Entrepreneur and celeb stylist Risa Kostis has constructed a dynamic profession rooted in creativity, flexibility, and adaptableness—and, in fact, an everlasting love for style. She first stepped into the wonder business at 21, specializing in hair and make-up for weddings. She gained invaluable enterprise expertise managing a purse and shoe firm, which paved the way in which for launching her personal styling enterprise.
In 2018, a wedding-day mishap impressed her to co-found The Rescue Package Firm together with her sister, providing important styling instruments designed for brides and past. Risa’s styling philosophy facilities on personalization, confidence, and inclusivity. She prioritizes a real-world perspective over inflexible style guidelines. Her experience extends throughout private styling, wedding ceremony day dressing providers, and adaptive style options.
On this interview, she shares her profession journey, styling philosophy, and the way she empowers each shopper—no matter physique kind—to embrace their distinctive magnificence with confidence.
Once I requested Risa how her story unfolded, she shared:
“My entrepreneurial journey started at 21 after I began doing hair and make-up for weddings. I used to be ending cosmetology college in Boston when a pal requested me to fashion her and her maid of honor’s hair and make-up for her wedding ceremony. That was the second I knew—this was what I wished to do.”
She additionally remembers, “Shortly after, I moved to San Francisco and took a job on the entrance desk of a day spa whereas constructing my shopper base on the facet. Throughout that point, I met a clothier for whom I often did hair and make-up. She ultimately introduced me on board to assist run her purse and shoe firm. It was an unbelievable hands-on studying expertise—a crash course in small enterprise administration, manufacturing, and manufacturing. Trying again, I couldn’t have requested for a greater basis for launching my full-scale styling firm and product line.”
As she gained expertise, weddings and particular occasions turned the core of Risa’s experience. She remembers the second that in the end led to creating The Rescue Package Firm:
“It began at a scorching Arizona wedding ceremony in 2018, simply as I used to be introducing my day-of dressing service. A photographer pal invited me to a marriage she was capturing, providing behind-the-scenes pictures in trade for my assist. I agreed, and like most wedding ceremony days, I didn’t meet the bride till I arrived to decorate her and magnificence everybody.
“As she walked down for the primary look, somebody stepped on her practice, and the zipper utterly broke. I attempted security pins and tremendous glue, however ultimately, I needed to sew her into her robe. It was like nothing ever occurred. I’ll always remember that day—not simply because it sparked The Rescue Package Firm and my now-popular dressing service, however as a result of saving the day is the best possible feeling on the planet. That was after I knew I needed to create an expertise that will deliver that very same reduction to my shoppers.”
Recognizing a spot out there, Risa and her sister got down to design the last word wedding ceremony day emergency package—mixing luxurious with performance.
“It was necessary for us to create a signature package that felt luxurious {and professional} but remained user-friendly and complete,” Risa explains. “The Bride Package is our best-selling product, impressed by the skilled styling package I’ve used for over a decade. It contains 22 rigorously chosen objects designed to make the most important affect on a marriage day.
“Inside, you’ll discover necessities like a stitching package with pre-threaded needles in the most well-liked wedding ceremony colours, double-stick tape, mini tissues, a lint curler, and our Hair + Pin Package—that includes 4 completely different security pin colours, straight pins, two shades of bobby pins, and clear rubber bands. Distinctive additions embody a deodorant-removing sponge, tremendous glue, a button + bustle hook for satin-covered buttons and robe bustling, foot gel pads, stain-removing spray, wrinkle-release spray, and extra. It’s actually a one-stop mishap-preventing store!”
One could marvel, “How can a stylist create a very inclusive and personalised expertise for shoppers with various physique varieties and mobility wants?” Risa Kostis explains:
“As a stylist, guaranteeing a profitable physique kind evaluation for various shoppers, together with these with distinctive mobility wants, begins with a customized and inclusive method. That is actually the place a listening ear is available in, and an important perspective I take is that of a pupil—I would like to grasp any day by day challenges with getting dressed and areas which may want particular consideration.
