Rewear, Reimagine, Reinvent: Robyn Davies Is the Personal Stylist Proving That True Style Starts With What You Already Have
Tell us about your work!
I style people with the clothes in their closets. My work has been featured in Vogue, and I’ve had the pleasure of styling a Tony-award winning actor, former editor-in-chief of Nylon magazine, co-founder of No. 29 Communications, and artist Maayan Zilberman.
I specialize in helping my clients put together outfits for everyday, vacation, and weddings, all without having to buy a single item. My approach transforms the way they think about their wardrobe, helps them understand why they do (or don’t) wear something, saves them money, and helps reduce clothing waste.
Alongside my styling, I publish the newsletter DRESSED by Robyn, where I write about our relationship to clothes, getting dressed, and reimagining the wardrobes of women I admire. I’m excited to share that after publishing it consistently for two years, my newsletter was recently recognized in Substack’s top 100 rising in fashion & beauty.
How long have you been working on your venture? Why did you decide to work on something impact related?
I launched my styling business back in 2021, but it wasn’t until this past year that I started taking it seriously. Part of me doubted whether I could turn styling into my work because what I do hadn’t existed before, but I’ve slowly let that go. Time, experience, and surrounding myself with people who believe in me (like WERULE co-founders Justyna Kedra and Camille Jalandoni, and New School Professor Susanna Moyer) has helped.
I was always interested in style, how clothes can transform a person, but I was hesitant to pursue a career in fashion because the industry felt so “other” to me. I wasn’t sure where I fit in. I spent most of my twenties exploring various jobs, some fashion-adjacent, others not. I realized early on that I didn’t want to just show up and do a job because I’m very purpose-driven, but I wasn’t sure how that could manifest in a career. During that time I was able to assist a handful of stylists, but only the Vogue Paris editors’ work really resonated with me. They were the ones who showed me how to take a mass-produced garment, albeit a designer one, and sculpt it into something truly personal. I still use what I learned from them in my styling today.
After being let go from Rent the Runway in 2018, I started researching “sustainable fashion.” I’d heard the term while working on a marketing campaign, and was curious about whether it might be a way for me to merge my interests. Through reaching out to people, I was introduced to a nonprofit called Remake that advocates for human rights and climate justice in the fashion industry. Their work really resonated with me because they provided actionable steps that I could apply to my everyday life, instead of just pointing out a problem.
Remake also helped me realize that the things I did to dress better on a budget were also inherently more sustainable. What if I could get others to dress in a similar way? So often we’re told that we have to give something up to do some go, but here you could actually gain, in this case, personal style. That brought me back to styling, and thinking about how I use this skill to help people reimagine their existing wardrobes.
How did you find out you wanted to take an entrepreneurial path? What was the first fundamental shift that happened to you as an early impact entrepreneur?
I’ve had some kind of job since I was a teenager, working as a waitress and lifeguard in high school, and then as a pool manager and resident advisor in college, but never a desk job until after graduation. I remember my first week of work, sitting at a cubicle and thinking, “I have to do this for the rest of my life?” I realized how important ownership of my time and mind was to me. That planted the seed of seeking other forms of employment. Did I have to work a 9-to-5?
I didn’t learn about “entrepreneurship” until later. It took me years of exploring, getting to know people I admired, building my confidence to believe that I could also create the kind of work I wanted (and the kind of life I wanted). My work is still very much in progress, but I feel an ease that I didn’t when I was younger because I’ve finally let myself pursue what I wanted to do, instead of what I thought I should be doing.
What do you enjoy most about being an impact entrepreneur? What are the main challenges?
I love that I’m able to help people with something they need, while also advancing a cause I believe in. People seek me out because they like my work, they like me. The sustainability piece is usually just an added bonus, or something they’re not even totally aware of. That’s okay, great even. That means I can bring them into the conversation.
The biggest challenge for me was figuring out how to message what I do. I remember sitting with my former boss, now friend Kim Robinson, who helps creatives do business, and brainstorming ideas. I used to lead with the sustainability angle, but that just didn’t catch. So I switched to how my services were solving a problem for my target customer, and then everything started to click. I’m still doing what I set out to do from the beginning, just meeting people where they are at.
What advice do you have for early-stage impact entrepreneurs about using their time and relationships to prepare for this kind of career? What would you tell to your younger self?
Find something you want to think about all the time. If you’re not sure what that is yet, explore. Help other people with their projects first. I felt this pressure to have “it all figured out” when I graduated. So much so that I didn’t pursue certain opportunities because I thought I was too late. That’s absurd. I was 22. A baby! If I could go back, I’d tell myself to start “following the breadcrumbs” sooner, those things that keep you up, make you curious. That’s where the good stuff is. And that it’s never too late. I’m taking way more risks now than I did in my twenties, and it feels good, because I’ve proven to myself that I’m capable and will always land on my feet.