Meet Solidad. Her journey into styling is one rooted in identity, culture, and creative expression. From her early influences in Nigeria to making a name for herself in New York’s fashion scene, she has built a career on helping others find confidence through clothing. In this interview, she shares her inspirations, the realities of being a stylist, and her vision for the future of fashion.
What first drew you to styling? Did you have any mentors?
Solidad began our conversation expressing how she's always had a bit of a hyper-focused relationship with clothes. She recognized her mum as her main inspiration for her relationship with clothing, as she took me back to her time in Nigeria, when her mum and her aunties would wear elaborate looks just to drop her off at school. Describing how they were always put together, with their hair and nails done, gave me an understanding of how these early experiences shaped her feelings of self-presentation and the importance of clothing as a form of identity and expression in her own life.
"I felt like I really had that talent to help other people find that too and express that too"
What was your first shoot?
Although she has always had an interest in fashion and the way she presents herself, Solidad cited the free time during lockdown as the first time she properly explored styling. At the time she was working for a non-profit; however, being surrounded by friends that were also tapping into their creativity at the time inspired her to take the first steps in her career in the creative industry.
"Feeling the need to create and tap into what I'm good at during the pandemic"
Speaking to Solidad, she gave me an insight into her first shoot with her friend Toyin, a musician. After deciding to collaborate on a shoot together, to update his VSPs on music streaming platforms, she sourced clothes from ASOS and posted the shoot on Instagram.
Where do you find inspiration when creating looks for clients and shoots?
Staying close to her roots, Solidad told me how she's continuously inspired by the rich style and design that comes from Nigeria. I also resonated with this as I believe the country's traditional textiles like Aso Oke and Ankara never fail to show the creativity of its people through the vibrant colors and intricate patterns. Solidad makes sure to remain connected to Nigeria through means like social media while she's abroad.
"People's lifestyles shine in their outfit and the way they present themselves"
One key takeaway from our chat was the large impact that the fashion scenes in both New York and the Nigerian cities of Lagos and Abuja have had on Solidad's creative vision. In Nigeria, she drew inspiration from the way everyone expresses themselves through fashion so openly and unapologetically. When she moved, she also saw this translating in New York. This dual exposure allows her to experiment with and blend different cultures together to create her own unique personal touch to styling.
How do you balance your own creative vision with the client's personal style or brand?
Solidad's secret to a successful styling job is creating a close relationship with the client. Make them your friend! For her, the best results come from when you bring your personality into the job, rather than having that rigid relationship between you and the client. Go deeper and try to understand your client and their preferences, rather than fully imposing your own vision onto them. While it may be hard to formulate a friendship for one-off clients, Solidad still believes you can try to understand their brain and build something from there.
"You're putting yourself into it and not losing your creative vision, but you're also making sure that you open and dissect the way they think. How they want to present themselves and finding a way to elevate it."
I've seen your work for the Topicals founder, Olamide Olowe. What is your favourite outfit that you've styled for her and what was your thought process while curating it?
"This shoot really allowed us both to merge our visions."
So far, Solidad's favourite shoot for Olamide Olowe has been for the Google segment, 'What's In My Tabs'. As she described this shoot to me, I saw how she applied the advice given in the previous question to her real clients. While Olamide typically likes to wear neutral colours and opts for a polished look, Solidad wanted to incorporate Google's colourful appearance and fun silhouettes into her look somehow. When you look at the outfit Olamide wore for this segment, you can really see how well Solidad does to keep Olamide's personal style in the look, the structured shirt with an exaggerated collar, while still having fun with the colour and a squared pattern.
What's a common misconception people have about being a stylist?
A common misconception is that being a stylist is an easy and fun way to increase your status. Now, although it can be these things, Solidad enlightened me on how much dedication and time it truly takes to be good at the job. To create a look involves the labour side, like lifting and transporting clothes, as well as the mental side - knowing how to speak to people and build relationships. A lot of the time, even when you have gone through so much to secure a look, when the client wears it, most people don't even know that you were the one behind the look. Another thing Solidad mentioned is the need to solidify your place with PR and clients. She spoke of how finding ways to prove that you're somebody reputable for brands to work with, on the one hand, gets easier the more you do it, but at the same time still has its challenges, as it is ultimately the brand's decision to choose who they want to dress.
How do you see the future of styling evolving with social media and digital fashion?
Solidad believes that digital styling can work to 'ungatekeep' fashion. The traditional fashion industry has often been scrutinised for its exclusivity, with designer pieces being expensive and inaccessible to a large portion of the population. However, the use of digital styling is helping to break down the barriers within this industry. For example, allowing people to view online showrooms or rent clothes is not only more sustainable, but it increases the accessibility of clothes and offers cheaper ways for people to buy from designer brands.
What is your favourite fashion piece in your wardrobe right now?
Solidad's favourite item in her wardrobe is a faded reddish-pink Balenciaga city bag which she bought with the money made from selling the same bag in black. It’s now her go-to everyday bag, and I love how she transforms a bold colour into a neutral staple.
"Collecting things is boring to me because you can't wear anything you're collecting... I really believe in rotating and swapping out your wardrobe."
If you could style anyone in the world, who would it be?
Instead of a specific person, Solidad described to me the persona of the type of person she would want to style.
"The next upcoming cool girl pop star."
Using the examples of Ayra Starr and Tems, Solidad spoke of how she wanted to style a female pop star that is new on the scene. What attracts her to this is the idea of being the one person in charge of their styling and also developing in their careers together. So watch this space!
What advice would you give to aspiring stylists?
The main lesson I took from Solidad is to be sure you are actually gaining from an experience. Especially when you begin a new career pathway, people may try to take advantage of you because of your limited experience. However, it is essential to ask yourself if you are actually benefiting from the position you're in. This doesn't have to be monetary but also where you are learning something. Another piece of advice Solidad gave was to try and get a mentor, someone who is in a higher position in the career you want to pursue, and be open-minded in your approach to work.
If you want to know more about Solidad, check out her social media platforms:
Instagram - @solidaddy
TikTok - @s0lidaddy
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