Fashion & Founders The Podcast · Victoria Smith

How DMing Alex Cooper Began Her Styling Career from Celebrity Stylist Zoe Gofman

·37 min·2 clips

Zoe says she had no experience, then landed Lauren's fitting and Shaninna Shaikh's Vogue-party request in one day.

1. Fashion & Founders The Podcast focuses on celebrity stylist Zoe Goffman and her path into styling through a cold DM to Alex Cooper. 2. Victoria Smith hosts Zoe Goffman, and Zoe matters because she styles celebrities, influencers, and high-profile clients from New York City. 3. The episode asks how someone without a typical styling background turns one request into a real fashion career. 4. Zoe says she graduated Tulane during the pandemic and did not have a job right away. 5. She met Serena Kerrigan through friends and worked as Serena's assistant while helping with Let's Fucking Date, content, and event prep. 6. Zoe says she styled Serena even though it was not in her job description, and Serena kept telling her to do it professionally. 7. After a year with Serena, Zoe took a marketing job at an influencer startup and says she hated it. 8. She explains that she was listening to Call Her Daddy when Alex Cooper mentioned coming to New York Fashion Week with Lauren, who needed a stylist. 9. Zoe cold-DMed them, got a reply, and used her own clothes for Lauren's fitting in a hotel room. 10. While she was fitting Lauren, Shanina Shaikh's manager asked whether Zoe could style Shanina for a Vogue party that same night. 11. Zoe says she did not know Shanina Shaikh at first, then Googled her in the elevator and realized the scale of the request. 12. She pulled dresses from Retrofit, boutique stores in Manhattan, and brands she found by messaging people on LinkedIn. 13. Zoe says she paired a black Retrofit dress with bright green ASOS shoes for Shanina, and the look got a lot of press. 14. She then quit her job and gave herself six months to make styling a full-time profession. 15. Zoe describes flying to Los Angeles, pulling clothes for editorial work, and taking every paid and unpaid opportunity she could find. 16. She says she lost money in her first year but kept going because she was playing the long game. 17. Zoe says the behind-the-scenes work is pure chaos, but she loves the feeling when an outfit clicks and makes someone feel confident. 18. She and Victoria talk about mood boards, fitting racks of clothes, red-carpet glam, and the collaborative process with clients. 19. People who like fashion careers, networking, and celebrity styling advice will get the most from this conversation. 20. People looking for a fast celebrity gossip episode or a short news update should skip it.

As heard by us

A sharp look at how styling becomes a business.

This piece follows Zoe Goffman from a cold DM to Alex Cooper and the risk of quitting a job to build something of her own. It keeps the focus on how style becomes a business: shopping for high-profile clients through stores and affiliate partners, then working directly with…

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Why you'd press play

For when you want the unglamorous path from a cold DM to celebrity styling.

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