Style Influencer, Ryan Clark On Black Equity And Commanding Your Worth
WITH RYAN CLARK
With a story that begins in Houston Texas, he’s done everything from styling NFL players to completing three medical degrees.
Photography, Julio Nuno
Words, Caleb Church In Conversation with Ryan Clark
VIEW GALLERY
It all started after Ryan began styling a friend who eventually made it to the NFL and even played a few Super Bowls. This one-of-a-kind opportunity duly opened doors for him to access a higher level of clientele as well as look to higher aspirations, swiftly finding more ambition with each solid step. It all clicked that playing in the creative field was the path for him while examining a postmortem graft in school when his colleagues called his awareness to the fact that he’d been more interested in the Tom Ford lookbook he was viewing on his iPad.
With so much life and professional experience backing him, he decided to leave it all behind in Texas for a fresh start — pursuing a career that fulfilled his most authentic self. This was the decision that eventually landed Ryan a career as a tastemaker. With a resume crafted to help amplify international brands like BOSS and Gucci, his professional resume contains the know-how it takes to fill the missing gaps within the industry.
Anyone who has ever freelanced or been responsible for the bottom line of their own income understands the stress of tight deadlines and sometimes uneasy demands from clients. 7 years in the business might make one an expert on the subject, and that’s exactly what Ryan is. Now, as one of New York’s most original tastemakers, he’s an advocate for bridging the gap between pay inequities in the media space for black men.
you don't stand in the way of someone who’s driven because you are going to get plowed and knocked out.
During our interview, he summed up his experience in a single line that read, “No is a full sentence. Full stop.” It’s a sentence to be wielded sharply after much consideration of where the foundation to secure one’s future lies. Decline opportunities that are inequitable and instead command your true value. With each new voice that claims that value, a greater shift toward equality can be claimed, and it’s a better future for everyone.
In this tell-all, we uncover everything from breaking the news that he was going in another direction to his family, the ups and downs of influencer culture itself, and actionable steps to elevating one’s career.
CC: Where are you from, what did you study, and where?
RC: I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. You know, that same great place that some of the greats are from? I don't know, like Beyoncé. That MC Hall in the south adjacent Louisiana. Actually, my mom is originally from Louisiana, right outside of New Orleans. So, I really have the best of both worlds. I went to school down in the south as well, at Southern Methodist University where I studied chemistry. That was my first degree. My second degree was an MS MBA in healthcare management. I got my third degree in Biomedical Sciences. From there, I started to matriculate into med school.
CC: Considering the pressure to follow a guaranteed path to success as a black man, what was that emotional journey like to go all in on your passion?
RC: Coming from an African American family and a place where we always did not have everything, what we did have was love and compassion. Our family really sacrificed a lot for each and everyone of us to make sure we got the best possible education, even though we came from pretty humble beginnings. I always feel as though we as black people started the race behind the starting line. We actually have to work harder and do more in order to keep up. Education for our family was one of those tools put in place to try and combat that.
I'm forever a student. I'm always willing to learn. I'm always willing to hear and experience new things. That, for me, is one of my driving forces and what always keeps me inspired; meeting new people and seeing new things.
THE LOOK
Trench Coat, Teddy Vonranson; Boots, YSL; Sunglasses, Tom Ford
CC: When did you first recognize styling was your passion and how did you get started? Was it just yourself or styling friends?
RC: I started with an athlete that I went to undergrad with, and that individual became really successful and even played a few Super Bowls. I got introduced to some of his teammates and started styling more players that were in the NFL and then transitioned into some NBA players too. Through building the network that I had, I slowly but surely started to transition and leverage it as any good student should.
Before I knew it, within four to five years, I was helping style some very notable figures, and then got recognized by GQ. They were like, “what? How are you doing all of this?” I was just a little boy, you know. I was still going to school, and trying to get my work done. They wanted to do a piece on me about what my experiences were and all of these different things.
In the midst of talking to them, I remember I got an email about three weeks later, and they invited me to come up to New York to work for them in some capacity.
CC: What was that conversation like?
RC: I was like, so you think I'm willing to leave my path and my trajectory to come and work for you guys. I know who you are. I know the publication. I read it, I admire it, and I love it so much. However, what I'm not going to do is leave the security of medical school in the light that I know that once this pans out, I can live to try and chase you guys.
I said what I am willing to do is work with you guys, not for you. So I will be sort of a partner to you, if that's even an option.
Being a creative isn’t about being secure, it's about fulfilling a passion.
CC: I think that level of confidence and self-integrity in just being able to say no to such a huge brand is pretty commendable.
RC: You have to be so self-assured and know what you are capable of. Knowing what you're worth, too. That's the level that I want to elevate people on — especially people of color and others trying to follow this journey.
Shortly after the GQ offer, I become one of the original 5 influencers to work with them. And then from there, they kind of like branched off and did the GQ insiders.
I cannot harp on this enough. I see the fight that is happening now where black creatives are not being paid what they need to be paid. Sometimes it becomes very difficult because you're offered X and you know that other people are getting paid more, but you still know that you have bills to be paid. There are so many issues including disenfranchisement in the amount of money that I'm making in comparison to my white counterparts. I know what I am worth, I know my value, I know what I bring.
