Editorial - Interviews

With more than 8 years of experience in fashion under her belt and working with major and independent record labels (Sony, Universal, and BME), modeling agencies (Elite, Next, and Click), Atlanta-based artist development enterprise( (Artist Factory), celebrities (Michelle Kwan, Jagged Edge, Rickey Smiley, Daron (Group 112), Divinity ( Hip Hop Artist and Beyonce Knowles bass player), DJ Drama (Gangsta Grillz Series), magazines (Women?s Health and Fitness, DO!, Black Men Magazine, and Cover),

a personal shopper and fashion consultant for the Playtex and Just My Size Promotional Tour, Hanes Stylist Boutique, wardrobe stylist for advertising, promotions, and commercials (Tiger Beer, Def Jam Recordings, Apple Bottoms/Pimp Juice, and NASCAR), served as fashion editor and art director for Industry Status Magazine, and wardrobe stylist for television shows (ABC?s ?Are You Hot?, Travel Channel?s ?The Undiscovered?, HOTLANTA Nights, UPN-Atlanta Pilot ?Honeys?, and the National Film and Video AEGIS Award Winning Documentary ?Diamonds In A Ruff?, a makeover show where Kim offered an array of fashion options and presented valuable advice on becoming a more productive citizen for a group of under privileged and socially unaccepted women), Kim's fashion philosophy is based on a unified approach to each individual. By offering grooming and personal appearance tips with a primary focus on wardrobe styling, Kim works the artist or individual to come up with the best image. Beyond the head-turning styles and latest techniques she meets the demand of her clients. Her mission is to create image that will allow the artist or individual to stand out and be taken notice of.

Kim Maxwell?s self drive, along with her passion, natural talent, and eye for style and trends come easy to this native of Tennessee who has studied fashion since high school and received a B.A. in Fashion, Marketing, and Advertising from Middle Tennessee State University. Kim now is based in Atlanta where she freelances and has opened her own fashion and image consulting agency, STYLESbyMAXX.

STYLESbyMAXX offers image consulting for artists or individuals who have a desire to create or change their image. Being the creative force behind STYLESbyMAXX, Kim describes the styles she creates with one word ?JAZZY.? Others describe her style as classic, diverse, and hip, while incorporating the latest trends with a slight edge. ?I like to make my clients feel comfortable in what they wear and how they appear to the public, even if it?s out of the ordinary because ?Image is Everything,? in this industry. I create styles that are innovative, creative, hip, and trendy which allow clients to feel and be themselves. It?s all about you having that swagger and you wearing the clothes, not the clothes wearing you,? Kim says. When asked what separates her from other stylists, Kim says ? I bring out my clients personal styles by dressing them in clothes that bring out their personality while creating an image making them stand out from the rest.

With boundless creative energy, STYLESbyMAXX continues to build relationships with designer showrooms, exclusive boutiques, photographers, record labels, modeling agencies, and the entertainment industry. With Kim?s professional, fresh, upbeat, down to earth and real personality, along with her creativity and knowledge of the fashion industry STYLESbyMAXX is becoming the most sought after fashion styling and image consulting company in the industry.

The following Interview takes a closer look into Kim Maxwell's profession:

• How did you get into what you are doing right now?

I started talking fashion classes in high school, went on to get my bachelors degree in Fashion with a minor in Marketing and Advertising. After graduating decided that I wanted to get into styling wardrobe for the fashion and entertainment industry. I started out interning at a small modeling agency in Nashville, TN and after I finished my intern I opened my image and wardrobe consulting company STYLESbyMAXX in 1997.

• How difficult is it to work in your field, what are some of the challenges?

It is really difficult working in my field. People think that all I do is shop and coordinate clothes all day, but it more to it than that. I have to hustle my own clientele, market my company, and run a business all at the same time in addition to shopping and coordinating wardrobe. This job is all politics and it is all about who you know. Some challenges are getting your name out there to right people to generate more work and also getting the clothing designers and stores behind you to pull wardrobe for clients.

• Fashion Styling is this something that you are born with or can you acquire that talent by going to school or books?

I think it is a little bit of both. I think you are born with a creative eye, but education and research is also ways that you learn more about the craft.

• What is your perspective on the entertainment industry today. Did it change if so for better or worse?

As far as fashion styling is concern I think it is better because there are more opportunities to show you work to the world like they have reality shows, like Project Runway and America?s Top Model. I also think people are more open to fashion now especially in hip hop, they are more willing to step out of the box now when it comes to fashion trends rather than wearing just jeans, a button down, and a fitted cap. You see these artists dressing up now at the award shows and showing the glamorous side of fashion.

• What qualities do you have to possess in order to excel in your business

You have to be a go-getter, have drive and motivation, be able to handle rejection, patience, and be a hustler. You have hustle up wardrobe for your projects and you have to hustle up clients to get paid. People also have to be willing to sacrifice. Sacrifice time with family and friends, sacrifice living on a budget until you are making the money to live how you want to live, and sacrifice doing things for no money at first until you get the experience and the clientele.

• Is it difficult to work with Celebrity clients and how easy is it to convince them to hire you?

It not difficult working with a celebrity client. It is like working with any other client, you both have to be willing to work as a team to create an image that both of you will be happy with. A client that has an open mind will always be the easiest to work with because those are the clients that are going to be willing to try new things and will not be afraid to be different.

It is not about being easy or hard to convince a celebrity to work with you it all about politics. Who you know and who have you worked with.

• What are some of the biggest misconceptions about your job?

The biggest misconception is that all I do is shop and coordinate wardrobe together.

• If you could change the way certain things operate in the business, what would it be?

That is would be more about the talent and not the politics.

• How competitive is your business?

Very competitive, especially in a market like Atlanta where there are not that many jobs available here.

• What would you tell a newbie that is trying to break in your field?

Study and research the craft. Intern or have a mentor that will teach you the business. Also make sure you have good credit and money saved because you will have expenses that will require that you have good credit or the money to take care of expenses from renting wardrobe to buying office supplies.

• Do have any regrets as far as how you handled certain projects where you felt, I should have not done this or that.

Yes, there have been projects in the past were I should have researched the artist or spoke with the artist in more detail before I pulled wardrobe. It has been all about trial and error with me because I never had a mentor that was a fashion stylist that could tell me to do this and not to do this.

• Say anything that is on your mind that stimulated you from this interview.

I just want to say this is career is not going to jump off overnight. You have to be patience and make so many sacrifices that some times you will ask yourself if it is even worth it. There is nothing that I would rather being doing and I cannot see myself doing anything else so I am willing to do what I need to do to make my dream happen. If a person is in it for the money this is not the career because it take a while before a person gets there name out there and get the clientele they want. The good thing about this career is that you can make really good money but you have to be patience enough to stick it out and wait for it to happen.

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