Conversations with Sorna Zoleykhayan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sorna Zoleykhayan

Hi Sorna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I love this question because it truly speaks to my brand and how I serve my clients. Contrary to what is typical in this field, I didn’t come to start doing this work with any sort of fashion background. My why came more from an emotional place. It came after I got my color palette done. Before I didn’t fully understand how negatively I saw myself. From being bullied, to growing up around diet culture, a positive self image didn’t come naturally to me. Getting dressed was incredibly frustrating experience, changing over and over again until I settled on a black on black outfit. Easy, safe, uncreative with my room looking like a hurricane hit. My wardrobe was also an area where my negative self talk was loud.

After… Not right away, it took some time. But as I started building my wardrobe and dressing using my palette the negative self talk started to fade. Getting dressed became a grounding and exciting experience for me, it’s a way to start my day feeling good about myself. I started to like what I see in the mirror.

The effect on my self confidence was profound. I wanted to learn how to bring this to more people. I knew that I can help more people with their daily struggles of not liking what they see in the mirror, decision overwhelm when it comes to shopping, and regularly saying “I have nothing to wear” when staring at a closet full to the brim. I’ve always known that I wanted to do something that was in service of elevating others quality of life. This definitely came as a surprise, because like I said I never would have called myself a fashion girly. But when I learned about Seasonal Color Analysis it all made so much sense. It’s truly a uniquely effective tool in discovering your personal style and solving these common wardrobe problem.

My favorite part of all is getting messages from clients after the fact about how good they feel, how excited they are about getting dressed, how random people will compliment them on that they’re wearing, how they never thought they’d be happy looking in the mirror until now, the list goes on. Knowing that I’ve helped them change the way they see themselves is all the reward I need.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Building your own business is hard as is, and I’ve recently become a first time mom, which has definitely brought on some new challenges. But I know that what I do matters. Helping people feel good about themselves when they look in the mirror is sacred work. Knowing that I help facilitate positive change in my clients self esteem keeps me going even when the road isn’t as smooth and challenges come up.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Color and Image Consultant and I help my clients learn about the colors that work best for them based on their inherent coloring – hair, skin, and eyes.

The method I use is called Seasonal Color Analysis. This theory was first thought up by a woman named Suzanne Caygill who observed that the colors in nature are harmonious and meant to be. For example you wouldn’t look at a tree in Autumn and say the colors are wrong. She thought if this harmony is true for nature then it must also be true for humans who are a part of nature. She saw that not only is our natural coloring inherently harmonious, but also our physical appearance is a reflection of our personalities. These themes fell into four general groups – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Within these groups there are many subtypes. This fact about seasons and personalities usually surprises people. Many don’t know that color analysis and personality have a lot to do with each other, in the system I use.

I use this method during a 2.5 hour session to create individualized color palettes for my clients. These color fans are essentially your face pixelated into fabric. I’m comparing many stick to find your exact skintone, blush, red, eye colors, hair colors, white, and all the other colors that harmonize with you. The color palettes are art and my clients faces are the muse, the resulting fan is beautiful because you are beautiful. I also create a follow-up personal styling LookBook that helps with tips on how to use your colors as well as style inspiration for your unique aesthetic direction. While this method does have four categories I’ve never met two clients who were exactly the same. It’s exciting to see how my clients access their creativity after getting their palette done. You get to take your color palettes and style guides and make it your own.

There are a couple of things that set me apart –
(1) I work closely with you in your post palette journey in helping you reconnect with your inner voice. So it’s less me telling you what to wear and more me helping you discover how to identify the styles that you feel your best in. I find that this level one-on-one support really helps my clients in gaining self-confidence in the style choices.
(2) I offer my clients lifetime support. I have clients from years ago coming back because they have an event or they want to update their wardrobe for the season. I offer my advice and support even years after our session at no additional cost
(3) Even after getting your palette done shopping can feel overwhelming, with the endless number of options to choose from. I’ve created a Post Palette shopping site where it’s easy shop for pieces in your colors and styles after you’re gotten your color analysis done. This was created so that you can be more intentional with your shopping and no longer waste money on things you’ll never wear.

Any big plans?
In the future I’d love to do more event based services and speaking engagements. I’ve always had a fear of public speaking that I’m starting to overcome. And events are always so much fun, whether it’s a PTA event, a bridal shower, or a community party the guests always have an amazing time learning about 1-2 of their colors and talking about color analysis. Another area I’d love to dive into is working with brides. Planning weddings come with so many aesthetic based decisions – dress, hair, makeup, flowers, decor, photography style, color palettes all of which a Color and Image consult can help in giving you a clear direction. I’m excited to see where this work can take me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tapto.shop/colorsbysorna
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorsbysorna

Image Credits
Sorna Zoleykhayan
Yocheved Glantz Vogel