Meet Stephanie Scull of Scully Styles in Studio City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Scull.

Stephanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
First and foremost, I have always been an artist… literally, while other kids were selling lemonade on the street, I was selling my drawings! In addition to this, though, I was also heavily into dance and competed in national competitions from a very young age.

When I turned 18, my parents insisted I go to college for something other than dance or art; so I received my BA in Apparel Design with a concentration in Fashion Merchandising from the University of Delaware. I went there because they had incredible study abroad opportunities and, fortunately I was able to take advantage of them!

While in college, I was selected to spend a semester abroad at the Paris American Academy in Paris, France where I learned couture techniques and was able to assist various designers during Paris Fashion Week; some of which include: Ellie Saab, Yumi Katsura, Damir Doma, and Alexis Mabille. After that, I was chosen as one of the top ten students to work with the Fair Labor Association on an ethical fashion project in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. During my time there, I was able to study sustainable fashion, fair labor, and the processes of production in ethical factories. Both of these experiences deeply impact my decisions as a designer today!

After college, I went back to my old ways and began a career in dance. I danced anywhere and everywhere– commercials, TV, Film, Music Videos, Live Shows, etc. Ironically though, this meant that I was still constantly around costumes/wardrobe; and when people found out that I could sew and had a degree, I would get asked to sew up a hole, fix a costume, or occasionally give input on an outfit.

As my dance career progressed, these fashion favors got bigger and bigger until one day, I got a phone call from an entertainment company that wanted to hire me as their costume designer… I said, “I’m sorry but, you know I’m not actually costume designer right?” And she quickly replied, “well, you’re about to be!”

…So eight years and a whole bunch of crazy costumes later: she was right and here I am!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I actually can’t think of a single thing that is easy or smooth about being a self-employed/freelance designer!

Fashion is the second largest industry in the world, yet it is one of the most underrated, disrespected industries to work in. I suspect a lot of this has to do with the prominence of fast fashion. Fast fashion teaches people that your clothes are dispensable, easy to create, and not life-changing… And all of this is so dangerously false.

Working as a self-employed/freelance designer a 24/7 job that consists of creating wearable, durable and affordable 3-dimensional masterpieces out of someone’s mere words. I think we are a lot like architects, only paid and respected way less… The hours are long, the deadlines are short; the demands can be ridiculous, and your rate too often gets indirectly compared to the unethical factory rates in China because “Forever 21 carries dresses for 1/10 of your price!”

With all that said though, I think my biggest struggle/challenge was making 90 costumes in two weeks with virtually no budget… Just so I could say I costumed an entire show! My assistant and I were chopping up Goodwill items and recycling them into costumes, I never slept more than 4 hours, and at one point I think we were literally jumping over each other just to get to the sewing machine quicker. When we finished, my apartment looked like a fabric war-zone with too many casualties, but the stage looked… PRISTINE.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Scully Styles – what should we know?
As a business, I do several things:

Predominantly, I create custom costumes or ready-to-wear looks for various clients in the entertainment industry… This is my area of expertise because my process is very personal since I can complete every phase of work on my own– from drawing the initial design to sourcing fabrics to sewing garments, to tailoring in the final fitting; I help my clients obtain whatever is in their wildest dreams! I also enjoy that I can achieve this without underpaying or overworking anyone in a factory. As a business, I believe all assistants and workers should be respected and paid– so everything about my process is ethical and humane and I think that is an important foundation for any business.

When I’m not creating custom costumes, I work as a freelance Stylist for personal clients in the entertainment industry. Through dance, I have learned so much about the entertainment industry and I enjoy being able to put this knowledge to good use by helping industry professionals develop their image. I believe fashion and the clothes people wear are: internally, very psychological; and externally, serve as an important means of communicating who you are with the world. Putting someone in the right outfit can not only enhance his or her confidence, but it can tell the world what he or she wants to receive… And you can only get what you ask for!

Last, during the quarantine, I developed a line called: “By, ScullyStyles” where I am currently selling handcrafted jewelry! (Thanks to the pandemic, I had some time to learn new skills and decided to put them to use.) When work picks up again, I plan to use this platform to sell my leftover custom made pieces after they’ve been used on set!

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
First, I have to credit my parents because I really would not even be writing this without them. They forced me to hone in on my vague skills as an artist and taught me about the importance of educating myself, all while being great role models. My dad has always been the master of finances and my mom is the master of all things arts and crafts, so as a creative entrepreneur, I really couldn’t ask for better role models!

Next, I have to credit Cydny Pina, the little angel who trusted me to be her costume designer when she really had no reason to trust me at all! Her costume design demands helped lead me to my fate… and though I probably would’ve stumbled here on my own, she ultimately gave me the lift that I didn’t know I needed!

And last, I need to thank Rhapsody James. This woman has played a role in ALL my successes– both as a dancer and as a designer. She’s had faith in me from the beginning and her continued support means so much to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stephaniescull.wixsite.com/scullystyles
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scullystyles
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ByScullyStyles
• Other: https://byscullystyles.square.site

Image Credit:
Wes Klain, Davia Gomez, Kandee Johnson, Tara Simon, Taylor Piper, Michelle Mitchenor, Lindsay Rosenberg, Ben Carter, Jordan Funkey, Amber Baker, Jessica Pro, Katie Barnum, Lonni Olson, Allie Laliberte, Jazz Smith, Maja Keres, Paola Ace, Selena Watkins, Johnnie Taylor, Liz Guerrieri

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