When Style Meets Life

NOTE:
There was an article that I wrote back in 2016 and it was one of my FAVORITES! It didn't make it to publication, but I thought it would be fun to share it with you here for Throwback Thursday! I pray that you enjoy the read. 

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Washington DC native, Apuje Kalu is making his mark in the world of fashion. He is a Fashion Stylist and the Creative Director of his own brand Apuje Kalu, and also works as the Senior Fashion Editor of 360 Magazine.
 
Somewhere between undergrad and him working as an IT Consultant his industrial engineering background and love for fashion collided.  He says, “Like engineering, fashion is about shapes and how things flow together. Engineering helped me pragmatically. Having an analytic background alongside being creative really helps in how I style.”
In high school, Kalu and a few of his friends began their own t-shirt company and set themselves apart by designing customized appliqués, cuts, and lettering.   As it pertains to styling in particular, Kalu shares, “I transitioned into doing test shoots for models after doing engagement and lifestyle shoots and [while] helping models build their portfolios, I was building my own.”
As a celebrity stylist, the nature of his work requires him to travel a great deal from one coast to the other; going between DC, New York, and L.A. (where he currently resides). Kalu’s portfolio is extensive; working with A- list clientele like Ne-yo, Sanaa Lathan, Eve, Jussie Smollett, Keke Palmer, Cedric the Entertainer, Cameron Monaghan and Regina Hall just to name a few.
Inquiring minds want to know, is fashion and style synonymous? Kalu believes, “Fashion and style are cousins but they are not brother and sister. They are similar but there are stark differences. I feel like if someone is stylish they have a point of view. If you have style than you understand fashion, but just because you know fashion and what’s trending does not mean that you understand what it means to be stylish.”
 
Practical Styling Apuje-isms
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Women:
Know your body type
Update your signature pieces: trench coat, little black dress, 2 good pair of pumps (black and nude)
and don’t be afraid of color

Men Need:
A Trench coat
A  Moto jacket
At least one good tailored suit and a nice watch

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

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