Meet Christen Johnson | Personal Stylist and Style Biz Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christen Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christen, how do you think about risk?
Risk taking plays a huge role in my career as a Personal Stylist and Style Biz Coach. From just wanting to gain experience and landing my first internship to actually registering my business with the state and quitting my job to pursue my styling career full-time; I would say that I’ve been taking risks since the beginning.

I remember when I realized styling was actually something I wanted to pursue. I was in college and became laser focused on gaining experience. I styled one of my first photo shoots on campus and used my own clothes. It was perfect because the model was my size and I didn’t have to spend any money. Imagine being a broke college student trying to build your portfolio and practice your craft. I was forced to think outside the box and learned how to use what I had to get where I wanted to be, early on in my styling career. This mentality helped to mold me and shaped my career into what it is today.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Sometimes, I wish I didn’t start a business with every idea that I had but honestly I’m thankful for each of them and am blessed to be in a position to be doing what I love every single day.

SCB Luxury Styling, originally known as SophisticatedChic Brand is a personal styling firm for professional, executive and entrepreneurial women wanting to make an impact and a statement with style. We focus on helping women gain their confidence back by taking their measurements and determining their unique body shape. I actually recreated my own list of body shapes that are more body positive and encourages women to love the skin their in.

Black Women Who Style was started at a time when I was working back in retail and wanted to connect with other stylists, who looked like me and lived in my hometown. A friend of mine and I were always traveling to other cities for fashion events and opportunities but wanted to create a culture around fashion and style in our hometown. BWWS launched with a brunch event that brought stylish black women together to lift up one another and work together. We now host virtual events, live interviews with other stylists, provide digital resources and manage a growing community exclusive to stylists of color called, The Style Squad.

Project Style University is my ode to Personal Styling. After transitioning out of editorial styling and into personal styling, my perspective on the business of styling completely changed. I began to believe that styling was more than just physically dressing people and more so transforming people’s lives with fashion advice and education. I truly believe that everyone should invest in their appearance and a Personal Stylist is a expert that was created to serve everyday people with their style needs. At PSU, I provide one-on-one coaching and an online course that teaches aspiring and emerging personal stylists how to run their business like a CEO.

My journey started with my passion for styling and simply just wanting to help people look and feel better about themselves. And with prayer and hard work, it has snowballed into something so much bigger than me that I am extremely proud of. No, it wasn’t easy and still isn’t. There are hard choices that I have to make every single day to remain fresh and relevant. But my clients and the people I’ve helped thus far help me to stay motivated.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Baltimore is such a great place filled with tons hidden gems that I am still discovering. Of course I would take them to get crabs since that’s what our city is known for. And I’ll make all the special dipping sauces for them to try out. We’ll then head downtown for drinks and good food at a few of my favorite spots like Lucky Bunz, Raw and Refined, RA Sushi and Loch Bar. We love seafood if you couldn’t tell.

We’d then hop on a scooter and ride along Canton Waterfront towards the harbor. We’ll make a pit stop at The Top of the World Observation Level to see the entire city.

Of course we’ll do some shopping at Columbia or Towson Mall and maybe head to a movie right after.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, everyone who has helped me get to this point with their love and support deserves a shoutout. There are individuals who have been there since the beginning who are still here helping me to grow and show up as the best version of myself.

There are also people who were only in my life for a season but have managed to play a huge role in getting me to the next level by teaching me something new, investing in me, referring me to life changing opportunities and/or just believing in my vision.

Many people from the outside looking in don’t realize how much hard work goes into running a business (I have three) and constantly having to put yourself out there for the world to see. Life can easily begin to feel overwhelming and like no one understands what you’re going through. So, it’s important to have a tribe of people who care about you and support you no matter what life throws at you.

Website: https://www.sophisticatedchicbrand.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophisticatedchicbrand/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christen-johnson-980b2585/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsamINVYbkWAo-yqwf2I86Q