STYLD INTERVIEWS: D. RUSHING, CELEBRITY WARDROBE STYLIST.

what’s up y’all welcome back to STYLD 101 & y’all already know what the fuck going on! were going to cut the BS & get straight to the madness. today I have a very special guest for you guys. he’s most likely dressing your favorite celebs right & is one of the youngest killing the game right now. please give it up for celebrity wardrobe stylist & fabbbbbulous friend, Darris Rushing!

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how are you doing today?

d: I’m doing great today, I thank you for having me here on this amazing podcast. I’ve been watching it & I’m glad to be here so thank you!

first things first, introduce yourself to the audience. tell us who is D. Rushing, what you do, etc. all that good shit.

d: well, my name is D. Rushing. I’m a wardrobe stylist here in Atlanta, GA & I’m a senior at Clark Atlanta University & yeah! *chuckles*

when did you know that styling was something that you wanted to do? were you always into fashion or is it something that you just grew to love?

d: I knew I wanted to style probably, my junior year of high school. I always loved dressing up. it’s like my grandmother sewed, she made all her work clothes. she was always fly when she went to work so I kinda grew up in fashion, but I started to loving it to style my junior year of high school.

yes grandma! my grandma was also one of the very first representations I saw of fashion. she always looked so glamorous & I knew then that’s what I had wanted to do in life as well so I love to hear that she’s someone who has inspired you as well.

I just recently said this to you, but w/ you being so young & already entering the fashion industry you’ve already inspired so many people, including myself, & to also see that representation for the black community is refreshing & important to see.

now being that you have entered the industry & have experienced certain things, what’s one of the most difficult tasks about being a celebrity stylist?

d: um, I don’t really have any difficult tasks b/c every task about being a celebrity stylist I make sure I love it. I love what I do so much that if anything goes wrong I don’t let it be difficult, if that makes sense, I just go w/ it. I fix it, that’s really the only thing I can say. I just fix it. I don’t let it be difficult b/c I don’t like for something that I love to be difficult.

ok honey, you better apply that pressure.

like you just stated, being that you love your job, do you feel that the stress is what motivates you to push yourself & to go harder?

d: stress is definitely something that motivates me b/c I know that I don’t wanna have to go thru it again, so I’d rather fix it, make it right so the next time I don’t have to be stressed. I know at the end of the day I know the bigger picture, there is no stress in the bigger picture. it’s all God & glory at the end of the day.

the girlies heard it here first, D. Rushing 101!

w/ having multiple clients who are prevalently in the spotlight & in the media, it not only comes w/ a busy schedule, but also the stress of having to constantly present different looks to different clients. on top of being a stylist, you’re also a full-time college student! how do you deal w/ such a workload & still staying on top of your shit?

d: honestly dewayne, I don’t know how I do it. I just know that my grandma always told me, “you’re gonna graduate” *chuckles* & I know that once I graduate college it’s going to make my grandma so proud, so I know that’s definitely a goal. I know that I love fashion so much so I would never let the position I’m in slip out my hands. so I know it’s two main things is to graduate college, to become a bigger celebrity stylist, & that’s really my only motivation of juggling school & college is my grandmother & I love what I do. I feel like if you love what you do there should be nothing in the way of stopping you from anything.

I love your answer so much. you make time for not only what you want, but for what you love & who you love. I also love how your grandma plays a big part in everything you do b/c it shows that you’re not just doing this for yourself b/c there’s a bigger picture. if you want something in life then nothing is going to stop you from getting & you are a living, breathing example of that.

when dealing w/ clients how important is it for you to stay on top of the current trends, or better yet, setting the trend?

d: very important, b/c as a stylist, it’s our job to keep them up to date w/ the latest or even create our own looks. it’s very important to stay in trend, to stay in the loop. keep em young, keep em fresh b/c what’s the point of being paid to dress them like what everybody else is? or dress them in the late trends. you getting paid to keep em up to par, keep em up in the latest and in the latest clothing + creating their looks as well.

PERIODT.

you just had your first webinar this past Sunday & it sold out multiple times! congratulations boo. I was also in attendance & the class was amazing. it was so informative & fun, I love seeing all of the success that comes your way, how far you’ve come, & still yet to come.

how did it feel to see your class sold out? & more importantly, how does it feel to know that people see you as an inspiration?

d: I honestly get chills still thinking about it, b/c it was such a humbling experience for my first ever webinar class to sell out four times was very…I’m still shocked that it even happened. to see all these people recognize what I do, and they look up to what I do. I didn’t even realize people looked up to me! so that’s why it was so humbling & the experience was amazing. I loved every single person that was on it, asked questions, that participated, supported, that reposted it, & I just loved every second of it.

