Today we’d like to introduce you to Brejon Golden.
Hi Brejon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey has been a whirlwind of divine encounters and pure hustle. I was born in Los Angeles but then moved to Corona in 7th grade. I always had an interest in clothing and fashion because of BET and MTV Jams. Most of the time instead of regular tv, I would just watch music videos for hours and shows about how they are made and I just fell in love. When I moved to Corona, I used to think all the other kids had the worst taste in outfits; they did not know what was poppin no name brands no nothing so I loved dressing flashy at school. Fresh Jordan’s, Rocawear or EckoRed on the tags and I always kept a matching bandana or swap meet slouch socks on deck (LAME). I was fortunate enough to have a computer with internet access in my house so I used to hop on these cyber doll websites and you could dress them for different occasions so if it wasn’t music videos, I was sitting on the computer dressing my dolls up for the club, outing, or red carpet. Didn’t really know what a stylist really was until high school but always knew I wanted to put outfits together and dress other people. I’ve always been a hustler and wanted to work for myself. I started making my own money at 16 throwing parties.
Since I knew so many people, it worked out pretty nicely and I did that until I got my first actual job at 18 workings for Wet Seal (too young if you don’t know). I would tell everyone growing up “when we graduate I’m moving back to LA to work in fashion. I’m going to be a stylist.” June 2010 came and I was in my first apartment by Jan 2011. I had plans on attending FIDM but my family couldn’t afford it. I happened to be pretty good at doing hair so I thought I would become a cosmetologist first to pay for fashion school. I did one year of beauty school then landed a part-time job at Sally Beauty Supply. I went to school and worked and realized quickly adulting isn’t cheap so I quit beauty school to work full time and haven’t looked back. My mom kept telling me you can’t meet stylists working on Crenshaw so try and get hired in the high-end stores. I landed a seasonal position at Saks Fifth Avenue and the luxury retail world opened itself up to me after that. During that time, I learned about School of Style which is a fashion program geared toward aspiring stylists. It was around $6000 to enroll at the time and I didn’t have that to pay in full so I worked until I could save it. I moved to Atlanta and worked as a hostess at a bbq restaurant and for a luxury consignment shop— I’m Jamaican so I will never be without a job or tree (3). In Atlanta, I booked my first styling gig doing a music video for an artist named “Mickiasha”. I look at that video now and cringe but I appreciate sis for giving me a chance! School of style enrollment opened up for October 2015 and I was in there. I flew to New York, stayed for two weeks and completed my nine days styling course. Shortly after, I moved back to LA with my newfound education in my field. I began interning for one of my instructors then found myself working at Chanel.
After Chanel, I worked in a boutique in West Hollywood and it was during that time I started to really seek out more styling opportunities. I found a better paying job working for LVMH owned Thomas Pink. I worked at the Beverly Hills location until it got shutdown and my whole staff was laid off. I emailed about 40 stylists and three of them got back to me but only one was LA-based at the moment. I met with her and began interning for her. Six months in she was able to hire me officially as an assistant and that was the beginning of my freelance career. I assisted for many different stylists and worked on a variety of shoots which have attributed so much to my adaptability as a stylist. I’ve worked on anything from large cast TV promo, award shows, editorial, music videos, commercials, lookbook so many different types of styling. I’m comfortable with the work I’ve put in so far to have confidence in my eye and discernment in the jobs I take on as a key stylist. More inspiring than the stylists I’ve worked for are the other assistants and interns I’ve been in the trenches with. If you know, you know.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As an assistant, it was smooth in the beginning the only bumps for me really was just learning on the job and making so many sometimes costly mistakes. You’re expected to be on point at all times as a stylist and as a beginner, there are so many details you aren’t aware of and as a woman of color the fear of looking dumb when you don’t know something or angry when frustrated on the job always haunts you. It wasn’t until year 3 I stopped really caring about how people in the industry silently judged me. Now that there are more women like me on set and in leadership positions, I hope to be part of a more comfortable work environment for women of color in entertainment and fashion. Another challenge I faced was getting paid my rate and in a timely manner. Nobody tells you when you start in entertainment you won’t see your money for damn near two months. For me, that just was not working out. This was the first time in my life I didn’t have stable income but was making more than I ever had per day. Make it make sense cause it wasn’t making dollars okay! After a few conversations with fellow assistants, I realized as well I wasn’t making the money my white or white passing counterparts were and that’s when I learned to negotiate my rate. These people will work you like a dog and pay you the same way.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My background in styling is so diverse I can’t say I specialize in one type. Color is my specialty. My Caribbean heritage gives me a natural inclination toward bold colors and all the tones and shades in between. I love to mix tailored pieces with streetwear and sometimes if I’m feeling wild, I’ll go with a print (lately, it’s been Zebra). Dramatic shapes excite me and skimpy clothes do too. Here in LA anything goes so personally I dress for my mood. You’ll almost always catch me in a boot though. It’s not easy breaking into styling so I am very proud that I did exactly what I set out to do. I even started a loungewear line called FourtyFour (shameless plug lol) I always said I would never design clothes and here we are. I love learning about personal branding as it pertains to my career and my business the two are hand in hand. Being a stylist has made me a better entrepreneur and vice versa. What sets me apart from others is my ability to connect people. I’m always thinking of how to put my friends or associates on before even myself. I know my creator will always take care of me and keep blessing me as long as I’m a vessel for others. I’m a people person and for some reason, my energy is magnetic. I know it’s not like that for everyone so I always love being the one to bring like-minded individuals together for their benefit.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
First of all, I pray daily. Since COVID, I’ve been reading sooooo much. Books like Vibrating Higher Daily, Atomic Habits, The Four Agreements, Power of the Subconscious Mind, Wounded Heart, so many lol. I purchased the Calm app for meditation which I need to do more of. I’m usually so on the go that I don’t tend to self so this downtime has helped me forge a new routine and take my mental health more serious. I also now have an affirmation journal called Today I Affirm by Alex Elle it’s so introspective and necessary.
Contact Info:
- Email: b.goldenstyle@gmail.com
- Website: www.shopfourtyfour.com
- Instagram: BrejonGolden
- Other: www.brejongolden.com
Image Credits:
Furaha Golden Jasmine Baeza Pamela Bautista Amanda Pratt
What to check out next:
Aleasha Bahr is a sales & marketing strategist known for showing introverts and ambiverts the Secret Art of Subtle Selling. She personally sold millions in revenue while discovering introverts are usually top sales people – as soon as they stop trying to act like extroverts. We’ve partnered with her to produce Introverted Entrepreneur Success Stories. Check out episode 1 below:
