Rising Stars: Meet Noleet Nolita Nelson-Rice

Today we’d like to introduce you to Noleet Nolita Nelson-Rice.  

Hi Noleet Nolita, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My story is a simple. I had very stylish parents. They shopped in the best stores and exposed me early in life to designer fashions. I think my love for fashion really set in when I used to go to Canada with my father and watch him create his custom suits, from Lou Myers. One Christmas, I asked my parents for Fashion Plates and got them! Ever since that day, my passion for fashion has been solid. In school, I was always well-dressed. Everyone knew me for my great outfits and loved the creative looks I’d put together. I never followed the crowd. I always took a unique spin on current styles.

When I graduated from high school, I asked my parents to send me to Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to study fashion design. My mom and dad didn’t want me to pursue fashion as a career because there weren’t many opportunities for black female fashion designers at the time I was growing up. I was an honor roll student with a strong aptitude for math and computers, so they encouraged me to go the University of Alabama in Huntsville instead. I liked math & computer programming but not as a lifelong career!

Fast forward to today, I soul searched and realized that if I wanted a true place in the fashion industry, I would have to carve out my own path. I enrolled in Wayne State University to study fashion merchandising. That’s where I learned I loved wardrobe styling and fashion journalism. Although I loved wardrobe styling and worked with Detroit legends like Fashion Designers Mark England and Katerina Bocci, I saw a need to inform people about fashion in Detroit and educate them about the industry. I created my show F.A.C.T.S. (Fashion Artists Creating Trends & Styles) on AM 1400 with the hopes of being a big go-to outlet for fashion news. I did gain a local audience but soon I felt a need to grow internationally. I decided to create RUNWAYSTYLE Magazine to be a digital platform for fashion people to be seen, heard, supported, and educated world-wide.

My fashion brand quickly grew from wardrobe styling & image consulting to interviewing top designers & reporting in real-time from fashion week. As time went on, the brand rapidly became more than a magazine. My brand also gained traction for its social media branding, fashion content and web design/marketing for businesses. To encompass all things fashion and incorporate the brand’s new offerings, I rebranded the business and changed my company’s name to RUNWAYSTYLE Media.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenge I encountered was initially getting people to buy into the idea of a digital fashion report. The idea of getting people to go visit my website or social media platforms to get their fashion information was an uphill climb. As time went on and most platforms moved away from print media, people started acknowledging I was ahead of my time when I created my digital magazine and digital platform. Another challenge was growing RUNWAYSTYLE Media’s audience organically. Because we don’t pay for followers, our growth was slow but steady pace.

Engagement is great, but I’d like to see a large uptick in our following.

While I am grateful for the rapid growth we experienced on our platforms in 2022, I want to achieve even faster growth in 2023 because we have an important message to share with more people. I think the saturation of other fashion brands is another challenge to seeing the uptick I’m looking for. However, I believe finding new ways to make RUNWAYSTYLE Media more informative, exciting, edgy, and fun is how we’ll separate ourselves & continue to grow a large following.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We are best known for our digital magazine featuring international editorials. In 2009, we became the first “Runway Style” to create a digital presence on all social media platforms. Our radio show presented exclusive, breaking news on what was happening in the fashion industry and was one of the first in Detroit to broadcast stories on style, trends, and the latest fashion news. EVEN BACK THEN, WE QUICKLY REALIZED HOW FASHION MEDIA AND DIGITAL MAGAZINES WERE THE NEW BRAND-DEVELOPED PRODUCTS.

Over the 13 plus years of operating our digital platform, it has been rewarding to witness how we have contributed to the industry’s reshaping from the inside out, particularly through a digital and social media lens. Fastforward to today; we are humbled to have worked with an amazing list of people in Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Brazil, and France. Additionally, we’re delighted to have been featured in several prestigious print and online publications including Vogue Business, Exemplar by Wayne State University, B.L.A.C. Magazine, ThinLine by Florine Mark and StyleLine.

What do you think about luck?
I believe in blessings and timing more so than luck. A great example is when I attended LA Fashion Week. Although I did not have invites to the shows, I was able to get into fashion Designer Maxwell Osborn’s party. I met him, his family, and his PR rep, Nate Hinton. Meeting Nate in LA was a great encounter because he also represents fashion designer Sergio Hudson! For people who don’t remember, Sergio Hudson dressed Michelle Obama for Joe Biden’s inauguration! Meeting Nate Hinton in LA was a blessing. I kept in touch with him and when New York Fashion Week rolled around, he remembered me. A well-timed encounter in LA led to attending Sergio Hudson’s Fall/Winter 2023 fashion show in New York, where I gathered exclusive footage for RUNWAYSTYLE Media.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://runwaystylemedia.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runwaystylemedia/; https://www.instagram.com/noleet_rice/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/runwaystylemedia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noleetricerunwaystylemedia/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RUNWAYSTYLMedia
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVdrLOrinRnlVI-IgBaJmcA

Image Credits
Q11 Photography
RUNWAYSTYLE Media
Steve Ragland Photography