Meet Kendra Sharpe of Raleigh, NC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Sharpe

Hi Kendra, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My love for fashion started at a young age. I was obsessed with flipping through fashion magazines, finding outfits I liked and ripping the page out and making collages on my bedroom walls. I was also the friend my friends would turn to, to help them pull together an outfit and my aunt used me as her personal stylist/closet organizer from time to time. So, styling people and using fashion as self-expression has always been an interest for me and something I was good at. But, as someone who grew up in the Southern part of Alamance County, NC being a wardrobe stylist was unheard of. So, when I headed off to college at UNC Charlotte I maintained my love for fashion by obsessing over celebrity style and magazines and worked for a few magazines in college writing articles here and there. I first and foremost wanted to be a fashion writer! I’ve always had a passion for writing and storytelling and knew this was a way to get into the fashion industry. I received a degree in Engish and set my sights on working for Vogue or another huge publication for writing or layout design (I also did a little graphic design). I think I had too many passions at the time! As usual, detours in my career path had a few twists and turns, and thanks to the introduction of social media, I worked for my first fashion publication in Charlotte, NC called Charlotte STYLE magazine where I would post on their socials and attend events. Giving me an intro into how media and fashion will now work hand in hand, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Interactive Media. While there, I began working with a local photographer as a production assistant whom I helped with styling pieces, managing models and steaming garments. This is where I got a taste of set life and what it looks like to be a commercial stylist with big brands. Still not realizing my lifelong pursuit of happiness, which is fashion and styling, to be a true lifelong career, I later moved into social media marketing as a full-time career. As luck would have it and as I would say fate, I leaned into my media degree and worked my way to being a social media manager for Vogue Magazine and Glamour Magazine. A dream come true! I was finally reaching my goal of getting into the fashion industry and working with one of the top names in the world. Yet, the grass wasn’t as green as I thought it would be, and I was grateful to be in this position within the fashion world but I was still lacking the creativity and love for being on a set and pulling outfits for clients. As I started to make my styling more of a serious side hustle, I got my first real break in the styling world by styling a Wrangler jeans campaign. Flirting with the idea, I can make this my career! After a few on-and-off styling gigs from 2018-2020, I saw my vision for pursuing fashion becoming more and more realistic. So, in 2020 I took the leap and began wardrobe styling commercially and personally full-time and turned my passion into my career. I have now worked for some of the biggest brands in NC like Wrangler jeans, Hanesbrands including Champion and Maidenform, Peter Millar, local designers like Kenda Kist Jewelry, and more. I now do wardrobe styling for personal clients as well who are looking to elevate their style and discover how style can impact their lives inside and out. From public figures to businesswomen, my goal is to help find their true style and radiate it to the world.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My path to get where I am today was not easy or smooth whatsoever. I struggled with making decisions based off of money, needing to pay bills and not what I wanted to do for myself and what my true passion was. It’s hard setting out as an entrepreneur, especially in a field that is new and evolving. I struggled with a lot of self-doubt and imposter syndrome. that’s why it took me years to FINALLY decide to move forward in this career path after all the universal pulls that kept leading me back to this very thing. At times you feel alone and that you aren’t making the right decision and most of that is your mindset. It took a lot of trial and error and of course, faking it until you make it to get here. I’m scared every single day of the what if’s but the love for what I do outweighs the other noise. I am still growing and learning and taking it day by day. I think everyone starts from somewhere and my path had a lot of ups and downs but I am hustling and giving it my all now, and thats all that matters!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a commercial/editorial and personal wardrobe stylist! I specialize in helping women feel empowered through style and brands to evolve and look at their service or product in a new way. I’m known for having an over-the-top approach to my personal style and for having a bold personality. I like to use style as vibrant self-expression and I love to help others discover that as well. I am most proud of the work I do with women entrepreneurs and the impact it has on their brand or self. I am also proud of my work with brands who want to explore new ways of thinking by including inclusivity and diversity in their campaigns. What sets me apart from others is my drive and my creativity.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see my industry growing and booming. I foresee styling taking on a new form of influence online and for brands as not a behind-the-scenes aspect but rather the main character and a force within the fashion industry. I hope the changes come in the form of giving more credit to the stylists who are creating looks and moments for their clients or brands.

Pricing:

• My packages range from $375 to $1,500

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kendrasharpe.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/styledby_kendrasharpe/