Rylton Thomas is critically acclaimed and one of the most fast-rising Celebrity Wardrobe Stylists in the fashion and entertainment industries. Rylton has styled some of the world’s favorite people such as Kali, Nivea, Aliya Janell, Eva Marcielle, and more. Formally known as “TheRylExperience,” Rylton is taking the fashion and business industry by storm with a new approach to styling geared toward communizing the integration of streetwear and luxury clothing.
Was your family originally from Liberia?
My family is originally from Liberia. My mother and father were born and raised in Liberia. Right after they graduated from college, there was the Civil War of Liberia that broke out. They were forced to flee the country and they came to America and that’s where they started their whole life. And then they got married and had my sister where they had my sister got married. I was born in the northern Virginia area. My mom is a big influence for my fashion and where my interest originally came from. Fashion has always been a huge deal in our family and wasn’t limited to women. Each member had a presentable look to them. My mom would take us on to these mall trips and we would attend fashion shows that she would sometimes host. I remember being surrounded with these popup events. I didn’t know that this is exactly what I was wanting to do, but it did come naturally.
Were people noticing your style in school or college?
I guess that’s what kind of pinpointed me into what I wanted to do. From high school to college, I was always receiving compliments and students would ask my advice on fashion topics. It promoted me to start styling unintentionally like when I would give advice to my friends or people that would come up to me. I can remember as far back as like an elementary school; I would be sketching original designs as well. So, I had both fields in my long-term goals. I still personally want to have my own brand and that’s in the works as well. The wardrobe advising aspect was the easiest thing for me to express myself through fashion because the fashion design world is about taking small steps to be able to become a world-renowned name or like a notable fashion brand in the industry because it’s really cutthroat. I feel like I was able to choose that path wardrobe styling path in a kind of maneuver my way into there and let my voice my creativity be heard through.
Was the idea of WeTV’s “Growing Up Hip-Hop” your first experience in front of a national audience?
That was my first professional opportunity and I had a friend at the time who was also a wardrobe stylist. They couldn’t make that opportunity at the time and they like they had faith in me and asked me if I can go ahead and do it. I personally didn’t have the faith in myself at the time because I’m perfectionist and needed validation. And from that opportunity, I fell in love with the art of fashion. I just had to sort of get out of my head and kind of let my talent in my creativity. I would doubt myself or doubt my own work, but the people around me would see it differently. I would have to get out of my own mental space and kind of step out of my own shoes and look at it from outside. So it was kind of like a time thing and also a learning thing. Growing up and maturing, knowing that it’s okay to make mistakes, helped me learn over past experiences.
What led to the next opportunity within the BET Awards?
So after the first opportunity, I expressed to a friend that gave me the opportunity to express my interest. He told them how this is kind of was my calling and I felt it and deeper than what it really was. I started assisting for them executively and going on with them to different opportunities. And then the BET Awards came around, and they helped at the time. It was another opportunity that kind of started off as an assistant role but ended up being like a full-time real experience. So got that it was it was amazing. It was something that’s memorable, and still impacts me to this day.
When you advise people on fashion, are they typically receptive on your ideas?
Most people understand that it takes a level of trust to have that control over what you look like, because that’s a priority that’s important to a lot of people. I have had some clients where we would have a little back and forth. I give them my expertise and that’s part of my name; the real experience allows them to say what they’re used to. I then go in and kind of give them my take on what I see them as and allow them to either accept it or deny it and either compromise. Compromising plays a big part on both ends.
Are there any past outfits you’re proud of or where you were able to change a person’s entire image based on it?
The one that comes to mind immediately is Nivea, the recording artist. I’ve never met or spoken to her and reached out through a third party. I think I barely knew her sizes or what her aesthetic was. When I met her in person and we went through the shoot, she instantly expressed her gratitude. It showed me that you just need to be able to have that connection with somebody when you haven’t even met yet. If you don’t know, there’s 1000s of other people out there that are willing to express their creativity as well.
Did the idea of creative original designs come from your experiences with models or clients?
I had a vision in my head of having an apparel line to kind of kick start that that goal in that dream. And it was kind of because I couldn’t personally find any clothing out there that sort of spoke to my style. I enjoy the streetwear style, but also love items that are luxurious and have the glitz to them. I hope to integrate the two fields and really make 2022 the comeback for my brand. I think the name and play on words is what will help differentiate my brand. Marketing and branding are such a big play in anything you do, so that was my number one goal when creating this concept. I have different hats that I like to wear and with me being a student at Clark Atlanta University, I want to tap more into the marketing world after graduation. Those ideals play such a big role in a successful organization. And I just feel like with fashion and with marketing, it goes together. Because within wardrobe styling, I pride myself on being an image architect.
Any upcoming projects you wanted to mention?
My clothing brand will have a comeback in 2022 which will be very exciting. It’s going to be more intentional and timeless. And then with wardrobe styling, I have numerous projects coming out as far as like music videos and photo shoots. I just a whole bunch of other new clients that are coming up in California and I’m just very grateful to be able to have these opportunities presented to me and be able to express myself through fashion.
