Rising Stars: Meet Silver Zamudio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Silver Zamudio.

Hi Silver, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
My whole life, I grew up with social anxiety. I was someone that was nervous to express themself and always hid from the world. From a simple “here” during school roll call to ordering at restaurants, I could not function. I was the one person that no one knew or ever remembered. My whole life, I hated who I was and wanted to change. The one thing that I was confident about and would help boost my confidence was fashion. Without saying any words, I could show how I was feeling that day and slowly show others who Silver really is. During covid is when things really changed. I decided to take initiative and become the person I always wish I was. Not only did my confidence grow, but so did my aesthetic. I was becoming my own person, and I wanted to show the whole world the new me. I began taking pictures of myself to post on Instagram. I used my unique ideas, such as edits to background/outfit coordination, to set myself apart from everyone. After about a year of posting, I was presented with an opportunity to be on set for a music video for an artist I loved. Although I was nothing but a background character, I was blessed to witness the behind-the-scenes and what goes into creating a music video. The one thing that I would never forget is seeing the artist being styled by the lead stylist on set. I was able to name every brand down to what season or collection the pieces were from. I nerded out over clothes in front of everyone. This is when I knew that I wanted to be a stylist. I would not only be getting people fly, but I would help tell a story through the pieces I would put together. From here I began applying to casting calls. I had no interest in acting or being a model, but I’d take the opportunities to meet stylist on set and personally ask them how I can accomplish this dream of mine. Everyone always gives me different advice, but they all tell me one thing. I need to love and be passionate about styling, and it will happen. 

Several casting calls later, I walked my very first runway show during LA Fashion Week. This was a surreal feeling that no words could describe, but it did show me one thing. The evolution and growth I have accomplished. From not wanting to be seen by anyone to walking the runway in front of an audience of hundreds. My goal is far from being accomplished, and this is just the beginning. At the moment, I am working on creative directing and styling for brands. Also, social media so I can build my digital footprint and build connections across the nation. 

Alright, 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?
The road has not been easy to accomplish my goals, but that has not stopped me. The biggest challenge I face is getting support from others. Styling and creative directing is not a common goal many try to accomplish. People don’t see it as a real or efficient job when there are plenty of stylists that are living their dreams while getting paid well for it. Often, I hear that it’s not a realistic dream to chase and I should look into something else. Being really passionate about it, I give it my absolute all and make the sacrifices I need to accomplish everything. What motivates that I have achieved so much in so little time, why would I give up now. Look at everything that has happened in one year, imagine all my accomplishments and where I will be in 5 years. Why would I give up today when tomorrow can be the day I win. I know I will accomplish my dreams, but it can be hard sometimes when people can’t support you because they don’t understand what you are trying to do. When receiving my degree in marketing, I remembered my college professor doing an icebreaker on the first day. She had us walk in front of the class and introduce ourselves to everyone. Everyone introduced themselves and said they wanted to do something along the lines of marketing or sales. She would congratulate them and explain why this class would be important to them. It was finally my turn, and I introduced myself as Silver and how I wanted to be a stylist. She responded with, “I don’t know what to tell; you won’t be learning anything here or nor can I help you with anything. But that’s an interesting career path”. Having this be told in front of the whole class was hard. It was a feeling that I didn’t know how to explain, as she didn’t embarrass me, but it was not something that I wanted to hear. The professor didn’t know that I was getting my degree to help in the creative directing side of my dream. It was just a moment where the teachers and mentors that were supposed guide me did not even know what to tell me. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a stylist I am in charge of dressing up myself or others during a set or occasion. As of right now, I have been focusing on styling myself when it comes to the castings. This way I can show the stylist that I know what I am doing as well as impress them. When it comes to styling, I see it more than just dressing up someone. There is a narrative to the project, and the outfit emphasizes the message and makes everything more emersed. Whether it is in a music video to the red carpet, the outfit has a story to tell. I also do creative directing for shoots and projects. Leading the team to create unique ideas by working together and getting out of our comfort zone. My creativity in styling can be using in other departments, and I am learning to expand my creativity. 

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
While doing my social media content, I have met a lot of people that support me and push me to do my best. Meeting people with the same dream as me is a breath of fresh air. Venting to each other about our struggles and aiding each other with advice that we learned from experiences. I feel as if the people I have met through organic growth support me the most in my journey. As well as my closest friends. Although they do not seem to understand what my goal is, they are always there cheering me on to see me accomplish what makes me happy. The college that I attended was not a Fashion school. I graduated from CSUSB with a marketing degree, and in all my four years attending, I did not learn one single thing about fashion that I could use. Although one day I did my digging and found a professor that had a minor in fashion. I scheduled a meeting with her one morning, and she helped me get my first internship. It was in the fashion industry as an assistant for a showroom. I was part of a team that presented samples to buyers to see if certain pieces would get dropped from the collection and how many would be made. This was the first fashion experience I was able to add to my resume. This professor helped me get the ball rolling when it came to being employed in the fashion field. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sxxlver_/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sxxlver

Image Credits
Silver Zamudio