RHYAN’S BEGINNINGS

I grew up with family members that were successful and accomplished in their chosen fields. One side of my family was noted academics who had published works and the other was successful business owners. My mom, on the other hand, was both. She was the ultimate hustler, boss babe, and CEO any young girl could look up to. She was an accountant by trade, but pursued her passion and started her own business to help others. I recalled countless times of going to work with her and watched in awe on how she conducted business, how her employees admired and respected her, and how clients constantly thanked her. I wanted to have that kind of impact and significance as well. I wanted something that stirred passion inside me but also changed people’s lives.

At a young age I searched for exactly that and looked at the things I liked. I liked architecture, but hated math. I liked riding horses but hated the breeches that I had to wear. I liked cars but only if I am allowed to drive them really reeaally fast. And then, I saw a movie that changed my life.

“A Time to Kill” came out when I was in 10th grade. Besides the fact that Jake Brigance (aka Matthew McConnaughey) was not only the most beautiful thing my 14 year old self ever laid eyes on, I found an avenue where I can be passionate about while making a difference. I immediately joined the Chester County Bar Association, took classes at Villanova University, and earned 10 college credits prior to graduating high school. While taking law classes, I started playing rugby and found something else I excelled in.

To my parents’ dismay, I turned down my academic and sports scholarships to Brown and Vassar and applied to schools overseas. With my focus on International Relations, my path was set--get my degree, play rugby and start my own firm. Two months in, I realized that my passion for rugby has grown more than my ambitions of becoming a barrister. So, I started to aggressively pursue a professional rugby career. My aspirations of signing a professional contract would have been secured if it were not for a severe concussion I suffered. Depressed, distraught, and lost I returned home.

FINDING A NEW PATH

Clueless to what to do next, I graduated early and landed a prestigious corporate job after graduation. Still unhappy and “lost” I moved from one job to another in hopes to fill a void.

One day a colleague reached out to me asking for help to dress for an event she was attending. A month later, she reached out again asking if I would help through the interview process for a competitive position. As word spread about the kind of “assistance” I provided, more and more colleagues, former colleagues, friends and others reached out to get advice on their current wardrobe choices, interview skills, presentation critiques, and negotiation techniques. As time passed, I found that the need to not only dress well but to “be the entire package” wasn’t just a concern for individuals in the corporate world, but also everyday individuals, business owners, entrepreneurs, college graduates, and individuals in the process of career and sometimes life transitions. I realized that I that I had stumbled into something—something I can make a difference in. I stumbled into that diamond that I had been looking for.

THE TURNING POINT

On March 7th 2017, I attended an event where I witnessed a young woman was brushed off by a noted personal stylist/blogger in the area. As I stood there in shock and disbelief, I reached a level of anger and motivation. I strongly believed that regardless of your economic or ethnic background I knew that I never wanted someone to feel as though they cannot better themselves because someone was not willing to help them.  The other turning point was vowing to myself to no longer work for someone who was unethical. These two events formed the core foundation of my business: heart and integrity. In May 2018, I worked intensively with a career and business coach and tried to find a name that would capture the essence of how I’ve built my business. The word “just” described my process as: exactly, precisely, wholly, and completely. The word “curator” came to mind which described my outlook when I engaged with my clients as someone curating a collection to showcase and highlight them. Days later, I formed justCURATED, LLC.

justCURATED, A PASSION

Many have asked me “what exactly do you do?” “Do you really style people?” “How do you help people in the corporate world?” First and foremost, I am a resource. I want anyone and everyone to reach out to my agency who wants to improve and better themselves in any form. Style is one aspect of what I do. It should express who you are: for that day, for that moment, or for that season in your life. If I feel like dressing like a bohemian princess going to a Coachella event, I can. If I feel like dressing like a CEO with the JLo edge, I can. And if I feel like dressing like Joan Jett with black ripped denim jeans and white tee (like I’m doing right now), I certainly can. STYLE isn’t about fashion, it’s about the PERSON. Style is limitless. And so is everything else. I will never define or limit my clients and they should not limit themselves either.

As an IMAGE CURATOR, I understand that a person’s style is just one aspect of who they are and does not define them. Our clients are more than their clothes. They have different aspects and dimensions to them (just like a diamond). And as an image curator, I need to have the eye, experience, and talent to pull out the best versions of our clients in the way they carry and speak. I want them to be the entire package that they are. I am that resource for them. My clients are the diamonds and I’m here to polish them.

It’s an amazing process to see someone see themselves in an even BETTER and BRIGHTER light. To be there for that, in that moment, is something I could have never imagine I could be part of. Call me a stylist, a wardrobe consultant, personal shopper, corporate trainee, college mentor, your cheerleader in the sidelines, but the most important name any of my clients can call me is “friend.”