Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Mitchell.
Mandy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It wasn’t until making the move from LA to NY that I got my first real taste of the fashion world. While working on my BFA at Pratt Institute, my friends and I got into the Brooklyn art scene and took an internship at Vice Magazine where I had my first on set experiences and was mentored by great people.
When I moved back to LA after college, I started working at my friend’s store, Milk Boutique, this was right around when e-commerce sites were really taking off and so I had this idea to revamp the Milk website and make it another store essentially. I then started landing styling jobs for companies such as Nordstrom, Mother Denim and Anine Bing.
Most importantly for me, working for the last six/seven years in this industry has to lead me to my passion project of creating art from the vast amounts of waste generated from photo/film sets. I take everyone’s plastic water bottles and make sculptures out of them. It’s important for me to remind myself that there is a bigger picture out there and to be aware of the waste we create every day.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing that’s worthwhile comes easy. I believe everything comes in opposites, struggle – success, happiness – pain.. and so on. So if you want to get ahead you have to accept the struggle.
I will say I’ve paid my dues and honestly, I’m still paying them!! I spent many 10 hour days steaming clothing, I’ve had FedEx meltdowns, 5am call times, ruined a $1200 jacket, and sat in countless hours of LA traffic.
I always say I’m a professional schlepper. But all the garment bag deadlifts and steamer burns are worth it when you collaborate and create art with some incredible people! Not to mention the smug knowledge that you can get from Malibu to Downtown LA solely using back routes.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I’m a Fashion Stylist who specializes in creative web content for brands and e-commerce stores. I also work a lot with up coming musicians for their music videos. I love the music world, and I have no musical talent, so it’s my chance to be a part of it! I’m also known as the stylist who is collecting the garbage from set to create art out of.
I don’t take myself so seriously. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the fashion world and let ego take over, but at the end of the day, it’s clothing. For me it’s meant to be fun, and I think that energy comes out in my final images.
I’m really passionate about the environment, so I do my best if I need to make purchases to hunt down unique vintage and repurpose pieces rather than using fast fashion for shoots. I’ll also take on pretty much anything, for example, if a client switches it up from wanting their band to go from looking like The Beatles to the Rolling Stones day of – I’m on it… Or if a client asks me if I can solder crystal pendants to a shirt in an hour – I’ll get straight to googling how to solder.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I was taught from a young age that if you’re going to do something do it with a smile on your face. I’ve been told I’m tenacious and have done a lot of work on myself to be a more patient person. The art of patience has really helped me become a more successful person.
It takes a long time to get ahead in the fashion world but if you do the bitch work and do it well- with a good attitude, trust me, you’ll get noticed. This is a very personality based industry, it’s not enough to just be talented – a sincere good attitude is a sure-fire way to move forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mandyleighmitchell.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: mandymitz
Image Credit:
Yoni Goldberg, Shelby Goldstein
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