CC: When did you move to New York
RC: I moved to New York in 2014. I've been in New York for eight years. I just remember moving into my apartment on the Upper West Side. I was scared leaving the comfort and security of the nest. The nest being my family, my friends, the places that I grew up. Everything that I knew. To come to New York City was kind of like, this is not reality. Then, of course, work begins and I have to go talk to GQ. I had so many different things that I had to do. Back in those days, being an influencer was not even a term, it was more so like you were a blogger or a stylist.
THE LOOK
Tuxedo, BMC Studio by Brandon Murphy; LOVE Bracelet, Cartier; Bow Tie, Gucci; Sunglasses, Lindberg Eyewear
CC: What was the conversation like having to inform your parents when you decided to leave medical school for New York?
RC: Imagine having a conversation with your parents where you have to sit them down to basically say that I know they have invested so much time, energy and money into me doing this one thing, and now I want to completely drop all of that, and focus on something else that has no real security.
Being a creative isn’t about being secure, it's about fulfilling a passion. You hear about starving artists all the time, and people who are brilliant but they just never reached that level of success. That being said, I sat down with them and had that conversation. I told them about my five-year plan. I think what really gave them a little peace of mind was the fact that I could always matriculate back into med school.
CC: Let’s dig into your experience through the space. Has this experience been consistent, regardless of what brands you were working for? Was there a culture shock coming to New York and into the industry from Texas?
RC: 1000%. Coming from the south, there was an absolute culture shock. First of all, people in New York are not the nicest. Coming from Houston, Texas with a culture that is very in tune with staying authentic, I almost feel like I was going from a sense of community to the complete opposite in New York, where everything is so individualistic. Everyone's mindset is on the goal, and it’s eat or be eaten. So, coming from that, I had t0 transition my mindset.
Now that I’ve been here eight years, I think New Yorkers can be nice people. I also know that you don’t get in their way. Everyone here is on a mission to make themselves someone. So you don't stand in the way of someone who’s driven because you are going to get plowed and knocked out.
CC: What are your thoughts and feelings on the environment and the treatment of black men in the fashion industry?
RC: First I have to say this, and I don't take, any of this lightly. Sometimes, it's a very humbling feeling to be here. On a regular basis I'm just like, “how?.
My father is a pastor. So I'm a preacher’s kid. I'm pretty spiritual. I know that this happened by chance. I know that all of these are our prayers and blessings that have been handed down and been prayed for from my mom, my grandmother and my great grandmother. I always reflect back to that moment of Beyoncé in one of her documentaries where she says, “God, why did you give me this talent? why did you choose me?” or something along those lines.
Staying humble and grounded is one of the things that keeps me moving forward. In this industry, there are a lot of people who I will say “fake it until they make it”, portraying themselves to be more than they are like they're untouchable or God's gift to humanity.
People who are doing their passion and fulfilling their destiny don't have time to be mean. They live in their truth. I always kind of relate back to Devil Wears Prada. It's actually one of my favorite movies. It's like the Emily and the Andrea. I think that so many people want to be Emily because she represents what they believe this industry should be. In the end of the movie, you see that Andrea is actually what the industry needs. Like she's the one who gets it all because she's nice, she has compassionate, she's sweet, she is personable. Whereas the shell of a human that is Emily ends up being miserable despite her glamour.
CC: What tangible steps would you share that have helped you advocate for your worth?
RC: Have all of your ducks aligned in a row meaning knowing your experience and knowing your brand. Your brand is everything. What I have realized, with so many different partners that I've had in the past is they look at me and my brand and what I present first. It’s like going on a dating app — that's your first profile, your pictures, you know, that's literally what you have. Second, you want that brand to delve deeper. Are they able to actively cultivate a conversation while staying present. You must be someone who is multidimensional, meaning that they can utilize you in multiple ways. Lastly, authenticity and delivering above your expectations.
Your brand got you in the door, your personality and who you are as an individual and creative help walk you through that door and then we're going to take it one step further. Authenticity, humility and the innate drive is what's going to keep them coming back.
THE LOOK
Turtleneck, Teddy Vonnranson; Ring, Cartier
BO: What are some of the struggles that you'd like to see disappear for black creativity?
RC: Pay equity. We've seen this time and time again. Black people just not being compensated in the way that we should be. We deliver stellar content, we are trendsetters, we are leaders in every aspect of the way as it relates to creativity.
You know, black Tik-Tok creators, black Instagram. Instagram has been disenfranchised for a number of years where our counterparts will either steal, take, recreate or rebrand something that we've already made a thing and then get paid for it.
Brands really need to take ownership of the fact that we're here to stay. We want to be compensated, we want to be paid, we want it to be appreciated, and we want the autonomy of how our ideas are expressed, to be stated and to be valued. Because for far too long, that has not been the case.
There were always black creators and now I see this plethora. I see us for the first time, and that's because we're coming up and we're showing up. We're expecting more and we're doing more and we are at the forefront of what is driving and moving culture and creativity in this space. It really gives me hope that things are going to change and that we are going to finally have our seats at the table.
