Profile 012: Corey Stokes, Fashion Director, High Snobiety
Corey Stokes is an independent stylist who also sits as the Fashion Director at High Snobiety. Hailing from Flint, Michigan, Corey’s story is one of coming to NYC and making his vision come to life by finding mentors and spaces that saw his magnitude and encouraged it to flourish. From styling musicians (Snoh Aalegra, Kid Cudi, ASAP Ferg) and actors (Michael B. Jordan, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) to shoots with iconic brands (Hermes, Burberry, Louis Vuitton) Corey has worked professionally to carve a lane for himself. This same intensity has been applied to his own self growth, as he has learned to show up authentically with full knowledge of his worth. We spoke to him about his story.
So, Corey, what do you do professionally? What's the fullest description of the roles that you have?
I'm a fashion stylist and creative consultant to a few brands and individuals, and then also I'm the fashion director at Highsnobiety.
Okay, and did you go into fashion knowing that these were the roles that you wanted to occupy, or has this been an evolution?
Yeah, it's really been an evolution. I went to school for journalism, and I wanted to be a journalist. I was interested in fashion so I think that was always gonna be the goal. I looked up to Robin Givhan at the Washington Post and I even started a fashion column at our college newspaper. But I didn't necessarily think it would be into styling, per se. I kind of just fell into that when I took an internship at Complex Magazine.
Interesting. When were you at Complex?
A few times actually. I started there as an intern in 2011, over the summer of my college years. And I got a job as a freelance assistant and I dropped out of school; I was writing a bunch and got my first chance at styling. They were all branded content jobs and at that time, branded content was so new and Complex was on the curve of aggregated content and putting a lot of attention on the website. My first experience working in branded content was with Chrisette Michelle for Dr. Pepper. And then the next one was Pusha T for Puma.
So I did those and thought, oh -- this is kind of cool. And I had been assisting the editors on set a few times, so I kind of just fell into it. I then went over to Brooks Brothers to help them build their e-commerce and focus on e-commerce strategy. At that time the e-commerce game was very, very new and brands weren’t necessarily devoting much time to it. They were just putting stuff on the site; no care into how it was shot. The retailer focused so much on brick and mortar, and they had so much inventory that just wasn't on the site; they were missing out on so much money. I moved up the ranks at Brooks Brothers doing that until I was the lead stylist for e-comm, both men and women.
I did that for a few years before going back to Complex. At the time, Matthew Henson was the fashion director there and they were revamping the print magazine, and he wanted to bring over a market editor that could help him. So Matthew and I relaunched the magazine. I did that for another year before I got offered a job back at Brooks Brothers to oversee the advertising and marketing side. I returned and did all the campaigns for Brooks Brothers for four years.
Corey Stokes, DJ Kitty Cash, Matthew Henson
So in this movement and after Brooks Brothers, how did you end up at Highsnobiety?
Because my schedule was a lot more flexible when I went back to Brooks Brothers -- there was a budget to hire out freelancers -- it gave me time to just focus on the bigger picture of the company. But the company is very straightforward, with a very strong brand identity already in place; which gave me, honestly, the opportunity to find my creative vices elsewhere. I had been doing some freelance work for High Snobiety in the past. I’m familiar with the team; I used to work with Jian [DeLeon], the Editorial Director back at Complex, and Jeff Carballo, the Managing Director is a good friend of mine.
And so, it was almost an easy placement; they needed someone to come in and help them with North America (they had just opened the North American office, the New York office). They didn't know if they needed someone full-time and I just wanted to come in and contribute. So, it worked out; I took this at-large position where I just came in and created content and helped them build their fashion presence.
What are some of your favorite things about this role, especially as it evolved? Where you are now, what do you love about what it is you're doing versus maybe where you were when you first started Complex? But then also, it sounds like Matthew Henson was a massive help. Were there other people on this journey? Who really helped you or who saw you?
Yeah, so it probably started off with this guy, Frederick Marshall, who's actually the Marketplace Director at Complex now. But he was the fashion assistant at Complex while I was an intern, and he was probably the first person who really championed me and saw something in me. And then, Matthew joined the team later, right before I left the company. But we formed a bond. And honestly, since then he’s been my mentor and best friend. He definitely guided me even when I left Complex. He was just not happy about it, [laughs] like “You're really gonna just leave me,” but he let me make my own decisions. And he loved me, he guided me and gave me the best advice he thought that I needed. He always had my back in situations like that. Because especially in an industry that’s so ego-driven and everyone's so focused on themselves, the same situation could go a very opposite way.
Another person is my old producer at Brooks Brothers. She really, really looked out for me, and made it very obvious that I was destined for something more than Brooks Brothers — which, not to discredit or negate Brooks Brothers, but it's a company that’s very straightforward. It’s a very old company and there's not much room for change there, especially coming from a young Black boy with a very distinct, strong taste in fashion. She always made sure that I didn't lose sight of that and she always pushed me to even push within the company, but also made sure that I kept my interests outside of the company; even when I took this freelance position at Highsnob. She was totally fine with me taking that role and didn’t get upset. Because I would have to take time off to do something at Highsnob and she never made me feel bad for that.
