Emma Krehbiel is a 27 year old stylist living in New York City. She has been a personal stylist for socialites throughout the years including Kendal Jenner, Sophia Richie, and many others. “I thrift almost everything for my clients and I.” In fact, every item of clothing featured on Krehbiel in this issue was found at various thrift stores.
Krehbiel is not shy about explaining her views on the state of the fashion industry in today’s world. She differs herself from other stylists because of her philosophy on fashion and styling. She explains how “fast fashion” is the number one issue she wants people to avoid and by simply avoiding fast fashion you are saving lives by not contributing to unfair working conditions and also saving the earth by not contributing to the amount of clothing in landfills around the world.
“Any person who relies on fast fashion should be appalled by how their actions affect people around the world.” Krehbiel is touching on unfair working conditions and sweat shops used to create many pieces of fast fashion clothing and also used by brands we see every day. “Trendy pieces might be fun but do you know how they are being produced? Do you know any of the effects these trends have on our environment?” Much like CORE, Krehbiel believes that fashion, culture, and the environment all effect each other. “You should want to represent what you believe in, it is deeper than looks”
Fast fashion is created with cheap materials by cheap laborers, sold for a low cost, and worn once or twice by the buyer, then eventually end up in a landfill creating more waste for the planet. “The societal norm of wearing an outfit once and never again needs to end, it is unreasonable and unnecessary.” This is one of the reasons why Krehbiel is as passionate as she is about the way she styles any of her clients. No matter what their personal style is, she claims that there is always a way to reuse or to practice sustainability when thinking about your closet.
Reusing and upcycling are two of the ways Krehbiel gained her following, she describes her style as minimalistic and prides herself on creating minimalistic looks without being boring or over done. She makes sure her looks stay unique to her client and their own brand. “When styling clients, I make sure they feel comfortable in their clothing, and even though I love my style, I make sure my outfits represent who my clients are.” Krehbiel enjoys experimenting with fashion and claims it has been her favorite type of self expression ever since she was a child.
“Self expression is so important for any person. Over the years I have found what I am passionate about, gained insight on all aspects of it and now I am able to express my world views through the fashion industry. I get to raise awareness about environmental change and cultural injustice while still doing what I love”
Alec Tucker 