Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoe Hennessey.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Zoe. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I was enthralled with fashion at age three and always knew to follow that path. I started to study fashion design, but preferred drawing over sewing, and quickly realized being a designer was not for me.
After college, I moved to NYC and waited tables, was a receptionist and got my real estate license. Then, one day in a bar in Hoboken, a girl told me she was “paid to shop in Bloomingdale’s,” which immediately got my attention. This was way before anyone knew anything about being a fashion stylist. I immediately knew that is what I wanted to do.
One thing led to another, and I got my first styling internship, which led to paid assistant work. I assisted for a long time for amazing stylists, worked on crazy fashion editorials for top magazines with really famous photographers, big cosmetics commercials, and A-list celebrities.
It was an amazing experience, but eventually, I knew I needed to break out on my own. So off I went to LA, and have been building my business on the sunny west coast ever since!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been ups and downs. It is tough living in the most expensive cities in the world and not knowing for sure when your next paycheck is coming! Editorials rarely pay, so building your book can sometimes be days of work for no money, and if the pictures are not good or the model doesn’t show up, it is all for nothing.
People have a misunderstanding of the immense amount of work involved – it’s not just picking out clothes! Stylists need to be insanely organized, we often put thousands of dollars of clothes on our personal credit cards, and there’s really a lot of physical labor, too!
At the end of the day, I collaborate with truly gifted people and create gorgeous images. If I am working with a private client, seeing her look absolutely stunning and feeling confident, is really a great feeling, and makes it worth it.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
My business is split between fashion styling and personal shopping. The styling jobs are paid jobs for fashion brands, advertisers, music videos, celebrities, and television. Often fashion styling gets confused with costume design, but it is very different. I also shop and style private, individual clients.
As I’ve said, I’ve been absorbing fashion since I was very young, so my sense of style comes from an inherent, knowledgeable place. I’m not just following trends; I’ve built and refined my point of view through the years, and I’m very confident about what does and doesn’t work.
And I think my clients, both in the industry and private, appreciate my ability to provide the vision they want in a very sophisticated and different way. My entire life I’ve traveled and immersed myself in art, and I think bringing that broader aesthetic shows in my styling.
Being a stylist is a singular position, and it can be easy to kind of lose yourself in what’s cool, so I’m proud that I’ve been able to build my business, stay independent, and hang on to the things that make me unique.
Contact Info:
- Website: zoehennessey.com
- Phone: 9176237590
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @zoehennessey
- Facebook: fb.me/zoehennesseystylist
- Twitter: @fauxcils
Image Credit:
Steve Erle and Fab Fernandez
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