Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Sawyier.
Laura, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Prior to launching my personal styling and fashion consultancy in January 2018, my background prepared me in a multifaceted manner. I worked in fashion retail during high school and college, which definitely informed my early understanding of customer service and the importance of aesthetics in experiences. After college, I started my career in marketing and event design/planning at various start-ups and creative firms in New York. Fashion apparel, accessories, and beauty brands were among the clients I had the privilege to work with on event design, floral, and production, including Hermès, L’Oréal, Dennis Basso, and Monique Lhuillier.
In 2014, I moved to Saint Louis to join my now-husband, whose business is headquartered here. I continued working in event planning, marketing, and event design – my last outside role was the Creative and Sales Director of an event design firm, which I co-launched on behalf of a strategic partnership. During that time, as I had in much of my previous work, I continued to pull inspiration from fashion, culture, consumer behavior, and trends to inform the creativity behind designing experiences for my clients because – similar to fashion – events are rooted in our emotional and nuanced engagement.
After a year of leading this design firm, I decided to step out on my own and focus on working with women on their personal style, executive presence, and individual branding. Many of my clients are based in Saint Louis and New York City, but I work with women across the country.
In addition to my personal styling services, I consult direct-to-consumer brands on a project and retainer basis. My marketing and consumer experience background and my styling services and research inform the branding and customer journey consulting with emerging fashion apparel, shoes, and accessories brands, including Summersalt, Sarah Flint, and AUDRA.
In 2019, I launched an immersive 2-day event series, SALON x LKS which invites and hosts DTC brands and their leadership to Saint Louis that don’t have a physical product existence in the Saint Louis region. The event includes a panel conversation with brand leadership, shopping, interactive experience with their products – free to attend by anyone in the community. Following the panel/shopping SALON’s, a fundraising ticketed dinner in partnership with a local restaurant raises awareness and funds for local non-profits – it’s an opportunity to bring the community together even more and create impactful partnerships and relationships. Four SALON’s were hosted in 2019 at Forsyth Art and featured AUDRA, Wai Ming, La Ligne, Sarah Flint, and Hunting Season.
SALON x LKS has been put on hold given the state of the world and the pandemic, which has enabled me to rethink the physical experience and opportunities for brand and product discoveries. In October 2021, I relaunched my email newsletter under the name Style / Substance. This free weekly publication features personal styling recommendations, new brand discovery and discounts, analysis on the applied psychology of fashion and the business of fashion as to how it impacts us as consumers, and recommendations to product investments in our personal wardrobe collections.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I entered into my personal styling business with no traditional training or internships in the direct field. I believe this has benefited me in the long term as it allows for a multi-dimensional approach to my work with individuals and brands. I’ve combined much of my expertise, and my strengths do indeed translate, but feel as though the sky’s the limit with growth and opportunities. Needless to say, there have absolutely been bumps, and they’ll continue to arise unexpectedly. I’ve found more confidence each year in my business by experiencing and learning from my mistakes.
The onset of the pandemic in early 2020 was by far my biggest hurdle to date in my business. I work in a very specialty services field, and to no surprise, I had personal styling cancellations like dominos because no one was going anywhere, and we were collectively unsure of what was to come. No one needs me to consult on which sweatpants to purchase. Understandably this wasn’t a surprise, but it definitely hit me hard in the beginning as I experienced significant business losses. Thankfully, I maintained brand consultancy work, though paired down, throughout 2020.
What this has taught me so clearly is the necessity of further diversifying my offerings and revenue channels. Some great business ideas have birthed out of the pandemic, which I’ve been acting on. I’m beginning to see a lot of activity and interest in getting back into an active lifestyle. Brand consultancy work is returning again as many retailers are seeing growth and, in some instances, a strong path towards pre-pandemic revenues. I’m a business owner. I signed up for risk; it’s part of the journey. Plus, nothing in life is guaranteed.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about LKS Styling & Consulting?
