Stylist Patricia Lagmay Styles Editorials and Top Brands

    LOS ANGELES, CA, March 17, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Patricia Lagmay is a renowned stylist currently located in Vancouver, Canada who has excelled in her line of work across print, digital and commercial platforms. With seven years of experience, Lagmay has worked with professional brands such as Aritzia, Wings + Horns, Priory, and Samsung and on editorial stories with Hearst Media.

Originally from the Philippines, Lagmay and her family relocated to Los Angeles for six years when she was ten years old. "My parents used to go grocery shopping at the Ralphs on Western and Wilshire in Koreatown in LA, and while they'd roam the aisles, I'd always end up in the magazine section," Lagmay said of what initially inspired her to pursue a career in styling. She was eleven years old at the time. "I was probably drawn to magazines for a (pre-existing) reason, but nevertheless, that's where my obsession with the fashion industry began."

Eight years later, Lagmay found herself in business school where she was introduced to the concept of informational interviews, thus furthering her interest on the subject. "After some very nice people in the industry agreed to let me pick their brains, I discovered that styling was a job that existed and it took off from there," said Lagmay.

Lagmay began interning at the age of nineteen for THEY Representation, an agency located in Western Canada that represents artists and photographers. Additionally, while still with the company, she assisted one of the stylists on their roster on the side. "I eventually became the head booker at the agency, handling production and managing the artists' schedules, and styling my own shoots whenever I got the chance," Lagmay stated regarding her growth within THEY Representation. Said shoots Lagmay speaks of included editorials for publications that celebrated emerging talent.

When it became time for Lagmay to progress from her role, THEY's owner suggested she sign with them to be a stylist on their artist roster. "At that point, they transitioned from being my employer to my agent," Lagmay said.

From 2012 up until the end of 2015, Lagmay worked as a stylist for the reputable brand Aritzia, a Canadian Women's Fashion Boutique started by CEO Brian Hill in 1984 that now boasts over 70 stores across the US and Canada. This transition from freelance to in-house work allowed Lagmay's framework of talent to build increasingly, ultimately allowing her to, "grow and develop the brand beyond the current project," Lagmay explained, specifically through her work with eCommerce, lookbooks and campaigns.

As Lagmay's journey as a stylist at Artizia progressed, her role in the workplace became more senior as the years went on. "For example," Lagmay said, "I started out just being a stylist when it came to our eCommerce catalogue, but very quickly became involved with the art direction, guiding and leading our team (photographer, hair stylist, makeup artist and model) towards getting the right shot."

Like all careers, Lagmay had to overcome both internal and external challenges in order to achieve her esteemed success and reach the point at which she is now. "Trusting your talent and knowing your worth," Lagmay coined as two of the biggest obstacles she had to work through.

In addition to refining her own talents, the fashion industry as it pertained to styling also did some growing and expanding over the years. Regarding the matter, Lagmay commented, "Styling, as a career, is still a relatively young profession and when I first started, a lot of clients still needed to be educated on why having a stylist was necessary. That's changed industry-wide now--everyone's come to realize how integral the role is."

When asked of her career influences, Lagmay said, "I love Diana Vreeland and Carine Roitfeld's work, not because my aesthetics align with theirs, but because of the way they use styling to create smart and evocative images that make you think. Images that force you to stop and analyze what you're looking at. They're always using clothes and accessories in unexpected ways, often with a sense of humor attached to them."

Lagmay's sense of style can be best described as, "refined and minimal with an element of wit or humor," Lagmay offered, "Be it with the way I play with proportion or repetition, or simply with how the model is wearing the clothes." Lagmay draws her inspiration from art, film, and travel, as well as from magazines such as The Gentlewoman, Re-edition and Union. She also keeps an eye on popular social media outlets like Instagram and Tumblr for influential sources.

When it comes to prepping a client for a project, it takes a team effort to make it complete. "The team is comprised of the photographer, stylist, makeup artist, hairstylist, model, and depending on the shoot, an art director," Lagmay explained. With so many people working together to achieve the same goal, teamwork is vitally important. "It's really critical that everyone understands what we're trying to achieve because every single one of the elements we work on is so visible in the images."

Specific to her role as a stylist within the team, and more, Lagmay said, "I play an important role because the clothing is front and center in the story. The clothing that I put the model in also influences how she moves, how she stands, how she sits. It's all interconnected. Beyond that, I often also play the role of art director, ensuring that everyone understands the overall creative direction and how that pertains to each of their areas."

In order to be as accomplished as Lagmay in the profession of styling, one is required to wear many hats. "A surprising amount of OCD," is what Lagmay mentioned she always looks for in assistants, as along with invaluable creative abilities and a marketable sense of fashion, "you need to be extremely organized and meticulous to get the job done."

Raffaele Megaro, Brand Manager at JNBY, has worked with Patricia Lagmay on several occasions where she's pulled merchandise from JNBY for diverse editorial shoots, first handedly witnessing her talents. "I enjoyed having Patricia pull from us not only because she is one of the most professional stylists we work with, but because she presents the brand from a different perspective while still honoring our brand DNA," Megaro said of her sought after approach. "Patricia works with a certain integrity and industry knowledge that a brand like ours needs from a stylist in order to reach different demographics and push our business to unreached consumers."

Lagmay worked with Samsung on a Samsung Galaxy commercial and recalls the opportunity as an, "Amazing experience. We were such an international crew. The clients flew in from Seoul and the directors and producers flew in from Copenhagen, and it was incredible to see everyone come together to produce a campaign that was the first in a new Samsung strategy where they wanted to change their communication tonality."

Lagmay's career accomplishments have allowed her work to span multiple platforms resulting in rewarding outcomes, leaving her unable to choose a favorite avenue. "I love the mix of it all," Lagmay explained. "Of course when you're working on an editorial and have full creative liberty, it's a dream. But what keeps things exciting and interesting is when I'm working on different projects, some challenging from a stylistic perspective, and some from a business perspective. The constant change keeps me on my toes."

For more information, visit: www.patricialagmay.com

Follow Patricia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialagmay/

Patricia Lagmay is a stylist.

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