Organised closet, organised life: What a career as a wardrobe stylist looks like

Anita Krizanovic is a successful stylist. On her website, one can see numerous fashion shoots for magazines like Harper’s Bazaar, Elle or Vogue and she styles TV shows, influencers and artists as well. Apart from that, she recently launched a new project: fashion illusion. As a wardrobe stylist, she helps her clients organise their closets and thus translating to an organised life. As her career shows, success does not necessarily have to be defined via a straight forward career path. FashionUnited spoke with her about her work.

How did you become a stylist?

When I was 16, I worked as a temp for Buffalo Boots in Frankfurt, Germany and in five years, I not only worked in the stores but also at fairs. That was my first connection with the fashion industry. After that, I reached my current styling career via detours. After graduating from high school, I trained as a fashion PR consultant - at a time when editorial was still sending out fax messages! After that, I studied marketing communication in Cologne and worked for various companies, among them Bread & Butter Berlin. In my late twenties, I finally fulfilled my childhood dream and studied fashion design in Berlin.

During my studies, styling was the topic when presenting my own collection; I started networking with colleagues and people in the industry and realised first projects already while still at university. During our practice semester, I had the opportunity to work for the first episodes of the TV show „X-Factor“ and that convinced me to make this my profession and start my own business as a stylist.

What does it take or what does one need to do to be successful as a stylist?

It is important to enjoy the profession and networking is also essential. The creative industry is constantly changing; especially social media has changed much in recent years. And one has to continuously assert oneself and keep at it. The most important thing is never to lose trust in oneself and the most beautiful feedback is happy customers. In the end, that it what defines success most clearly. More than anything else, those who want to work as stylists have to be realiable. Because one has to first gain the brands' and agencies' trust before one can borrow a collection. And of course, at the end of the day, one has to be good at one's job, and apart from creativity and networking, one has to know designers and trends, be good at organising and not lose the fun in fashion.

A few examples please: Which projects were you in charge of as a stylist?

Most exciting was working for a daily styling TV documentary that we shot all over Germany for a few years. I was in charge of styling and organsing more than 130 candidates and had to manage my own styling team. Here, we captured real women with real problems who got help with various wardrobe and styling problems.

Apart from TV, I worked as a stylist on editorials for Elle or Vogue, advertisements, music videos, e-commerce or celebrity outfits. Every job requires tackling it in a different way. One meets so many different people; after all, that makes the job so special, intense and diversified.

Which ones were particularly fun and why?

Particularly fun are projects with colleagues who bring a certain kind of energy along and who make sure that work does not feel like work. I like to remember my cover shoot for Elle Slovenia with photographer Suzana Holtgrave who lent me wonderful Chanel pieces. The whole process is always terribly exciting, from choosing the look via the enquiry and acceptance to delivering the actual production. Every time I am excited like a small child when big brands say yes and I open the parcels like Christmas presents.

Apart from the whole process, the biggest joy is the finished product, the completed music video or to see the celebrity on the Red Carpet or to open a magazine with your editorial in it or the happy private client who looks at you happy and content after your visit.

And what are the disadvantages of the job that nobody thinks about?

As is the case with most creative professions, work is omnipresent. There are no fixed timings to work or relax and one has to learn to take self-care breaks and to stick to them. As soon as I accept a job, my brain goes on overdrive and I start visualising the looks and prepare lists of what has to be done when; there is no off button for that. Also by now, I have many colleagues who have become friends so we talk about work even outside of work. I don't see this as a real disadvantage but one has to know one's limits and learn to know when they are reached.

I do see it as a disadvantage of how spontaneous one has to remain in this job. That also affects one's private life. Many times I have to cancel plans because a job has come in on short notice. I am very grateful to my friends and family for understanding this.

Recently, you launched your new project "Fashion Illusion". What prompted you to do this?

I first had the idea more than 15 years ago when I read an article about Kate Moss' wardrobe stylist at the time. The idea to organise closets for others, to shop for them and to style them fascinated me. I already saved the website name „Illusion Fashion“ many years ago and used it initially as a blog. Last summer, I remembered this moment and I said to myself 'if not now, then when?'.

The concept for Fashion Illusion was already there; I just had to tweak it and feed content to the website and since the beginning of the year, the wardrobe service is now online.

I realised how unsure people are when it comes to fashion and that I wanted to be closer to the end customer and help them.

What exactly do you do?

My motto is 'to have a well organised wardrobe is the beginning of a well organised life'. That means gaining confidence through analysis, clarity and structure and becoming the master of one's wardrobe. I offer different service packages; mainly it is an in-home service, meaning I come home to the clients and go through their wardrobe together with them. That also includes weeding out and gaining an idea of what is there and what is actually needed.

The most exciting part is the clients' wow-effect when they realise the connection between a lack of a clear view and purchase decision that are not smart or the surprised expressions when seeing the many potential looks that their wardrobe offers. According to their insecurities, I help them with type of figure, new job, new phase of life or occasion to find something that fits and more than anything to feel good for a long time.

Often, less is more. I do not want to primarily push new purchases or encourage consumerism but to first "shop" in one's own closet.

And to those who are already confident in their style or generally have less time, I offer services like personal shopping or cleaning out their closet. With my different packages, I have tried to cover all needs.

You have been called the German Marie Condo; how do you feel about that?

Marie Condo helps people clean out their past; I help people design their future. Marie Condo provides structures, how to best clean up; I, however, help people keep their own style and needs in mind and give each client individual advice.

What can each one of us do to consume fashion more sustainably?

Sustainable consumerism does not only mean switching over to organic qualities but to wear the clothes that one owns as long as possible and to make future purchase decisions more consciously. Because even a jeans made out of organic cotton takes 8,000 litres to produce.

Of course, one should not take the fun out of certain trends and can buy something that one does not really need but that should not always be the case and when buying something new, one should not buy impulsively.

As part of a TV documentary, I was at the second largest recycling plant for textiles in Germany and it is simply horrifying to see the heaps of clothes, partly unworn, that end up in collection bins.

This is why I help my clients select purposefully, advise about repair and care and depending on the state, suggest selling on various online portals or at the flea market. Or I help them make the right decision for donating the clothes, making sure they end up with people who need them. Regardless of what one decides to do, it is important to extend the clothes' life span.

Photo: Anita Krizanovic

This article was originally published on FashionUnited DE; edited and translated by Simone Preuss.