Changes are scary but sometimes necessary
In our constant search for diversity of perspectives we’ve met conscious or naive experts on a multitude of topics. One of the people we’ve always loved spending time with Kitty. Be it a day in her life as a creative entrepreneur for Huawei or seeing her style-future point of view of tennis as an inspiration for Nike, she’s never been shy of sharing an opinion.
Kitty’s a super creative freelance stylist/content creator/occasional presenter/consultant. She’s styled multiple artists, from Lethal Bizzle to Loyle Carner, and worked with Nike, Puma, Urban Outfitters etc. Besides that she has co-created a platform for girls who are interested in streetwear called The Unisex Mode...She’s already achieved a lot!
Kitty’s also had many moments in her life where she pushed on the reset button. In her career she had many different roles and titles. From studying a fashion degree to quitting that and starting to tour as a musician and now living life as a stylist, she told us all these changes have come very naturally to her...
“Music is hard so after a number of years, even though I was going in the right direction, I just felt I needed a backup plan/ to take some of my other hobbies/interests more seriously, I thought to myself; what would I be doing IF I hadn't been picked up as a musician. And that's when I started a Fashion Blog and shortly after became a stylist.”
But her biggest leap was when she decided to take the plunge jump into full time freelancing. After gaining a lot of experience working at a Fashion PR agency she decided it was time to go out on her own and step away from the secure rol of being an employee, a decision that she doesn’t seem to regret...
“I made a major life change, went out on my own, and part of that was to have more time so I could get fit as well as focus on my own career goals. Previously I had been working 7 days a week in PR as well as on my own work. Leaving that was something I HAD to do for myself but also it was scary.”
“When I went freelance I started doing Nike Run Club. This was a major turning point for me. At that point, I hadn't done a lot of sport for years. It majorly improved both my mental and physical health and it meant I could work with the brands I already worked within fashion on another level. It also gave me some structure to my day which as a freelancer is super important.”
With the future moving forward digitally in the form of moving images she has broadened her skillset to creating videos, and emerging as a more serious presenter.
“I'm trying to learn more about filming and editing and creating my own content. It's stuff I was already doing but I'm actually enjoying having more time to do it."‘
“I became a serious presenter! Kind of! haha. I have interviewed some amazing people. I had my own show on a Youtube channel for a year which was such a great experience. Talking about style, veganism etc and interviewing amazing people. Oh and I was the UK face of the last Kaws x Uniqlo social media campaign. It was only social media but I love both brands so much that was pretty awesome. Oh and I styled the London and Milan new Footlocker stores - images will be in them for 3 years! Mad!”
Even though life’s in a weird place right now she’s making most of the unexpected extra time, creating sneaker videos for her accounts, blog and ASOS. She stays healthy, overcoming her asthma and stays focused through, Yoga and Hit workouts at home and meditation using the Headspace app. What really stuck out for me was Kitty’s answer to my question as a place to leave this piece, ‘If you could give one piece of advice to anyone or your younger self, what would it be?’
“You can be empathetic and stand up for yourself...Knock down every door until they start opening. Never give up.”
Written by Maartje van den Hurk
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