Chloë Felopulos has a unique vision, which comes to life through her styling work for both small independent designers, as well as her work for bigger brands such as Orseund Iris. She got her start in the fashion industry by studying Fashion Communication at Fordham University. Since graduating, her passion has taken her from working as a styling assistant for Billy Porter to styling magazine covers. She recently did styling for a fashion film called 59th Street, shot in the streets of New York City, where Chloë lives. Watch the fashion film, directed by Emma Craft, below.
INTERVIEW: NYC Stylist Chloë Felopulos on The Fashion Industry And its Challenges
The fashion world is not an easy place to live in, and Chloë Felopulos knows all about it. The New York City-based it-girl scours thrift stores for vintage pieces, buys from small businesses, and vlogs herself doing so. She studied fashion, worked as a freelance stylist for many years, and styled fashion shows at New York Fashion Week. We sat down with Chloë to discuss the hardships of the fashion industry and the future of styling.
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Fashion week experiences
In September 2023, Chloë styled two shows at New York Fashion Week: Ben Doctor and Buci. “Ben’s show was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. He’s an independent designer who’s just started; he fully funded the show himself and had been working on the pieces for a year, at that point. I met with him early on to look at the pieces and talk about the essence of the show to figure out how I can assist him in making the story come to life.”
For the Ben Doctor show, she followed the creative direction that was presented to her: ’60s mod meets New York grunge. When styling the Buci show, on the other hand, Chloë had more creative freedom: “They didn’t have a mood board; it was just up to me. The Buci team wanted the show to be simple and have the clothing stand out. The models were influencers and friends who had been there from the start, so it was a really beautiful tribute to Buci. The show was a family moment.”
Ben Doctor SS24 show, styled by Chloë Felopulos
New York: If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere
Chloë has been posting YouTube videos for years, taking her subscribers to vintage shops and giving them styling tips. She also shares the ‘unglamorous’ side of the fashion industry. A few months back, she shared her struggle as a freelance stylist, explaining many of the jobs she gets are underpaid.
“I’ve been in this industry for years now. I know that it’s not the most money-making industry in terms of doing freelance and especially wanting to do editorial,” says Chloë. “I’ve been told by a million bosses: editorial styling is not where money is. My first paid styling gig was assisting a celebrity and personal stylist where I learned a lot but did not find my heart in it. On set working magazine shoots or campaigns was where I really shined. Being freelance now I find it is certainly a balance of working commercial jobs, working in e-commerce, where there are bigger budgets.”
“Commercial work just runs smoothly versus working for small brands, independent brands, working for friends, where your age doesn’t have funding.”
“You believe in their work and their passion so much that it’s worth it to you to do it for free and do it for your portfolio,” she explains. But the portfolio doesn’t pay the bills, which is why Chloë emphasizes the fact that her work is currently a balance between passion projects and commercial styling gigs. “You believe in emerging talents so much that hopefully when our generation of young creatives have been working enough and are making enough money, I’ll be there and support their journey just as much as they were wanting me to support theirs.”
“It’s all about doing those things and saying yes to unpaid projects; I need to have the e-commerce gigs. And so that’s my support system. I don’t necessarily post every commercial or e-commerce job on my socials or even on my portfolio, just because it’s not necessarily work I align with aesthetically or that I’m the most proud of. But for sure, it’s more money-focused.”
But aesthetics aren’t the only downside to working with big brands, according to Chloë. “It’s also a struggle that I am an independent creator, and my biggest thing is supporting small and sustainable brands,” she says. “So then to do a big campaign or do e-commerce for a brand such as Zara, which I’ve never done, where I feel like it’s conflicting with my kind of ethics within the industry is also a hurdle, too.”
Chloë Felopulos, shot by Philippa Parnevik
The mask of the fashion industry
When asked if people have reached out to her about her vulnerable rant on the fashion industry, she immediately uttered that the majority of the people commented that they’re in the same boat as Chloë. “It’s both comforting and alarming.”
“The fashion industry has this mask of being very luxurious and all in excess, and it is one of the largest industries in the world. How is there all of this luxury, and at the same time, there are so many artists making no money or people needing to work three jobs to develop their brand and all this stuff? It’s the craziest juxtaposition, but there is certainly money out there. It’s just about making the right connections and finding a balance of your ethics and finding the right people to work for.”
A vintage signature
Chloë’s whole brand is vintage and sustainable fashion, so it’s mentally a challenge to accept well-paying jobs for big commercial brands. Staying away from fast-fashion brands isn’t too hard for her, as she prefers to work with medium-sized brands in New York. And yet, when she got started with social media, her first ever brand collaboration was with a fast-fashion retailer. Growing up watching YouTube collabs with this brand, she didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“It’s scary to see the grasp that they had on me at that point and how far I’ve come with putting so much importance in how I consume.”
“It’s cool to have a signature, but when you’re doing commercial styling, you need to keep it very on brand. That’s been a learning process. I think I’ve figured out how to be a chameleon within my work and hopefully be able to dip into whatever the brand needs as to their brand DNA, especially for e-commerce because that is just so streamlined.”
Chloë Felopulos, shot by Raea Palmieri
Before being a freelance stylist, Chloë went to Fordham University. Through the connections made during her university years, she got her first styling job and worked on two magazines. After graduating, she worked at the branding and styling agency RRR Creative, where she helped style celebrities, among them Billy Porter.
“Working with Billy very closely, I went to my first fashion week through them in London and learned so much from their dynamic and also how tricky it is being a stylist hidden behind another celebrity or another individual, and not necessarily always getting the credit that you feel like you deserve,” she recalls. After working with RRR Creative, she worked with Tyler McGillivary as their in-house stylist. Ever since, she’s worked on shoots for magazines and other editorial work.
'Seafaring' shot by Raina Bell for Metalhead Magazine, styled by Chloë Felopulos
The essence of Chloë Felopulos
Unusual styling inspiration?
“At Tyler McGillivary we found a lot of inspiration in nature, such as flowers and plants. Recently, I also did a shoot where we worked more with hair as an accessory, which I had never thought about before.”
Last designer item you found at a thrift store?
“Anything Vivienne Westwood is so gorgeous to me.”
If you had to style an outfit based on an artwork, which artwork would you pick?
“Little Dancer of Fourteen Years by Edgar Degas. I read a book about it when I was little, and Degas’ ballerinas have always stuck with me.”
Your dream Met Gala theme? And who would you want to style for this Met Gala?
“Styling Caroline Polachek for a Vivienne Westwood tribute Met Gala would be iconic.”
Dream designer to work with?
“Dilara Findikoglu.”
Chloë Felopulos backstage at Ben Doctor SS24, shot by Layla Blue
Find Chloë on Instagram, Youtube, or on her website
Photo Credits: Layla Blue, Philippa Parnevik, Raea Palmieri and Raina Bell
Short Film ’59th Street’ starring Rachel Lange, directed by Emma Craft
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