As a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and all of the creative work and projects I consult on and produce are built under the brand. That’s what’s so fun about it – it’s one of a kind. LKS Styling & Consulting is a multifaceted firm specializing in consumer fashion styling services and direct-to-consumer fashion apparel and accessories brand consultancy. Both offerings inform the other – from the consumer behavioral side of understanding what consumers want, buy, and desire to marketing a brand’s products back to the end consumer. Clients include Fortune 500 executives, entrepreneurs, luxury RTW and DTC brands, and non-profits. It’s a privilege to work with so many dynamic individuals and teams on building out a clear understanding, strategy, and tactical deployment mapping.
But there’s much more to it than styling individuals and strategizing with brands. I’m a regular on-air style expert for NBC affiliate KSDK, have penned op-eds for Thrive Global on the applied psychology of fashion. In addition to publishing on the lauraksawyier.com blog, my brand consultancy work has been featured in Fast Company, Travel + Leisure, Elle India, The Zoe Report, and other leading publications.
In October 2021, I relaunched my rebranded “Style / Substance” weekly email newsletter, covering a circulating range of topics, including personal style resources and tips, brand discovery and promotions, and commentary on what we wear and how to dress intentionally. With a high engagement and quickly growing reach, this platform serves a broader audience of fashion enthusiasts and individuals seeking efficient solutions for closet organization, personal styling, sprinkled with novelty, and discovery of new products and brands. This media channel continues to build upon the SALON x LKS event series in a virtual format to be experienced in the convenience of your own home and in your own time. It’s powered by growing brand and product partnerships to maintain attainable fashion for all.
As a thought leader, I run workshops, seminars, and keynotes to bring light to fashion psychology tenants, identify your dynamic style, maintain an intentional and effective wardrobe on a budget, manage first impressions, and dress for our active lifestyles while living up to individual potential and goals. Using the knowledge of the Applied Psychology of Fashion, I help people develop the skills necessary to use their chosen style of dress to foster a healthy level of self-regard around the way in which they present themselves externally and feel about themselves internally. Audiences include Washington University in Saint Louis, FOCUS STL, and more.
My philosophy for personal styling emphasizes intentionality and personal discovery, enabling individuals to authentically express their dynamic selves. Much of my work combines anecdotal and evidence-based research to demonstrate the myriad of ways in which what we wear impacts us on both a behavioral and a cognitive level. In a world that’s overwhelmed with too many options and unclear solutions to getting dressed, what and how to shop, and organizational tools, LKS Consulting and the Style / Substance newsletter answers many of these questions in an efficient and digestible platform.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I would not and could not be doing my work today and experience significant growth year over year without my advisory board. I’m lucky to have two wise, honest, and compassionate mentors. One of which flew me out to Portland, Oregon, and became my first personal styling client. Encouraging me to step into a new endeavor that I was personally passionate about but had not yet experienced professionally. And my other mentor regularly nudges me to constantly be better and lean into my strengths more and more. I also look to her as my editor at large as I grow my media platform. I’m very lucky that they’re in my life.
I can bounce any of my business ideas off of them as well as call and cry in moments of disappointment or stress. I work with a business coach who is another phenomenal entrepreneur and has a background in social work – the perfect combination of business coaching and entrepreneurial therapy. She holds me accountable, creates clarity, productivity mapping, and challenges me on better balance and tempo to all of my creative ideas and ensuring I am filling up my cup so I can best serve my incredible clients.
My clients are also important to honor. Without them, I wouldn’t have a business. In such a personal and intimate setting, in many instances, there is a lot of trust being built, which I guard with the utmost respect and integrity. My clients are also the source of my business growth and continue to refer me, which is an act of the highest compliment one can receive.
I look to many of the people close to me in my life, in addition to clients and mentors. I learn from all of them. No one has it wholeheartedly figured out, and it’s such an incredible journey that fills my desire to connect with people and act on my curiosities. My husband is also my number one champion and advisor. As a longtime entrepreneur, he is my soundboard on anything you could think of in business. He’s a massive part of why I have become an entrepreneur – by setting an example and strongly encouraging me to step out independently.
Contact Info:
- Email: laura@lauraksawyier.com
- Website: lauraksawyier.com
- Instagram: @lauraksawyier
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyoi8TZ5h4Xw5OM1OyLkuMw
- Other: stylesubstance.substack.com
