August 25, 2016

Meet K-Town Wardrobe Stylist: Jes Lopez

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jes Lopez.

Jes, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
At the age of 4, I began dancing and performing. I found myself drawn to performance attire and it’s ability to create a character. As the years passed I decided I wanted to work in Fashion. Throughout my college career, I worked retail and ventured into Sales, Visual Merchandising, and Buying. This later prepared me for an internship for AZ Teen Magazine as a Stylist. After I had graduated from ASU, I moved to Los Angeles to follow my passions and yearn to work in the entertainment industry. After a couple of years of living here and many twists and turns, I finally found my way back into the stylist world. It wasn’t until my passion and courage met hand in hand that I finally began my career as a wardrobe stylist. For years, friends and artists would compliment me on my style and even hire me for projects. I never believed that I could have a career as a stylist because I thought I had to have a real “day job.” When I finally believed in myself that’s when things started happening.

Has it been a smooth road?
It definitely was not a smooth road and will never be, but that’s why I love it! My biggest struggle was believing in myself. I doubted myself because I thought I could not afford to follow my dreams because I wasn’t one of the fortunate ones who had everything handed to them. Once I stopped caring about those things and focused all my energy on making awesome shit… things changed fast! It wasn’t easy, coming from a single parent family… living pay check to pay check (in this economy). A light bulb went off and was like there is only one thing you want, so get it! Once you know what you want, you will figure out how to make it work. It’s how you survive!

When you look back, can you point to a period when you wanted to quit or a period that was really frustrating?
In the beginning, I found myself thinking about quitting because of financial reasons. As I have grown older and wiser I realize that if you really want something you have to fight for it. Time is money. I realized that all the time I spent thinking of how I was going to pay my bills, which lead me to think of quitting…I could spend it figuring out how I can be a better stylist and how I can grow my business. Once you know what you want, it’s important to stay focused. You must focus on the positive to keep growing. I have never been a quitter and always chased after my dreams, but I’m not going to lie… the thoughts use come across my mind. They don’t anymore… because there is nothing else I want more than to be better than I was yesterday. I can only move forward, not backwards!

What advice do you wish to give to those thinking about pursuing a path similar to yours?
Believe in yourself, because if you don’t… no one else will!

What are you looking forward to?
I am most excited about being in charge of my future. It’s scary being on your own, but also very refreshing and exhilarating. I never know what tomorrow is going to be like and I love it! Tomorrow, I might just search the internet for some cool up and coming artists/designers or maybe tomorrow I’ll style Lady Gaga! Who knows? The opportunities are endless!

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