Popular stylist Ade Samuel has been named the 2021 S&A RISING Awards DIGITAL winner in the behind-the-scenes category.

Samuel has styled stars including Michael B. Jordan, Cynthia Erivo, Big Sean, Yara Shahidi, Daniel Kaluuya, Yvonne Orji, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, Nichole Richie, Kelly Rowland, Monica Brown, Kofi Siriboe and Khalid. She has also had her work featured in Adidas, H&M, At-Large, The Hollywood Reporter, Flaunt Magazine, Billboard Magazine, Vogue, Teen Vogue and Essence. She has also had her work featured globally, specifically the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.

Samuel talked to Shadow and Act about being recognized for her work in the fashion industry and what led to her big break.

“I always attribute my big break to be when I styled Big Sean for the Grammys in 2017,” she said. I remember that night like yesterday…My phone started to blow up from The Hollywood Reporter to Billboard and all of these people who wanted to know what his look was about. He started trending on Twitter. It was a big moment for me to be like, ‘Okay, I know what I’m doing, let’s keep going.'”

Samuel also talked about what her best advice is to future stylists.

“I think the best advice that I always think about is figuring out the business side,” she said. “Everybody always see the glamor and glitz of fashion, but over time, I learned that it’s not just the element of styling and designing that its fun, it’s building a brand and building a business behind it.”

She also equated learning the craft to pledging in a sorority or fraternity, saying, “Soak all of the advice, the experience, and take it in with pride.”

You can see Samuel next in a new avenue–directing. Her first short film for Essence’s September issue will focus showcasing the talent present in her parents’ home country of Nigeria.

Ade Samuel

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