JESS LUPTON... VISIONARY

 

Jess Lupton s a wine drinking, ballet dancing, cigarette smoking maniac. More formally, Jess is a stylist, stills and fashion show producer and the owner and fashion director of Gaschette Magazine.

I first heard about styling when I attended a finishing and etiquette course when I was 16. Until that moment I had no idea what a stylist was, and probably not that fashionable, but I was instantly besotted. Everything I did from that day on was motivated by wanting to be part of that world.

My work entails…. Sho that is a looong list!  Styling can involve anything from working with a designer to create innovative clothing for a commercial (watch out for the new JC Le Roux TV commercial), transforming a restaurant into a forest for a photo, art directing and producing photoshoots, curating designer collections, dressing celebs for an event - it basically involves almost anything to do with clothing or props.

A day in the life of a stylist… Is always long! I spend a lot of time in shopping malls (I promise it's not as much fun as it sounds) and long days on set. Styling also entails a lot of spreadsheets (something called a "recon"), phone calls, emails and research. It's definitely not a 9 to 5 kind of gig.

 

My working environment… Changes every day, within the past two weeks I've shot in studio, on the beach, on a rooftop, on a farm and on the street. As long as the crew you are working with are amazing people, anywhere can be fun!

My work… Is colourful, under accessorized, religious under tones, couture mixed with ready-to-wear, beautiful but something about it gives you a weird feeling in your stomach.

I was very blessed to receive a bursary to attended LISOF. While I was there I work with stylists Charlotte Collins, Sarah Callow and Suzaan Heyns. Afer collage I worked with Nicola Bower, Jacques van der Watt (Black Coffee) and Danica Lepen. I have amazing mentors in my life such as Robynne Kahn and Lorraine Maisel who I can always call for advice. I try to constantly work with other stylists because you always learn from collaboration.

Lorraine Maisel of STYLING CONCEPTS, a fashion and lifestyle focused PR Agency and Press office.

Robynne Kahn Fashion Director. Stylist. Digital architect. Fashion Consultant M&CSaatchiAbel. Afashionfriend Founder & Creative Director

If I could have anyone in the world style me, it would be…. Jessica Rayne or Raya Rossi.

Jessica Rayne with Marco Riekstins

Raya Rossi with chu suwannapha

If I could tell myself anything when I first started out, I would say…  This is just fashion. This is not open heart surgery. No one is going to die, don't panic.

Most challenging part of being a stylist, and the advice I have regarding that…. 1) Learning to let go. A project is a culmination of everyone's work and you can't get too freaked out if the plan changes. 2) The client is ALWAYS comes first and you should smile and nod and make them feel like a million bucks even if you don't agree with them.

The most important skill that a stylist should have…. Organization and the ability to always stay calm.

The most challenging/ rewarding thing about my job… Gaschette is both. It is a challenge because myself, Steve and Colin all have jobs with hectic hours so we can't give it our full attention even though it is our passion. Gaschette is the best part because we give a platform for other creatives to showcase their projects in a beautiful, innovative, unrestricted and international space.

Colin O'mara Davis, Jess Lupton and Steve Marais

Something that most people don’t know about my work/ the fashion industry…. It's really really really hard. It's not glamorous. Wearing nice clothes and going to red carpet events is a tenth of what you do. Most of the time I'm sweating, swearing, bruised, exhausted and in old sneakers. The industry is not full of airheads - to succeed you need to work harder, be smarter and earn less money than almost everyone else you know.

Formula to finding the right model for a specific shoot…  Everything in a shoot needs to speak the same language to deliver a powerful message. I've seen amazing concepts ruined because of a model that wasn't quite right for it.

 

Besides the budget, the most important things a client should take into account when choosing a model… Does this model represent what we are trying to say? What do they look like without all of the hair, makeup and retouching (always ask for a polaroid)? What is her skin light? What does her hair look like right now? Does she have enough experience?

Tips to budding stylists…  Intern constantly. You'll be poor but it will give you an edge on everyone else.

My dream scenario of fashion in South Africa… Seeing more black models doing well. We're in AFRICA let's celebrate African models!