Rising Stars: Meet Aarika Walton of Ypsilanti

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aarika Walton.

Hi Aarika, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Well once upon a time I dreamed of being a sports agent as surprising as that is. I never loved sports and when I finally got into my major I realized it was not for me..Like everyone tried to tell me. I switched to Fashion Merchandising and Product Development and minored in Marketing. Never feeling confident in going to college for something I didn’t know how to make a career/life out of. But I did it because I didn’t love anything more than fashion and the arts.

All of a sudden I found myself loving The Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo and my eyes were opened to a whole new world of fashion. I decided I wanted to be a stylist but Fashion Merchandising was definitely not teaching me that. It was more about textiles, retail buying/allocations and…nothing creative really. I graduated with no internships lined up which felt like a death sentence to any fashion career as a stylist. I just knew I wanted to make my way to LA to work for BEBEs studio team. Instead I was working at 2B – a sister store of BEBE in Fairlane Mall as merchandiser, hoping to work my way up. I was not patient enough. I quit to work at the U of M hospital, which also led to me quitting soon after to work fashion shows at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. I felt aligned finally.

I got connected with a few photographers in the Detroit area by way of a local stylist I found. He told me that I needed to start building my own portfolio. So I did! In 2013 I had my first photo shoot and it was published in Dark Beauty Magazine online so I felt empowered to keep going!

Working with more photographers led to me working with a new group of models who were doing a lot of set shoots for agencies. It changed the direction of my portfolio from “fun” random things to a structured aesthetic fit for agencies in places like NY and Chicago. The photographer I worked with the most during this time was, Katie Weyers. She introduced me to the team at Factor Chosen in Chicago where I was first signed as a wardrobe stylist.

Going to dress shows at the Merchandise Mart of Chicago led me to dressing shows at NYFW. I was really intrigued to learn more about how stylists in the industry do styling since I had no internships and passed on the opportunity to study at FIT within my undergrad program (for a BOY). I felt I owed myself an experience I felt I missed. So I went to London College of Style to study Editorial Styling and dress backstage at London Fashion Week. My approach to styling and confidence in working within the industry grew tremendously during that time. It was really an invaluable experience personally and professionally.

By the time I got back I was connected with one of my favorite photographers who I was able to build a new portfolio with knowing better from my agency’s feedback.

My journey to where I am today has been one of blessing from word of mouth and people finding me from previous work. I am grateful even as I share this to look back on how much that passion fueled consistency and led to something I am proud of.

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?
So many ties in between all this I felt like I needed to grow up and would get a “big girl” job and hated it. I felt stuck and restless. I just wanted to do something that felt good. Thankfully I had a loving and supportive Mom and my late Uncle Kevin who always supported what I did and encouraged me to follow my star.

The biggest struggle is trying to balance life as what feels like a functioning adult, while also trying to follow your dreams. I felt like I could have done and chased after so much more if not for the many hiccups when I fell back – letting fear of survival mode hinder my confidence to strive for success.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a wardrobe stylist and professional shopper.I am also what I consider a Finesser. That’s the term I use to describe my DIY projects. I love to see something that inspires me and make the idea tangible. I think that I call it finessing because so many people mistake Fashion Stylist as Fashion Designer. I am no seamstress but I can create some things from nothing or by upcycling old things.

Editorial stylists create stories with clothes that are often more high fashion, whimsical and dreamy in their looks. They can also be Advertorial which would be more ready-to-wear clothing. All of which I enjoy styling! Editorial is always fun because I often get to fuse my DIY projects. I feel like my DIY projects have been something I’ve been proud of but in general, I am proud to be creative. I am proud to use a lot of things that most look down on and utilize it to create something grand once weaved together. Like the time I made pants/bolero and bustier from flowers or an entire dress from toilet paper.

As a Personals Shopper I help people shop for things that fit their lifestyle and wardrobe. I love shopping for myself and realize some people do not share the same excitement for it, or do not have the time. I enjoy finding great value for a great price and I love helping people feel confident and seeing how enjoying how they look helps them feel like their best self!

I believe the variety of experience I’ve been fortunate enough to have shapes the way I go about finding inspiration and how I dissect looks.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I think being a person who enjoys new experiences and the adrinalline of tight deadlines, the balance in character is needed between eagerness and steadiness as you pray that packages arrive on time. You have to be resourceful, but I think that comes with being a creative. As a creative there is a resilience that shows up in art form (fashion is art). A way we rebel against what we see or experience using fashion as a message, or just adding beauty through fashion. We show homage to something or someone that inspired us by transforming it into fashion. I view it all as resourceful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stylebyaarikalauryn.com
• Instagram: stylebyaarika