“Reasonably than relying solely on conventional physique form tips, I deal with proportions, consolation, and performance, contemplating how clothes drapes and strikes with the person’s physique. For shoppers who use wheelchairs, I take seated proportions under consideration, in addition to correct layering and undergarments to make sure each aesthetic steadiness and ease of motion. Material decisions, adaptable silhouettes, and strategic tailoring play key roles in enhancing each fashion and practicality. Above all, I prioritize listening to the shopper’s wants and preferences, making changes that align with their way of life and style objectives whereas celebrating their distinctive form and confidence.”
Are you interested by working with Risa Kostis or inquisitive about what a one-on-one evaluation is like? She shares:
“Most of my private styling shoppers come from present shopper referrals. We often do a deep dive on a name or Zoom to ensure I can meet their wants, and that additionally offers them an opportunity to share their styling objectives for any upcoming occasions or appearances.
“Since a whole lot of my work is transferring towards wedding ceremony styling and day-of-dressing, most of those assessments are with ladies who’re getting married or shut mates/wedding ceremony celebration members which will need wedding ceremony apparel consulting providers or to rent me for day-of-dressing. Communication is the cornerstone of every little thing I do, and I take detailed notes of their file that may serve me all through the method of working collectively.”
What are Risa’s ideas on shade evaluation? It was refreshing to listen to her say:
“My reply may shock you, however I don’t essentially go by the e book in relation to shade evaluation. Whereas I feel it’s confirmed helpful for lots of stylists and their shoppers, I don’t use a proper shade evaluation course of with the folks I work with. I can inform instantly after I have a look at somebody—based mostly on what lives of their present closet and through fittings—what’s going to improve their look and complement their look. I feel shade is a selection and a sense once you’re getting dressed.
“Once I hear somebody say, ‘I can’t put on that shade,’ I all the time wish to not less than attempt it on collectively, so we will take pictures and ensure it’s a shade that they actually need to rule out. Whereas there’s system-based construction round shade evaluation, I personally wish to push folks exterior their consolation zone into the ‘what-if’ area if they’re prepared to go there. We all know immediately when it received’t work, and that’s adequate for me!”
Risa shares that there are various encouraging methods to find one’s ardour within the style business. Reflecting on her personal journey, she says:
“I really like that in at present’s world, there are such a lot of roads that result in the identical factor. I don’t have any formal coaching in styling, and actually, I feel that’s what makes my talent set so fascinating. I all the time inform aspiring younger folks that fashion is subjective and innate—in the event that they find it irresistible, they need to pursue it.”
When requested about her style philosophy and what makes working with Risa Kostis distinctive, she explains:
“My philosophy is all about distinctive consideration to element, prioritizing personalised fashion over labels, and making each shopper really feel uniquely their very own. I imagine in unparalleled customer support, a zero-judgment method, and curating seems to be that remember individuality.”
The sister duo possesses a distinct segment and distinctive set of abilities, as Risa emphasizes:
“My sister is definitely my enterprise associate in The Rescue Package Firm! She has a proper background in Occupational Remedy (OT) and has labored in each inpatient and outpatient rehab settings.
“It’s in our plans to sooner or later develop an adaptive rescue package that honors her ardour whereas aligning with our core worth of caring for our clients.”
It was a thrill to interview Ms. Risa Kostis, who shared her perspective on working with shoppers: ‘The experiences I’ve had all through my life—from working within the service business for over a decade to appearing, style publicity, styling, and a lot extra—have given me the inspiration to supply one thing actually particular. I’ve an uncanny means to satisfy my shoppers precisely the place they’re of their lives and for each event they should costume for, and I firmly imagine that’s one thing that may’t be taught. After we work collectively, you turn out to be a really particular a part of my life, and that’s one thing I’ll by no means take with no consideration.”
Risa Kostis is a famend stylist who has been featured on quite a few nationwide tv reveals and media shops.
Thanks, Risa Kostis, for this unique interview with Social Life-style Journal. We’re excited to see what’s subsequent in your profession!
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