So, out of this beautiful trajectory, what would you say has been like the biggest turning point of your career?
I don't know, it's hard to really think of one moment where I was like okay, I'm doing it right. Because personally, I still feel like I'm still trying to get to this level of being comfortable, which is not realistic, either; we’ll never be totally comfortable. But honestly, if I could say anything, it was probably this past year which was my first year as a fully and completely freelancing individual. Not on the salary at all, the worry and uncertainty that comes with that...outside of my contract at HighSnobiety, that was still different. I was going from a contract and a very good salary to just a contract, you know? And having the faith honestly. I also moved into a bigger apartment with a bigger rent, and so I just made this leap.
I feel like now I've made the right move, I'm making the right choices. And I really don't have the worry. So I would say this past year, everything I've accomplished on my own.
You can't take anything away from that feeling.
At all. You realize that you actually don't need this safety net that you think you need.
How has the work that you're doing and the leaps that you've taken forced you to evolve as a human, as a soul if you believe in souls, as just a person? And how has your own personal evolution forced you to grow in your work and say, “Maybe I want more from this”?
Funny you said that because that was probably my biggest struggle with leaving this job, or going really freelance; realizing that the industry is so much about talent, but also so much about just how you are as a person. Before, I wasn’t focused on how I came off to people when I was on set at Brooks Brothers because this was my show, essentially, this was my setup. Going from that position to a freelancer on this set and if you want these people to hire you again, you have to be more than just talented; you have to make sure that people are comfortable with you, in a way...it made me look at things differently. It was like, okay, you have to be a bit more mindful of the surroundings and how you interact with people. It forced me to take a look at myself and maybe some traits that I didn’t necessarily like about myself in terms of working in groups and that sort of thing.
This past year showed me my own strength and what I can actually do. You never really know what you're capable of and how much you’re worth. I never knew! I didn't know. Thankfully I have a manager now, but at the point when I first started out, I didn't know what I should be asking for; what I was worth. I didn't know what to say. And it took me a while to really be like, okay, this is what I am; this is what I'm worth. And be strong and steadfast in that. Because people will fuck you over.
Yes, people will take advantage, especially if they don’t think that you know your worth.
110%. Also, just the nature of the game. Everyone's trying to get something.
Yeah, everyone wants something for themselves.
A deal or a “the low” [rate] or friends and family rate. And sometimes these friends and family rates don’t pay no one’s bills!
[laughs]...I get that totally. So as you’re navigating all of that...is there any role for vulnerability in your work? Does vulnerability play any part in what you do?
When we think about the creative side of it, yeah — surrendering yourself to letting the idea grow on its own and just trusting your taste, your collaborators’ taste, the people you're working with. Just letting your guard down and letting the magic happen. I don't know if it's an astrology trait or whatever, but I can be a stickler for how I want something to look, instead of just letting my guard down and letting shit flow. I’ve definitely been practicing that a lot because there's magic that happens when you don't force anything.
It wasn't until recently, this past year that I've really noticed that. I think this year I've done some amazing work and I think a lot of it has been because I kind of just let it happen. Don’t put any weird pressure on it. Just giving [myself] the full space to create and just roam and let this idea grow into whatever it's gonna grow into.
No, I love that. Do you think that really with this past year and allowing that, would you say that this was your best year, this was the most pivotal year? Is this the year that you've also felt the most authentic and expansive in this role because of all that?
Yeah, honestly, I feel like maybe I haven’t gotten to that place yet. I feel like even with this newfound freedom, I'm still adjusting to the idea that I work for myself, I'm my own boss. We've been conditioned to think that we need to be at a 9 to 5 to feel productive. So I'm still getting there to this place of being truly authentic to myself and my vision. I can definitely say that in the past, especially working at Brooks Brothers, it didn’t feel authentic, it didn't feel like me. There it was a great check, where I felt comfortable. But I wasn’t satisfied.
And even now, I've done some really cool work this year and I'm thankful to be able to say I work for myself and I survive here in New York City. So yeah, honestly, I still think that I'm working towards this place of authenticity, especially in my work, and finding out what my voice is. I do a lot of things. That’s just part of being a New Yorker personally, but I'm still really figuring out what I want to say in my work.
So if you look back over your life, do you find that there are moments that might have been critical in shaping you into the person you are today, both personally and professionally? Have there been moments like that for you that just stand out in your life? Like “Yep, based on this like I could tell that I was going to be here.”
Yeah, it was probably my first group of friends in high school. It was me and four girls. It was actually probably a rotation of between four to six girls.
And where’d you grow up?
Flint, Michigan. There was no one in Flint, Michigan that was like, “I want to be in fashion.” And so I felt very alone in that. I was thankful to have this new group of friends that didn’t want to work in fashion, but were also interested in it and me, and they saw my interest in fashion. I think they definitely made me feel comfortable owning that, being a Black gay boy in a city like Flint, Michigan, where it's a really rough city and it's not a place like New York City where you see that often. It's not that accepted. And so, I think that if I didn't have those people around me...even my mom actually; I told my mom thankfully when I was very young about my sexuality. So having those people that didn’t necessarily hinder my creative expression and my interest.
