Tone Woolfe By Robyn Mowatt ·Updated March 22, 2024
Celebrity stylist Scot Louie, originally from New York City has a polished and tasteful > Keke Palmer, Kelly Rowland, Ryan Destiny, Niecy Nash, Ari Lennox, and countless others have called upon Louie for press runs and significant red carpet moments. The moments he’s created often are comprised of immaculate two-piece sets or gowns that exude femininity. There’s a bright magenta Maison Valentino suit by Pier Paolo Piccioli that Louie pulled for Lennox in 2022 that is seared into my brain. It’s an example of his efforts and how he revitalizes his clientele’s relationships with fashion. His work ethic and knack for piecing together memorable outfits keep him booked and ever-busy.
Over a phone call, Louie recalls a key moment from when he was ten years old that speaks to his fascination with fashion. Through laughter, he recalls that for his birthday at a roller rink, he decided to cut up his jeans that his mother had just bought him. Louie tells me that his experiment didn’t turn out well. But, this defining moment speaks to how he was always leaning into expressing himself creatively. He calls himself a product of the hair salon–he would sit in his mother’s salon reading Harper’s Bazaar soaking up the conceptual looks within the magazine. “As a young kid I always knew I wanted to be a designer,” he says. Though he wasn’t equipped with the tangible skills to become a designer, he allowed this fixation on clothing to guide him, and he never wavered.
By high school, he was taking trade classes in fashion design where he learned patternmaking and began formally working with garments. It wasn’t his strong suit, but it did push him to continue reaching for his aspirations–eventually he met a mentor who gave him the tools he would need to become a stylist. At 18, after diligently reaching out to Lil’ Kim’s assistant, he received a golden opportunity to work with the rap icon. From that point forward he was working towards landing more celebrity clientele. R&B singer Mya was another artist he >cooking—he credits his mother and grandmother with teaching him how to create his delicious dishes. The reality television series centers around a core group of friends who are working to leave an impact on the city that many say never sleeps. After years of watching characters on TV, it could be a tall order to become a part of a cast. When tasked with describing what it’s like being in front of the camera Louie says it’s been different being on the other side. “I’m a stylist first so I’m used to being behind the scenes, it’s been exciting,” he says. This current era is also about ascension for Louie. He describes it as a time when he’s being intentional about everything. “[I’m] ascending into a fuller form and a different person,” he adds.
Below we spoke with Scot Louie on how he got his start in fashion years ago, how cooking is more than a hobby for him, and more.
ESSENCE: What is your earliest fashion memory?
Growing up I’m a child of New York and my mom is a single mom and she worked across from FIT, which is the most prominent fashion school in New York. I’m a child of the hair salon, so Saturdays were spent at the salon. That’s really where it all kind of began for me. Those are my earliest fashion memories. As a young kid I always knew I wanted to be a designer. I didn’t really have the technical skills. As I got older I went to a trade school and learned about being a stylist from my mentor.
Did you always love expressing yourself through your personalrel=”tag”>celebrity stylist Keke Palmer Kelly Rowland
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