Alisha Golden X Grow Wild

MEET… Alisha Golden

Wardrobe Stylist- New York City, NY

Alisha is a commercial and editorial wardrobe stylist who works on still and motion shoots. I (Natasha!) first met Alisha YEARS ago, when we both were working at Nordstrom. She always had an eye for style and such a great way with people- the girl can literally talk to anyone.

Over the years, she has pursued her love of fashion and styling and parlayed it into a successful freelance styling career. She gets to collaborate with a crew of inspiring people and is able to be creative with the story-telling and sets, bringing clothing and products to life with her unique eye- really, a dream job for most people. She also personal styles C-suite executives and preps them for media appearances.

All of this, and the girl is the kindest, most humble person you could ever meet! Alisha is the most perfect example of work hard and be nice to people- THAT is truly the secret sauce.

The Bloom -

I loved people and wanted to style from a young age, even though I didn’t understand fully what that meant. I knew I wasn’t a designer but I loved making people feel empowered through clothing. I even used to pour through Vogue and try to replicate the styles from scratch for myself and my friends. The beginning of my career, I worked in traditional retail as a personal stylist, and learned a lot about people and how to be unafraid of failure. Styling all walks of life and genders and working really hard, long hours, honing my craft. After a few years, I started re-assessing because I knew I really wanted to work for myself. Wardrobe styling sounded intriguing because you got to be behind the scenes and a part of large scale productions. But of course I had no idea how to break into the industry. I was vocal about my interests and one of my co-workers at Nordstrom gave me my first shot when she referred me to her husband’s agency. A huge shoot in Santa Monica with Sony, which would require 4 weeks of my time was too much of a good thing to pass up. But it also meant that I had to quit my job and say goodbye to health insurance. My friends probably thought I was crazy but I took the leap and have been commercial styling ever since.

The Weeds -

You basically have one shot to get it right over the course of a day or a few days so the pressure is always on to perform at 100% because there are no do-overs. You sort of have to live by the mantra options, options, options! I said yes to everything when I first began and quickly started to burn out. It took some time to create boundaries and learn to say no to projects to ensure that every client I said yes to gets 100% of me. I learned really quickly that balance is key to maximum output as a business owner.

The Drive -

I am not someone who can do the same thing every day, and really crave change. Every client is a new challenge, every job is unique, and I find it to be really interesting. I also get to travel quite a bit, meeting all sorts of new people, and love that aspect of my work.

A Day in the Life -

Moodboards for a client, sourcing new designers online, shopping in stores all over NYC, copious amounts of coffee, pulling from showrooms or retailers, and fittings with clients. And then on set shooting.

The Bloom -

Taking the leap from full time work to freelance was scary and very daunting. All of that change came from one person believing in me and referring me, so I figured there was something there.

What it Takes -

Stay curious and be persistent. Ask a ton of questions and never be afraid to ask for help. It is not easy and can be really lonely at times. So I think it is really important to surround yourself with people who inspire you and cultivate a community.

What I Wish I Knew -

Hire a CPA, a bookkeeper. Basically hire others to focus on the stuff you aren’t good at. I am all about honing new skills but you can’t do everything. So hire people who are smarter than you to handle the stuff you don’t like.

Wild Flower Advice -

Act now and think about it later.

See below for some examples of Alicia’s incredible styling work!