And also just seeing someone like Matt Henson. At such a young age, I honestly didn't know who Matt Henson was. I met him when he came to Complex. And then I'm like, “But wait, there's this Black gay man.” Because before that, he was at Flaunt, which is not a huge publication but definitely in terms of high fashion, it sits right there with really well-known designers. So, he had these amazing relationships and contacts that he brought to Complex and it was interesting that wow, there's a Black guy that can pull Dior without question. That was something Complex didn't have before. We were pulling T.I.’s brand, Akoo. We weren't really getting designer unless it was a store pool from Barneys [New York]. Matt introduced a whole new level of taste to the magazine and that was just something that was like, wow okay….so there are people that look like me doing this, and I think that's very important.
Well, thankfully now, it's not that uncommon. But back then, the only other person I knew was June Ambrose.
Right, I think it's just so difficult for us to craft an image of who we want to be when you can't see it.
I saw Robin Givhan, a Black woman at Washington Post that wrote so eloquently about clothes and that was always interesting to me because I'm like, how do you make clothes so interesting? Like how are you able to make clothes, this runway show, sound so poetic? And that’s what I love.
Even in my work, it's like, how do we make this not just about the clothes? What's the story. I love shooting models, but I think it's probably so much more interesting sometimes shooting real people or talent and giving these clothes a life outside of a pretty picture. I love a pretty picture, but what story is this picture telling?
When was the first time that you fully saw yourself? It could be that you haven't found it yet.
I feel like especially in the past six months, I've grown so much as a businessperson, as a creative. We put so much work into our work that it’s a sign of your self worth. Whatever your job is equates to you as a person. And unintentionally, obviously I thought that about myself for such a long time.
The first time I felt as though I was more than a job was February 2019, when I was asked by Adidas to be a part of this project. And it was really just about me as a creative. They were really interested in seeing my vision. It’s different when you’re asked to style something because there's already a bit of a vision or creative there. So with this opportunity, it was nice to hear someone being so interested in just me.
That was also when I decided that I needed to quit my full-time job because I realized that like I had something that they were interested in, and it wasn’t just about the work I was doing. It was like these people were seeing me for me.
And I think, unintentionally, I've always made myself my own brand. But I think that February 2019 was when I realized that you are your own person and you need to invest in that and let people know that you have a voice, you have a vision. And I think I'm still realizing that; I'm still working on it, but I think the beginning of 2019 is when I really felt like, okay, this is Corey. This is who you are and let's work towards being the best Corey Stokes that you can be. And it wasn't until a year ago that I was like, okay, but what does all this mean to you? What do you want to be? What’s the work that you want to do? How do you see yourself and how you want people to see you?
It's not just always about your associations with these companies or association to anyone, honestly; it's just for you. I think about that all the time with anything I do. It’s like, okay, but is this you? It may be a cool opportunity, it may be a great gig, it may be working with cool talent, but is this something that you want to do? Does this seem right to you? Is it something that you want your name on or be associated with in general?
Honestly, it's a work in progress, but I find myself now feeling more comfortable saying no to things, passing opportunities that just don't feel right to me. It’s not about the money at all. I was just telling a friend, I get so worried when I have a week of nothing, or a couple of days and I'm chillin’, or I know I have two gigs lined up, but what’s after that? I had to tell myself to just relax and there’s a thing called faith that I stand by. Just realizing that I’m destined, I’m here for a reason. He didn't bring me all the way here to leave me.
So I keep that in mind always, even more now. Be true to yourself. If it doesn't feel right, if it's not for you, if it's not where you see yourself going, if it’s not going to help you get to where you want to go, then move on.
Is there a legacy that you're trying to leave behind with your work?
Yeah, I think first and foremost, I always, always, always, always think of people that look like me; Black gay men who grew up in these small cities with these big ambitions. I always want to make sure that the work that I create, and even how I hold myself and how I present myself, is very true to me so that they see that you don't have to necessarily change who you are. I'm still a little bit hood, I still love so many parts of how I grew up. But I also love fashion, also love these designer things. And working with fashion can make you feel as though you have to conform to be accepted...and that's not true. I've gotten just as many opportunities for being loud and going against the grain. Don't feel like you have to change yourself to be in this industry. I felt like that for a while, that I needed to be a certain way to be accepted. And it's like, no.
It’s so interesting even going to Paris for the shows. With streetwear, we've infiltrated the space totally. And it's still interesting being this little Black boy at these shows, front row, next to these very stuffy, put-together White men that run this space...and feeling comfortable. My first time doing that — going to Fashion Week — I felt so super-intimidated. Now, It's like, I'm meant to be here just like you and I don’t have to look like you, I don’t have to act like you, I don't have to fit in with you. And there's beauty in that.
Such beauty. I mean, it's such, such, such beauty. I have to keep hearing that.
Yeah, just the work that I want to do is always with them in mind, showing them that you can create beautiful images and you can still be yourself. I think even now, we have so many other people of color as well that are doing the same thing. It’s showing you that you don't have to be one kind of way in this industry.
