When you’re looking to break into fashion, how do you necessarily get your start? Of course, many of us assume that you have to pull all your ties from the Big Apple, however, let’s be real: we don’t all have access to greats straight from the jump.
For Ayoka Lucas–a creative, stylist, all-over cool chick, and former Style and Beauty Director for Ebony Magazine– it all came full circle simply by her doing the work. Ms. Lucas chatted it up with TheBlondeMisfit to discuss her humble beginnings, how one can master their craft, and what she’s working on next.
So Ms. Lucas, give us the deets! Your name, where you’re from, and where you currently reside.
Ayoka Lucas, born in Harlem and raised in Charleston, SC. Currently residing in BK!
How did you get started in the style/beauty industries? Where did you work?
I started really as a broke (art) college student in ATL. My roommate worked at a thrift store so I would get really creative with my look working with thrift store finds. People would stop me and comment on my style so I would offer to rummage through their closets and pull looks together. It felt very organic for me. I was a stylist for at least 2 years before I knew that I was technically a stylist. I began styling some local high profile folks in ATL and this is where it began really. When I relocated to Charleston fresh out of college I started pitching fashion and style culture ideas to local pubs by reaching out to the “letters to the editor’ email address. Long story short I ended up getting a social scene weekly column gig (Charleston City Paper) and through one of many social gatherings that I covered I ended up chatting with the EIC of a local mag (Charleston Magazine), pitched some fashion concepts and eventually became the style director!
Along your journey, did you have a mentor who helped you along the way? What was some of the lessons you learned earlier on in your career that help you today?
Because I was working in the South there were very few fashion industry mentors available. So I would research and follow certain people’s career paths, which I guess you can look at as an involuntary mentorship. A lot of the things that I contributed in my community were literally ‘firsts’, which I’m thankful for but it was through some of those experiences that I connected to some of the most inspirational mentors. Charleston Fashion Week is a large-scale weeklong fashion event that I founded during my time as a style director over 10 years ago. While working on this event and through seasonal trips to NYFW I met and recruited Fern Mallis, Fashion Lives: Fashion Icons author and founder of NYFW, to participate on our Fashion Panel and over the years she became a very influential mentor of mine and a relationship that I truly cherish. There are many relationships that I value from this time during my life actually. Working on a major fashion event as the visionary and creative director I had to learn a lot as I went along. I do think that mentors are very important to have but I feel that inspiration is most important and you can seek out inspiration all around you.
Did you ever hit any obstacles or walls working in the fashion/beauty industry being a woman of color?
In my early career, there were many times when I was the only person of color in the room, at the table, in the conversation, etc. I never focused on it but instead I tried to look at it as an opportunity. I felt like the more I put my brown face into the equation, the more brown faces would emerge. One of the biggest warm feelings I get is when a person of color says they are proud to see me (another person of color) making strides in the fashion business. Some of the biggest obstacles I faced were the definitions of beauty and style that were not all inclusive. I often had to work around those or push the envelope. Because I was one of few women of color in the South trying to do ground breaking things in fashion, I did run into my fair share of racism. One day I will find a ghostwriter and tell my full story!
Recently, you worked at Ebony Magazine as their Style/Beauty director. What were some of the key roles and responsibilities of that role? What are some things about being a style/beauty director that many wouldn’t know?
The key role was to conceptualize, direct and execute the fashion and beauty pages and celebrity cover shoots. My responsibilities included both print and digital media. In the course of a week I would work on assigning writers, editing content, working with producers to create fashion editorials, pulling wardrobe for cover shoots, attending press previews and desksides for new launches and managing digital posts that were slated to post multiple times daily. What many may not know is that this role is a 24/7 position as you should be trend tracking daily, keeping up with pop-culture happenings, new collections and product launches and what’s hot at any given moment. Sounds stressful but this is what I love! I enjoy the research and the hunt. I am a lover of cool kids across the globe and I always try to carve out time to keep up with their movements and contributions to the culture as this provides loads of inspiration for my work. As a Fashion/ Beauty Director you have to really work round the clock to be ahead of the curve and create amazing content that isn’t redundant to what’s already out there.
Over at TBM, we love to celebrate those who feel like “misfits”, or those who don’t fit in. How are you a misfit?
I often refer to myself as an alien extraterrestrial from another planet because the ‘misfit’ in me seems to always be obvious. I’ve always been the epitome of “one of these kids is doing their own thing”. I think it has to do with the fact that I was an only child so I still live in a highly imaginative world mentally and I think that affects my ability to “fit” in. I can’t even count the amount of times I was the misfit in the room or stood out in some way. However on the flipside I owe everything to the ‘misfit’ part of me because I think this is what allows to me to be uninhibited with creativity both with my own personal style and my work.
For someone whose trying to get into a similar career path as you (including me!) what tips would you suggest?
Know as much as you possibly can about the industry. You should be a trend tracker on your own time keeping up with fashion happenings, top names in the industry, pop culture, fashion history, etc. You never know when you are going to end up in a conversation with someone who can change the direction of your career and you should be able to hold your own when talking fashion biz on the spot. Always be ready to network and in fact seek out those opportunities. This business is only part what you know and the biggest part sometimes can be who you know. Lastly, fake it till you make it! Sometimes you need to present yourself as who you want to be, not in a fraudulent way, but in a way that you appear to be on the track to big things. Your confidence in yourself will rub off on others who will then be confident in you, which can open big doors. In many cases, you can figure out what you don’t know along the way as long as you get in the door. Don’t forget your look/style is your calling card so you have to try to be on top of your image. I’m always working on that!
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My mother told me to stop complaining about what’s not happening or what’s not available… create it! Be a pioneer. Sometimes you have to create the next level for your path if your in a situation where it’s not available or seems out of reach.
Agreed! So, what’s next for you and your career?
I ultimately look to God for what’s next and try not get too bogged down in what I think should be next (ambition can be so stressful). Since my work has grown in the direction of celebrity styling and high profile editorials, the next thing on my wish list is to find an Agent. It would be great to have someone manage the business side of my freelance life so I can focus on the creative, which is what I do best. Also, I’m a strong believer in collaborations so I’m looking to find more creative beings and take on more imaginative collaborative projects. I always felt that one of my purposes in life was to document other people’s stories, style, and the culture. So I’m picking up my camera this summer and getting back into shooting street style which I haven’t done in about 10 years but it’s always been a love of mine. I gravitate towards individual expression and I find that’s it’s the truth of style. I’m looking forward to seeing where this personal project will lead.
Dope! Anything else you’d like to add?
Love that social media can connect so if the energy feels right you can follow me:
Insta and Twitter= @Ayokalu, My work can be seen on my website: ayokalucas.com
Thank you Ayoka!
