Black Celebrity Stylists On The Rise

African-American style mavens are changing the industry

There’s no question that the world of fashion can sometimes be perceived as colorblind, especially when it comes to opportunities for black designers, models and stylists. However, African-American styling pioneers like June Ambrose are taking the fashion world by storm going out on their own instead of waiting for the mainstream to do it for them.

"Styled By June" recently premiered on VH1 giving us a peek into the world of Ambrose and what it means to be black, fabulous and in charge in the world of styling.  Ambrose isn’t the only one creating her own niche, these top African-American stylist are paving their own way as well!


Ty Hunter - Hunter, an Austin, Texas native, is a celebrity stylist to living pop legend, Beyoncé Knowles. He’s a graduate of the Art Institute of Dallas and has been styling Knowles since 2001. Hunter also plays a big part in Tina Knowles Productions Inc., styling Dereon ads and national tours.

Rachel Johnson - It’s not often that you think of your favorite NBA player as a fashion icon, but that’s exactly what 6’1" Rachel Johnson has in mind when she’s styling the likes of LeBron James, Jalen Rose and  Amare Stoudemire. Johnson is keeping the fellas fresh on and off the court.

Beagy Zielinski - Zielinski has always had a passion for fashion and knew from a young age that there was nothing she loved doing more than working with clothes. As a graduate of FIT and a world traveler (a native of Connecticut, but raised in Germany) she has worked for the likes of Harper’s Bazaar, Banana Republic, German Vogue and Coach. When she’s not taking the world by storm you can find her styling Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland and Tyra Banks, to name a few.

Rashida Blalock - Raised in Philadelphia. Rashida Blalock (aka Pinkey Turner) has been a fixture in the world of styling for years. Her chic expertise has helped her keep many celebrities in style including Neyo, Eminem and Chris Brown, among others. Blalock currently serves as head stylist on BET’s top rated show, "The Game."