never thought that I would end up in the fashion industry. Growing up, fashion and styling didn’t ever seem like a career choice; but times have now changed. Through watching people on social media, I saw that it was possible to make a career out of styling and fashion; and when I realised it was possible, I just thought, let me just go for it!
3. How would you describe your personal style in 3 words?
Minimal. Laid back. Expressive.
4. Who are your style icons and are there any stylists that have been essential to your creative development?
Probably Cardi B and her creative team. They’re really doing their thing right now!
I also love Doja Cat. She’s doing some serious stuff. And that just goes to show what it looks like when you have a proper creative team.
In terms of stylists that have been instrumental in my career, the first stylist I ever spoke to was Alizé Demange, who is Young T and Bugsey’s stylist. At the beginning of this year, when I decided that I would take fashion styling seriously, I had a one-to-one talk with her and she really encouraged me. She explained to me different things that I could do to start my career in styling and find my feet; which was really helpful.
Jermaine Robinson is also another stylist that has been essential to my creative development. He was the first person who gave me the opportunity to assist in styling. So, he has been extremely instrumental in how my year has gone and how consistent I have been. It has been down to him.
5. What has been your experience navigating the fashion industry in the UK?
It has been very interesting and I am still learning. But I think that it is very interesting to see how much goes into the industry. I don’t think people fully realise what goes into the role of a stylist; it's a serious job. I can walk the four corners of London in one day trying to find clothes, haha! Especially as a styling assistant! For example, for a shoot, we would start preparing a week in advance contacting brands and PR agents. So, organisation and structure are key, otherwise, things go missing and you can lose your head because you’ll have to pay! You need to know where everything is at all times.
6. What advice would you give to people wanting to go into styling?
If you want to do it, just do it! I could’ve started ages ago, but I kept talking myself out of it because I went to university but I didn’t do a fashion related degree. I always thought I had to build a portfolio by styling myself, so that if I was to ask to assist [a stylist] I’d have something to show them. However, I remember one night I was just thinking to myself, screw it and I typed out an email and sent it out to stylists to look for styling assistant jobs. Not everyone will get back to you, but email as many people as you can and eventually someone will respond back to you and give you a chance. So, if you want to do it, go for it because that experience is valuable! You just have to be eager. When a stylist takes you on as an assistant, yes you are helping them out, but they are also taking their own time to teach you about the industry and you can’t take that for granted. If you have an opportunity, you can do it! Be there and be on it. Show them that you are reliable.
7. We know you did an amazing job on the up- coming Svosva campaign; what was your favourite thing about styling the shoot?
My favourite thing was seeing the actual pieces in real life and to be able to put them together with the models. Before the shoot, I had seen the pictures of the designs and the clothing but I hadn’t seen them in person. So, to see them was just great. What Tadi is doing with the brand is amazing and the quality of the garments is crazy. I’m really excited for the Svosva brand.
8. When you saw the collection how did it make you feel
When I saw the clothes and touched them for the first time, I thought wow. I can’t express enough how great the quality of the clothes are; it's insane. This is serious streetwear and I can tell the brand is going to be big.
9. After being approached to style for the Svosva shoot, how did you prepare for the shoot? Where did your creative journey begin?
To begin with, Tadi gave me a mood board with the vibe she was going for and showed me some of the looks she had come up with. This was a good reference point because it gave me an idea about what she wanted. So, I was able to build on that and shop around for pieces that fit in with the theme of the campaign. From there, I would communicate with Tadi about different looks that I would come up with and talk with her to see if it fits in with what she was thinking, just to make sure that I had the right idea and was going down the right path.
10. In total, how many looks did you style?
Altogether, I styled more than 17 looks for 5 models; which was great!
11. Is there anything you particularly like about the new collection?
I really like the overall vibe of the collection. I found it interesting how the collection is streetwear but it has a luxe feel. I keep going back to the quality of the clothes because I really do think that it’s amazing and will make the brand stand out. You can really feel that Svosva isn’t just a regular streetwear brand. I first noticed Tadi from her Youtube videos, so when I see the work that she puts in behind the scenes and then see the final products, you can really see that she's worked hard on the pieces.
12. Do you have a favourite item of clothing from the new collection?
My favourite item has to be the Kaii set. At the shoot she [Tadi] hadn’t yet decided a name for it but we called it the pyjama set. I love that set! That set is so banging! The prints are beautiful.
13. How does Svosva clothing differentiate from some of the other clothing that you have styled?
Creatively, what Svosva is doing as a brand for this campaign launch is something I haven’t seen before. For example, I found the location of the shoot really cool. I haven’t seen many streetwear brands shoot in a castle; which I thought was really unique and out of the box. The designs of the clothes are great, so, it's also refreshing to see the creativity carry through into the shoots.
14. What was it like working with the Svosva creative team?
It was good working with the Svosva creative team. Everyone was so friendly. They were very good at communicating the style brief- it was very clear. This really helped me to be able to do my job and made it easy for me to work with them because I knew what they wanted from me.
15. How was your overall experience at the shoot?
It was great! This was my first brand campaign that I have done as the main stylist and I enjoyed it so much. I have always wanted to test the waters in doing brand campaigns so for this to have been my first was amazing.
16. What do you hope the future has in store for you and your career?
I just want to progress in my styling career as much as I can and just be able to get to a point where I can be recognised for my work. Like, people can see me and know what I’m about without me having to say too much. I just want my work to speak for itself. So, I just want to work with the best and build a name for myself.
