Meet Melissa de Leon | Stylist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa de Leon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I think I accidentally fell into becoming a business owner. I knew there was a hole that I could fill with my perspective and education, which made me take the leap to own my business instead of work for another talented stylist. I don’t think I realized at the beginning that becoming a business owner means you perform every role, wear every hat. You don’t have a team that does your marketing or handles operations. You have to own all of it, be all of it, including the creative, client-facing service and expertise that people are paying you for. I was confident and comfortable in the ‘stylist’ role, but really had to work and grow in to the ‘business owner’ role. Some may say my decision was reckless, but I knew I wanted to do and becoming a business owner was a natural evolution to get to where I wanted.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m a stylist, which in short means I help people get dressed by equipping their wardrobe with the right pieces and defining a style that is unique to them. My work is so fun, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its own set of challenges. Being a stylist is so much more than shopping for clothes. Most of my clients come to me because of insecurities, challenges, or limitations, or because they are trying to figure out who they are or how they want to be represented to the world. I’m constantly dealing with real people and their real emotions who are trying to re-image, elevate, improve or expand on themselves. We all have emotional, sometimes triggering or even traumatic relationships with our image, our bodies, and our clothes. Most people can look at my work and see that it’s a basic necessity. After all, we have to be dressed! I shop for and curate the perfect pieces for a client and their exact needs; that is the most straightforward aspect of my job. The more ambiguous and overwhelming aspects of what I do is being the caretaker and, at times, counselor to the sensitive and emotional baggage of the person I’m dressing. Being a stylist is constantly working with the 3 ‘F’s. Fashion and functionality of course, but most importantly: feelings. And that is perhaps the most rewarding and fulfilling part of my job.

Those feelings are the entire reason why I began my business. As a child I always had an interest for fashion. I was fortunate at a young age to have direction and confidence that this was the industry I belonged in. It wasn’t until college when I began to question where exactly my place was and where my voice and my skills could be best used. After taking a course that touched on fashion and sociology and how the two intertwined, I began my own research on fashion psychology and sociology and finally got the clarity I needed. To me, fashion is so multifaceted. Sure, it’s fun and flamboyant and frivolous in all the best ways. It’s purposeful and functional and has to serve our precise needs for the unique way we live. But fashion also brings up so many feelings and so much emotion. What we wear and how we dress is a way we express ourselves to the world, which when you think about it, is a very vulnerable, delicate, and precious thing. One of my favorite quotes is by G. Bruce Boyer who says “Real style is never right or wrong, it’s a matter of being yourself on purpose”. It’s intimidating to reimagine yourself and be bold enough to make a change, to be daring, or to strive for more. Only the most courageous of us are the ones who are willing to explore, fail and try again. And fashion is just that. It’s all about taking changes, failing, learning, and trying again. All while putting yourself out there for all to see – it’s instant language and an instant picture to every stranger or familiar face you encounter that says THIS IS ME.

That’s what makes being a stylist so rewarding. Sure, I love to watch my clients OHH and AHH over pieces or proudly text me outfit pictures, but what I love witnessing most is their own metamophosis – seeing them blossom and emerge as a more confident and more beautiful version of their true selves is what will always bring me the most joy and what I am most proud of.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Raleigh is so diverse and getting bigger by the second! For food, Brewery Bhavana is a must-see. The interiors and ambiance is so beautiful and the food is spectacular. Its sister restaurant Bida Manda is just as acclaimed. Crawford & Son and french restaurant Jolie are also some of the best meals to eat in Raleigh with seasonal menus. Madre is a new restaurant in Raleigh, and the interiors designed by Brian Costello have become the thing to talk about. For something easy and casual MoJoes is the best burger joint and Oakwood Pizza is where you can get pizza by the slice or an entire pie to bring home.

Durham is also a short drive and has a great food scene – I was recently introduced to The Madhatter Cafe by a Durham-born friend and I’m obsessed. I highly recommend getting a basket of fries as a side to share with the table. Pizzeria Toro has the best pizza in Durham in my opinion.

For things to do, I personally love a trip to an art museum. CAM Raleigh is downtown, or you can go to the North Carolina Museum of Art which has a massive Rodin collection – the largest collection in the southeast. If walking or biking is more your style, we have amazing greenways or Dorothea Dix park.

For drinks, Gussies just opened as a quaint neighborhood bar – I haven’t been but am interested to go! Watts & Ward is also fun to go to – it’s a basement cocktail bar just steps away from Brewery Bhavana or Bida Manda.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have to give a shoutout to my family and close friends. For the past 7 years they have lifted me up, been a shoulder to cry on and always recommended my services. They have been my constant encouragement and allies as I’ve navigated through entrepreneurship.

Website: www.melissadeleonstyling.com

Instagram: @melissadeleonstyling

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-de-leon/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissadeleonstyling/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGA3kVdQtXlshuJE2z7ChYw

Other: TikTok: @styledbymds

Image Credits
Emily Lyonswood