Nejla Renee spent her early career in finance and eventually admitted it was not where the passion lived. The passion was clothes, and specifically a knack for knowing what works on a person. So she used it. “I used my passion and experience to launch my own business,” she says, “and my education in business really helped with the logistics of building a legitimate one.” That was about twelve years ago, when few people were doing personal styling at all. She never felt like she was catching up. “If anything, I was a pioneer in the space.”
The decision to succeed
What strikes you talking to Nejla is the absence of hedging. “Pursuing this wasn’t difficult, because I didn’t leave any room for doubt. I made the decision to succeed. Doubt would creep in, but ultimately I knew I was doing the right thing.” Ask what she would have done differently and she waves it off. “Nothing. My naivety helped me become who I am, and build the business I have. I don’t believe in regret, only experiences as opportunities.”
Nejla doesn’t believe in regret. Only experiences as opportunities.
Reading a client
Her process starts before the clothes. “I come to understand my clients through deep-dive questions and exercises that discover who they are and what they want. Then we go into their closet, and I gather more on the types of clothes they naturally gravitate toward.” From all of it, and she stresses there is a lot, she builds a visual that represents the client’s new style identity, and makes sure they share the vision before going further. The payoff comes at the end, when the pieces they kept from the closet cleanse meet the new additions and finally add up. “Usually, at that point, my clients feel so much joy, because they finally have everything they need to show up in the world.”
She practices what she sells. Her own style is “edgy, bold, chic,” and her favorite piece is a vintage color-blocked corset top she has had for a decade. “Individuality is what I love about vintage. I feel sexy and powerful in it, and I can style it so many ways.” Underneath the wardrobe is her actual argument for the work. “A strong sense of personal style gives you a distinct confidence. With it, you can put your energy toward everything else in your life, instead of letting not having the right thing to wear hold you back.”
Nejla Renee is at nejlarenee.com and @nejlareneestyling.
