Icon Insider | Jason Bolden
Images courtesy of Jason Bolden
There are icons and there are icons. The latter being world changing with legacies that are inimitable and unchangeable.
Jason Bolden of JSN Studio (a venture that provides interior styling, product styling and celebrity personal styling founded in partnership with his husband) is nothing short of the latter type of icon. He has rewrote the rules, defied the odds and changed the red carpet fashion game. In so doing he has inspired a generation of people, harking us back to the glorious days of old Hollywood, luxury and glamour.
We at Story Magazine were priviledged to speak to Bolden. Please read on for the inspiration that is Bolden…
The first question posed to him was what he regards himself as, to which he said Creative Director. He loves to create things and sees everything like a story with an introduction, middle and grand finale that he directs. This is the case with all the different hats he wears and includes his red carpet celebrity personal styling. So although he is the stylist to the stylists (one of the best, Hollywood Reporter listed him one of the most powerful 25 stylists), he is first and foremost a Creative Director. This certainly is seen in his work with the likes of Yara Shahidi (pictured with Bolden in the first image), Serena Williams, Ava DuVernay, Cynthia Erivo and more. With clients in best dressed lists, covering the foremost magazines (think of that Hollywood Reporter cover with Cynthia Erivo in white and David Webb jewels) it is no wonder Bolden has been lauded and helms his own show, ‘Styling Hollywood’ for Netflix.
This most recent award season, Cynthia Erivo has been hailed a style icon, debuting stunning look after stunning look. Bolden her stylist says it is appropriate that she be in the gowns that she has worn, be that Fendi or Versace and that she by all means deserves to be in those gowns. He says his work is inspired by his muses including Erivo. He says it is more than about fashion to him but it is about shifting the planet. That someone like Erivo, who isn’t instantly approachable in terms with her low crop hair could have so much range skimming from couture to a blouse and a skirt says a lot. He is quick to state that although Erivo might not look ‘traditionally ‘white’, if you dig deep you see couture. Of the acclaimed actress, Bolden says when he met her that she had green hair and is on the inside a rock star and this is what he tries to bring to the forefront when working with het for the red carpet.
In reference to what inspires him, Bolden cites his muses as his greatest inspiration. The aim being not losing the identity of the client but balancing that with pulling out what they didn’t know they had within them matters. His relationships with his clients have began in different ways. Sometimes it has been them reaching out to him, sometimes it has been through a meeting at an event or sometimes it might be him broaching personalities that he would like to style as in the case of Serena Williams.
His ability to keep the essence of the celebrity whilst styling them is seen in his work. Case in point actress Ella Balinska, who he says has a tomboyish element which he is mindful about when styling her. He looks at menswear collections for her.
His choice of clients is very intentional. He styles the creme de la creme of A list Black Hollywood because he wants to intentionally give Black women who would have otherwise been ignored ‘that moment’.
Despite all the accolades and all the glass ceilings that he has broken with his work, Bolden says he has not reached his pinnacle, commenting on the fact more black women should have been nominated for the past award season in addition to Cynthia Erivo. That it was a shame that she was the only woman of color with any iconic nominations.
He desires as his future goal to work as a Creative Director for a fashion house, for instance one of the LVMH fashion houses and wouldn’t he be incredible? We are drooling at the thought of the collections he would churn out.
Asked how he would like to be remembered, Bolden says that he would like to be remembered as the guy who always knew Black women were smart, beautiful and iconic. Afterall isn’t that why Yves Saint Laurent found inspiration in Morocco and why Paco Rabanne was inspired by Black women in the Sixties. As he said before, his creative directing is more than just about fashion, it is about shifting the planet.
Many thanks to the Jason Bolden team and Jason Bolden for the interview.