One look at Karla Welch’s client list and you could be forgiven for thinking it was an IMDB cast list of a must-watch movie. Sarah Paulson, Ruth Negga, Elizabeth Moss, Tracee Ellis Ross, Busy Philipps, and Olivia Wilde (who is always serving lewks) are all among the A-listers who turn to Welch for style advice. Karlie Kloss and Anita Hill are also on that list, ICYWW, and then there’s Justin Beiber.

Yes, Welch has been responsible for helping Beiber put together his most “authentic” outfits. He told The Cut, “She knows my taste so well and is always introducing me to new brands and styles. She is very collaborative.” Authenticity is Welch’s M.O. From her fashion choices to her activism, Welch boldly goes where no stylist has gone before and both her clients and her fans (she has over 250K Instagram followers) stan. In fact, her IG bio lists her titles as “Stylist / Creative / Freedom Fighter”—Welch doesn’t mince words when it comes to causes she cares about.

It’s one of the main reasons she launched her own brand, X Karla: to fuse fashion with philanthropy to ignite social change. She has collaborated with brands like Hanes, Stripes, Meta, and Levi’s, the latter who made donations with every purchase to Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. Now, she’s on a mission to democratize styling with her new app, Wishi.

It’s no wonder she’s been hailed one of the industry's most powerful stylists by The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times. Ahead, we chat with Welch about Wishi and her mission to put a stylist in everyone’s pocket, the mantra that’s helped her find new roads and switch gears when she hits bumps or hurdles, and the #1 piece of advice she’d give to any aspiring stylist.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: You recently launched your app Wishi—congrats! Why did you decide to start a tech venture? What have you learned from entering the tech industry? What is your mission/vision for the app?

KARLA WELCH: To bring my process to everyone, at an affordable price. Getting dressed should never be stressful! Tech is interesting. I am very intuition-based, but tech has really made me focus on the data. It’s fun to flex that side of the brain.

You've been known for your ability to help clients make a career shift simply through their style choices. How do you do that? What's the secret? How can we do that at home too?

That’s sort of exactly what my goal with Wishi is: giving everyone their best style!

You've had your own career pivots before moving into fashion, by chance, when you started working on your husband's photoshoots (including the original iPod campaigns) and, with a whole lot of drive and passion, you made your own unique career and POV as a stylist. What advice do you have for someone trying to shift in a new career direction? What are some of the biggest lessons learned in those early years? How did it form you into the stylist you are today?

Work harder than you even think possible.

When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you #FindNewRoads + switch gears to find success?

I just don’t stop. Failure is part of every path and every story. Don’t be afraid of it.

The actress Judy Greer, who has been your client for a decade, told Naomi Fry for a feature in The New Yorker that you are the most self-confident woman she's ever met. Where do you think this confidence stems from? What advice do you have for people who are feeling self-doubt and want to have more courage?

Ha, well that’s Judy’s perspective. Haha, well, I feel confident in my skills so I guess that helps!

You work with some huge celeb clients and you're known for your ability to highlight the individuality of each client or, as The New Yorker article puts it, you work hard to make your clients look like themselves. How do you make sure a client’s personality shines through? How important are your relationships with them in creating those looks? How did you develop your own style?

I really just want to make sure I’m bringing out the best of each client. Again, to bring it back to the Wishi, it’s about the client (you) versus me. Although, there is def a bit of me in all my girls.

 You also sell your own line, x karla—why did you decide to launch your own brand? What is the design process like? What have been some of the biggest challenges in launching your own business? How do you manage that alongside your celebrity styling business?

Barely! Manage, that is. Well, I just wanted to do different things. It’s crazy trying to manage production and teams and ideas, but here we are doing it!

The industry has changed so much since you started. What do you wish you could go back and tell yourself when you were first starting out? Why?

Hmm, I don’t really look back!

You're a vocal activist on Instagram. Why have you decided to make your feed a platform for change as well as a place for fashion inspiration? What advice can you give others who want to make a difference?

It’s just who I am. IG is a language, and that’s my place to share what I do and who I am and what I believe in. I’ve never been so superficial as to only show work.

What is the best advice you’ve been given? Or a favorite piece of #realtalk?

90% is still an A.

Being a celebrity stylist is incredibly competitive. What’s a piece of advice you’d give to women starting out in your field? Why?

Assist someone. And be there to be an assistant and learn, not to try and make it about yourself. Do the time.

What is the #1 book you always recommend? Why?

The War of Art, Catching the Big Fish, and Just Kids—because they are all perfect.

Photographer: Jenna Peffley

Hair: Styled by OGXpert & Celebrity Hairstylist Jillian Halouska

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