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YOU NIECEY ARE ENOUGH. JOSEY BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO PHOTOS IBY VINRELO
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? Where did you get your education? My name is Niecey Josey, and I was born and raised in Southside Jamaica Queens, NY. I graduated high school from Queens Vocational & Technical school. My major was Cosmetology, but we see how that ended up working out. For college I started off in Business Administration, but switched to [American Sign Language], or ASL. Fast forward, I’ve been in visual merchandising for over 10+ yrs. Currently, I am a Brand Strategist and Minimalist Stylist located in Manhattan, NY. I am the owner of the brand named ‘Vinrelo’ and the ‘Brand on a Budget Network’ which consists of over 26 members and three interns. What made you decide to go into the Fashion Styling industry? I was fortunate to begin my journey through Visual Merchandising. As my skills improved I saw the need for Styling within Marketing like Ads, Product shoots, Music Industry etc. Even if there was a planogram in effect or visual notes to gear me towards the end goal of the project, I began to observe some components lacking that pertained to the Styling aspect. Colleagues would inform me how efficient my work was so I decided to focus my attention fully on Styling. How did you get introduced with Dash Studios? This past summer July ‘21 I met the producer of the show C.T.S ‘Celebrity Thrift Store’. I referred some of my clients to be on an episode. We filmed at 48
ROCHESTER WOMAN ONLINE : JANUARY EDITION 2022
Thrift Stores in Harlem and Manhattan. The mission of C.T.S is showing underprivileged youth how to get fly on a Budget. My Network ‘Brand on a Budget’ was a compliment to that show because we filmed on a Budget. It was a total shock to have Vinrelo named on the Production team for the show. Eventually, I shared my vision I had for my Stylist Fashion Show that I’ve been strategizing to produce for years. After discussing how I was structuring and building the set from scratch at a Film/Production Studio in Upstate, NY, C.T.S partnered with me for the first ever TV filmed Stylist Fashion Show. First ever? I believe this to be true because I’ve searched all over the internet for years but have yet to find a platform that has a fashion show SPECIFICALLY for Stylists. I could be wrong but I still haven’t seen it done yet. What are some of the things you find help you to be a successful business woman, especially in the fashion industry? Knowing who you TRULY ARE and what you TRULY REPRESENT is one of the foundations in business and in life that will never change in my opinion. You will have to adjust in certain situations but NEVER change your core. Being a team player will take you far as well, no one wants to look at you as a liability because time is money. Be proactive in strategic planning, you may not always have a guideline written out for you so it’s okay to make your own. Hold yourself accountable, it’s okay to make mistakes just not the ones that you know better. Don’t compare
where you don’t compete; just because you’re in the same room doesn’t mean everyone processes the same skill set. Don’t hoard your work, unreleased work can lose value depending on the vision. Lastly, just have fun. The most creative ideas stem from enjoyment. Are you considering franchising in the future to other states with your Stylist Runway Show? As of right now, the goal is to have S.F.S ‘Stylist Fashion Show’ become a staple in NYC during the NYC Fashion Week. I know it will take a few times for that to happen but I’m willing to do the groundwork. In the future I wouldn’t mind the show being featured in major cities that have Fashion Week platforms. I think of it like this, if these fashion platforms are searching for the ‘Next Up’ Designers then let’s introduce the ‘Next Up’ Stylists as well. So, if asked about the S.F.S show being in other cities then I welcome a conversation. If you could interview one of your mentors, who would it be and what would you ask them? Hmm definitely Amy Z. We’ve discussed briefly my journey and how she took an interest in equipping me with business fundamentals. However I don’t think I’ve ever really sat down and discussed with her: Why me? What personality trait specifically did you notice or at what moment did you know I would be qualified to move up in the company? I would love to sit face-to-face with her one day and have that conversation. It’s important to me because I find myself subconsciously using reasoning techniques and implementing ethics
