A Moment with Thestyleinfidel: Oluwatosin Ogundadegbe Tells us about the Business of Fashion Styling

Fashion stylists play a very crucial role in helping designers to communicate their artistic creations. They are also the ones who know how to dress up our favourite celebrities so that they may come out looking glamorous and radiant. Think of stylists as artistic curators whose job it is to collect the best arts and present them in a way that will be endearing to behold. Still not getting quite the hang on it? Well, that’s why we spoke to TheStyleInfidel (Oluwatosin Ogundadegbe), one of Nigeria’s leading fashion stylists. He explained everything you need to know about celebrity styling and more. Enjoy the read.

Q: May we meet you?

A: Hi. My name is Oluwatosin Ogudadegbe, Creative Director and Lead Stylist at Thestyleinfidel Studios.

Q: Why do you call yourself “Thestyleinfidel”?

A: Well, because I’m not particularly loyal to any brand. I think I got the name from a scene in Sex and the City when Cary Bradshaw was with Samantha Jones and they were shopping in a boutique. And then the boutique attendant asked her where she’s been and she said she’d been cheating on fashion with furniture. I mean, infidelity basically is the act of cheating. And style infidel from my perspective is just a way of saying that I don’t do trends. I do whatever it is that I want to do. I’m not loyal to any trend as it were. So, it’s basically fashion on my terms or fashion depending on the mood that I’m in. That’s how the name came to be about.

Q: Tell us about the celebrity styling industry. How exactly does it work?

A: I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m in that space because I basically help fashion brands to tell their stories through fitting look-books, fashion campaigns, and sometimes editorials. And sometimes I have exclusive clients who are celebrities and it’s not an everyday kind of job, although they have people that style their everyday looks; on and off the red carpet. That said, it’s quite a sensitive space…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Read the rest of this interview on page 40 of our latest magazine edition- 15 Entrepreneurs Disrupting Africa’s Fashion and Beauty Industry. Click here to read now.