Stylist Rachel Zoe on What Drives Her Fashion Empire

Rachel Zoe was once just a stylist that did not get much media attention by herself. Then, her public spat with former client and friend Nicole Richie brought her suddenly into the spotlight, but, as it happened, along with her work, aspects of her personal life were also dragged to light, such as her waif-like figure and speculation on whether she encouraged her clients to starve themselves to be like her. Zoe is now back on the wave with a new season of her reality show, “The Rachel Zoe Project” – but this is one stylist who doesn’t plan to stop here.

Speaking with USA Today about the upcoming season of the reality show, Zoe has also revealed some details about what keeps her going on at full speed and, at the same time, what makes her fashion empire so successful. Because, as all fashion-savvy readers must know, she is not just a stylist that helps celebrities look their best on the red carpet, but also a budding designer and fully accomplished businesswoman. The secret, Zoe reveals, is her motivation to always be doing something new, and not considering her job just a job. What Zoe does verges more on lifestyle than on fashion alone.

Because of this, she has set her eyes on building herself into a brand. “That’s the goal. A couple of years ago, I thought to myself that I wanted to build a whole lifestyle brand and really educate people that anyone can have style. You don’t need a lot of money. I want to be really particular about what I put out, what message, so I don’t intimidate people. I love the challenge.” Zoe tells USA Today of how she envisions the Zoe brand.

In the same interview, the stylist also talks about the upcoming season of the show, where she describes herself as “hands-on” but not intruding in her clients’ life, who have the option to choose not to be shown on camera if that’s what they desire. While others would probably jump at the opportunity of including as many celebrities as possible in each episode of their show, Zoe is different, because she wants to use it to show people how to develop their own style and not to boast about her stellar clientèle. In the end, she hopes this will make it possible for her to extend beyond styling and come out with accessory lines.

“I don’t think I will ever have the confidence in myself that other people have in me.” Rachel Zoe admits bluntly. “All I knew in my life was that I wanted to work with people and I loved glamour. Complacent doesn’t work for me. When I start to feel that I am getting kind of stagnant, I have to figure out the next thing for me. I want to give people a lifestyle. I don’t want to (just) give them great jewelry or a great vest. Candles, bedding, pillows, books, whatever it is. I want to do everything. But I won’t let go of styling, either.” the star concludes by saying.