Stylist Marcus Cuffie was raised in a creative household. Born in Baltimore, his father, a photographer, encouraged him to pursue the arts from a young age. It was while studying painting in college that Cuffie discovered his love of fashion. “I never had much of an interest in fashion until I found a community of people online who had a lot more knowledge about it than I did,” he says of how his interest was sparked. From here, Cuffie began assisting stylists, finding inspiration in the collaborative relationship between stylist and photographer in particular.

Today based in New York, Cuffie is a rising star in the next generation of fashion styling. He has contributed to publications such as Dazed, styling the cast of Atlantics for the winter 2019 issue, and Vogue Italia. “I don’t think anything trumps how an editorial reads on a printed page, and the kind of control you have over a narrative in that form,” he explains. In the future, he hopes to start his own publication, giving a platform to other voices in their community. “I think everyone should have the chance to make something,” he concludes.

What, or who, gives you hope? 

Marcus Cuffie: Anyone who is making something for the purpose of making it, the people in the industry who have carved out a niche for themselves and a way to work without giving it all over to the system at large. I don’t see any reason being in it if you want some kind of fame or influence, there’s not enough money or space.

Where do you eventually want to get to in your career? 

Marcus Cuffie: My dream is just to be able to sustain myself with my work. I’m not yet at a point where that’s viable and it takes real time and work to get to that point. Fashion is an excess and I understand that, but I feel committed to trying to understand it and work within it.

 “I want to be able to give people space to create things unabated by certain restrictions and have that same freedom myself” - Marcus Cuffie

What creative or philanthropic project would you work on with a grant from the Dazed 100 Ideas Fund?

Marcus Cuffie: I’d like to be at the point where I can have a publication of my own, even if it’s something very small. I’m really interested in pulling together a lot of my disparate influences in writing, art, film and fashion, and having them co-mingle with each other. It's hard to speak in only one voice and I’d like to have a platform to give people whose work I think is interesting space to create. I want to be able to give people space to create things unabated by certain restrictions and have that same freedom myself, and a big part of that is having the funds to create without fear of bankrupting yourself.