Clara Mary Joy takes an anthropological approach to styling

Welcome to Nike Style By – a new season of a campaign celebrating different styles and trends from creative cities across the world. In honour of the campaign, we have joined forces with Nike to spotlight five different stylists who are leading the way for a new generation of women in creative fields. Stay tuned here to find out more.

For Clara Mary Joy, styling is about research, investigation and documentation – poring through references from grainy films and old books for inspiration. Rather than thinking of fashion as a commodity, the stylist and film costume designer uses it to better understand the world around her.

Joy grew up in Vancouver, and moved to London when she was 18. She attended University of the Arts London for one day, immediately felt it wasn’t right for her, and dropped out. Since then, she’s busied herself between consulting, styling and research. “In past years I was feeling intellectually unstimulated by my work in fashion,” she says. “I’ve now been focusing on shifting my practice into a more cerebral space.” She’s been studying anthropology, finding herself most interested by how it intersects with fashion.

Her entry point into styling was through being a “club kid,” she explains. “One of my favourite parts about going out was planning my looks. I’ve also always been a digger. Since I was a child, I bought the majority of my clothes from thrift stores and flea markets around the city. Playing with clothes was important to me.”

Noticing Joy’s natural aptitude for putting looks together, a friend suggested she applied for a styling internship at concept store 017 in the city. “It was the only place where you could buy Y/Project and other – at the time – more niche designers.” Aged 15, she started assisting stylist Yeaji Choi there. “In under a year, I was working almost every day and essentially styling, art directing and casting editorials with Kai de Torres, the photographer alongside Yeaji.”

Choi introduced her to the idea of styling as a means of telling stories, although Joy thinks “styling has become less and less about that: looking at a garment, a collection of clothing and deciding how and what story to tell.” For Joy, this felt like “the ultimate play. Through working together, we created a family. It was play and connection, and I often still approach working with a team this way, when I can.” The job, she says, grounded her and gave her confidence amid a “very independent adolescence”. “I think if it weren’t for the opportunities I had at 017, I could have ended up in a very different place than I am now.”

As part of a collaboration with Nike, we’ve set a challenge for some of our favourite young female stylists. Joy, alongside four others, will be styling the LD-1000 and Shox R4 shoes in their own way (you can see the results of that here). Below, we put some questions to Joy about her influences and how she communicates style.

Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

Clara Mary Joy: I grew up in Vancouver, Canada. I moved to London when I was 18, attended fashion school for one day, knew it was not for me and dropped out. Since then, I have been working between consulting, styling and research. In past years, I was feeling intellectually unstimulated by my work in fashion. I’ve now been focusing on shifting my practice into a more cerebral space. I’m currently studying anthropology and working on projects that find the intersection between that and fashion, usually existing outside of my work in styling, but there are exceptions.

How do you balance current fashion trends with staying true to your own aesthetic?

Clara Mary Joy: When I’m dressing myself or others, I’m conscious of my references. I never like to pull too much from one place. For example, historical reenactment in fashion is very real, and it’s not my thing. I think it’s the ability to hold awareness or knowledge in your different elements of influence to create something that feels true to yourself. And sometimes that’s totally intuitive.

How do you interpret and style femininity in a way that feels inclusive and true to your values?

Clara Mary Joy: My relationship to femininity is always changing. It’s something I intend to play with, I sometimes struggle with it and other times have a lot of fun with it. I know that for me, femininity has nothing to do with an assigned gender. I reject most binaries – politically and spiritually. Stylistically, I’m rejecting binaries to an extent, while simultaneously working with the gendered connotations of garments and styles to further complicate and confuse things.

In a fast-paced industry, how do you stay inspired and avoid creative burnout?

Clara Mary Joy: Spending time outside, thinking and watching. When you can. Phone out of sight!

Who are your style icons, past or present, and how do they influence your creative direction?

Clara Mary Joy: My partner SoiL influences my style a lot. SoiL’s relationship to style holds so much complexity and attention to detail. They take risks with clothes (comfort, safety, expression). People have told me that when we are together, I dress differently, and I think it’s because SoiL encourages experimentation. It excites them when I try new things and, of course, I love to excite them. This has influenced my work in the way I will embrace oddness. There is so much similarity and emulation in fashion. My goal is to at least attempt to do things differently, and this can be extremely subtle.

Do you have an early memory of Nike?

Clara Mary Joy: Arguing with my school principal that my black high top air force 1s do in fact meet the uniform requirement of a black leather shoe.

What’s one piece in your closet (or kit) you can’t live without?

Clara Mary Joy: Probably my black leather vest that I’m wearing in one of the Nike looks. It’s been the most consistent piece in my rotation for years. I wear it with and over everything, sometimes with nothing. Almost regrettably, day to day I wear a lot of athletic ‘loungewear’. Adding the vest can make my looks feel a bit more real. I also love to combine hard and soft. Leather is usually a great tool for that (yum!)

What advice would you give to emerging stylists who are trying to find their voice in the industry?

Clara Mary Joy: Beyond aesthetics, your voice is found through what you believe in. Establish a baseline of your values and beliefs. That simplifies everything, while engaging with the inevitability of complexity.