"as a stylist, it’s our job to keep them up to date w/ the latest or even create our own looks."

will you be having more webinars in the future? along w/ hosting real live classes?

d: I will be doing more webinars, I just want to perfect my craft & whatever I didn’t like in the last webinar I just want to perfect so that it’s better for the next group of, I don’t wanna call them students, for the next group of stylists that want to gain more information about the industry.

ugh, we love to see it!

being the state of the world being outraged due to police brutality & just overall fed up w/ the systematic racism that has been embedded into this country, we all know that the fashion industry has been called out for things such as culture appropriation, racism, & more. w/ being a wardrobe stylist, a black MALE wardrobe stylist at that. you’re already breaking boundaries & making your own way in not only a predominantly female industry, but white as well.

how do you feel about the silence from some of these brands that we look up to & love?

d: I feel like the brands that are silent are showing how they truly feel. at this point if you’re silent about what’s going on & right now, that’s you telling us how you feel. I honestly don’t even like to support those big brands. ofc I love using g*cci & everything, but when they get silent, don’t do nothing, & make no statement you’re telling us how you really feel. so ugh, I’m not really a fan of them.

what do you think would be a step, or what do you think would be a solution into seeing some changes in the industry?

d: one big step I think would be taking us off your moodboards & putting us inside the room to create, & I read that on Instagram & it really touched me. there’s been plenty of times where I’ve been sent treatments, video ideas & it’s been black people’s idea that have not been used and they want somebody to recreate the look & I feel that could really change the industry.

they love the culture, but not us. it does get frustrating seeing that they love us to show in ads & campaigns to broadcast to the public that they can be “diverse” or that they know how to include representation when all in all it’s just a facade, but when it comes to speaking up for us on issues as such as the ones going on in amerikkka they’re on mute so I completely agree w/ you 100%.

I feel as though every stylist has a signature style when it comes to styling, whether it’s the same client or not. from Kollin Carter, Law Roach, Zoe Costello, etc. you name it.

when you get the final look for your client(s), what does your “styling style” say about D. Rushing? what does a D. Rushing girl look like/embody?

d: the D. Rushing looks is loving yourself. whatever we come up w/ you have to love yourself, love it, & be comfortable in it. but in detail, D. Rushing look always comes with a corset. no shade!

& that’s TEA!

you’ve dressed some of your clients for award shows such as the BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, & the VMAs. what event would you love to style someone for next?

d: I would love to style the grammys next. I feel like the BET Awards and NYFW was major for me, but I feel like I’ve made it once I finally do the grammys.

w/ only being in the industry for a short amount of time, you’ve already built a strong clientele w/ some of the dopest people out right now such as: Ari, Jerrika, Blac Chyna, Sky, & more.

SWIPE LEFT TO SEE LOOKS STYLD BY D. RUSHING:

w/ that being said, who would you like to see yourself working w/ in the future?

d: in the future I would love to work w/ Teyana Taylor, ofc Beyoncé, Marlo Hampton, & Naomi Campbell my all-time.

great choices, *chefs kiss* not many people say Naomi as iconic as she is.

what are some of your favorite black owned brands right now? put us on!

d: I love Banni Peru, Kelsey Ashley’s Byond Measure corsets. I love the Ivy Showroom here in Atlanta, that’s my go to for styling.

you’re already doing such an amazing job & once again, continuing to break boundaries. what can we expect next from you?

darris: ofc you can also expect more looks, but I’m working on my style kit & a few other things that, ya know, imma wait til announce. but yea, ofc more looks.

before we close out, I have 6 quick questions to ask you. I’ve been seeing a lot of journalists doing these rapid fire questions during the last few bits of their interviews & I really want to try it lol. are you ready to answer some?

d: okay.

fur or leather?

d: Leather

NYFW or PFW?

d: PFW, I can’t wait. I wanna go to PFW so so so so bad.

couture or streetwear?

d: streetwear

SSense or Farfetch?

d: FarFetch

accessorize or keep it simple?

d: accessorize, accessorize, accessorize.

boots or sneakers?

d: boots! specifically thigh high boots.

that concludes this interview! it was sure a pleasure to speaking to you & once again, thank you so much wanting to participate of this process & we will definitely be doing this again in the future. much love to you.

is there anything else you would like to say before we go?

d: no, I thank you so much for this opportunity.

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that's all for this blog post folks! I hope you guys enjoyed this interview just as much as I loved doing it. major love to darris for taking time out of his schedule to speak w/ me, it means a lot fr. make sure you guys follow him on IG @iamdrushing & show him some love. also don't forget to follow me on all social platforms @DEWAYNEMOJI & don't forget to like, comment, & share this post. I will see you all in my next post, but until then...arrivederci! stay safe, stay blessed, & most importantly

#STAYSTYLD